Lam Vo Archives - Page 2 of 2

Prison Phone Calls and Prison Visits

January 23, 2013 Debora Gordon

By Debora Gordon I decided I would visit Lam in prison. But prison is not a place where you drop in spontaneously. First, you must be approved for visitation, which requires the inmate to snail

Alicia’s Story

January 21, 2013 Debora Gordon

I asked her what she would say directly to Lam if she could speak to him. At first, she was silent. And after a moment, tears flowed from her eyes, and her mother followed suit. Soon, all three of us were crying. What can someone say to someone else who caused such grievous injury? Finally, she just said that she would ask, “Why did you do this?” She said there was nothing Lam could say to her.

‘Want to spend the rest of your life in prison?’: A Judge’s Advice & Some Murky Testimony

January 9, 2013 Debora Gordon

“You’re only 19 or so,” Lam’s judge said to him at the hearing. “I’m sure it’s difficult to conceive or imagine that many years in custody. But I think that leads some people to go to trial and after they get a sentence with life, then think, ‘what did I do? I’m here for the rest of my life, most likely.’ There’s not a huge difference, I don’t see, between 20 years and 25 years, when it means you get out. You can have a life. And quite frankly, for a fleeting moment, I thought, ‘Oh you want a trial? You want to spend the rest of your life in prison?’’’

‘He COULD Have Done It, But I Don’t Think He Did’

December 27, 2012 Debora Gordon

By Debora Gordon Lam offered me contact information for his attorney, David Kelvin, who agreed to speak with me in last October. I felt limited in my knowledge of the criminal justice system, even though

Snail Mail Part III: Is Forgiveness for the Victim or the Forgiven?

December 19, 2012 Debora Gordon

“On the topic of forgiveness. I have always felt we all deserve a second chance.Would I be able to forgive the person who rape and killed my daughter? I can’t say for sure because I would know. But I’ve forgiven the people or person who shot me. If you think about it, I put myself in that situation and that was part of the gang banging life style. So why should I keep that hatred for them when I am moving on in life.”

Snail Mail Part II: A Mellow or a Violent Guy?

December 19, 2012 Debora Gordon

“Being locked (up) is not a good thing but for some like me, we need a scary situation to set us straight. If only there were a machine who can tell if a person has truly learn and have change for the better. I would be release real soon. Being in here has stop a lot of my plans and goals but I look at is this is time to build a better me for the future. It is what it is.”

‘Get a Straight Job’ & Stop Gang Banging!

October 29, 2012 Debora Gordon

I responded to the email Lam sent from Juvenile Hall within an hour of receiving it. That was more than 5 years ago, so I am trying to look back and remember what I was

The double life of Lam Vo

October 18, 2012 Debora Gordon

As a teacher in Oakland, I often face the sense of unease as each new shooting or homicide is reported. I seem to read every few days the news of another shooting, and I always