Fact or Narrative: Are Private Prisons Evil?

in my view we need bold changes in our. criminal justice system as a first step. we need to start treating prisoners like. human beings. private companies private corporation. should not be proffered profiteering. from their incarceration our emphasis. must be on rehabilitation not. incarceration and longer prison. sentences in that regard the basic. decisions regarding criminal justice and. public safety must be the responsibility.

of the citizens of our country and not. the investors in private corporations we. should not tolerate conditions in prison. that have no place in any civilized. country people on opposite sides of the. political aisle spend a lot of time.

shouting at one another the left creates. a narrative the right response to the. narrative but no one pauses to. investigate all that's about to change. one of my favorite things to do on the. weekend is to explore leftists. narratives throughout the 2016 election. cycle presidential hopeful Bernie. Sanders promised his supporters that if. elected he would do away with the. private prison facilities Bernie didn't. get elected but that was a noble idea.

right I mean private prisons are the. reason for mass incarceration they push. through pieces of legislation to. incentivize harsh convictions plus the. inmates are treated like crap. is that a fact or is it a narrative it's. only one way to find out I'm going to. prison. so it's actually really funny about this. drive is that it exactly reminds me the. only visual recall that I have visiting.

my uncle in prison when I was a little. tot was that it was the longest drive. there was absolutely no scenery and it. just looked green so I think a lot of. these facilities are just in the middle. of nowhere so it'll be interesting to. see have not been back too. since then. my uncle served a sentence I actually. don't know what he was in prison for but.

we went to go visit him and all I. distinctly remember was a vending. machine he used to just me and my. sisters had the best time visiting him. because we would just race back and. forth from the vending machine and get. money from my mom and dad and buy snacks. so it's interesting to think about it. now in the retrospect because people are. always like Oh was that traumatizing for. you as a little girl and it really. wasn't like I remember it being like. quite a pleasant experience. I think what's super fascinating about.

the time that we live in now is that. people just accept whatever anybody. tells them to be. to be true but nobody actually goes and. explores thing goes on their own and I. want to make a habit of always just. going to see like okay if these. detention centers are awful then I'm. going to see a lot of awful things today. if these private prison system. are terrible and bad for the prisoners. and I'm gonna see a lot of really. terrible awful things for the prisoners.

and look. definitely not wanted to mince words. it's bad I'll say so. we shall see. it's so nice to meet you I'm Candace. already my name is Aaron bang did. anybody tell you why I'm here. no ma'am no no idea just you just nice. enough to just come speak to me yes.

ma'am okay so I have been really curious. about a lot of the narratives that are. circulated in the media that people just. perceive to be true without actually. going and speaking to the people that. they're talking about so one such. narrative is during the last. presidential election cycle and a lot of. the Kansas that are being elected for. offices now a big platform that they run. on is saying that they will abolish. private prison groups like geo they say. that these are their inhumane they're. for profit the people are treated. terribly here and that we should really.

only have DLC type facilities. interesting base you made um now my. experience here has been completely. counter to that and I just wanted to see. because you were you did you start your. sentence in this no ma'am you did not no. ma'am I've been in prison for 20 years. Wow my first 16 years was in Department. of Corrections Florida prison my last. four years has been a Geo Prizm grouse. you are the right person to speak to. about this okay okay what are the.

differences the differences are. astronomical. when I was in the state prison I was not. afforded an opportunity to do anything. if you're in state prison you get up in. the morning you're either gonna clean up. the dorm or go to the rec yard since. I've been a great feel of Geo facility. I've been allowed to take several. digital design classes computer classes. I've graduated technology support class. I've graduated digital design I've taken. a business course I have taken faith. base and I've also graduated faith-based.

and now I'm an assistant facilitator and. teacher holes I believe that. Society on a whole has taken many men. that had drug addictions had issues and. have thrown away locked them up and. basically they don't want them in. society any longer Gio I believe has. provided an opportunity to say that hey. lives can be rehabilitated Gio is. willing to invest into people right and.

not treat us as inanimate objects okay. on that investment. I believe that Gio the faith-based. community I believe the continuum of. care I believe that they have found a. way where they can say hey we can take. men rehabilitate men and make men. reintegrate able back into society so. they are making an investment in the. people that are here absolutely and you. don't see that I do see level not at all. and I believe the DLC does not want to. make that investment and therefore they. speak against it that's just my view of.

it well I've been to at least by ten. prisons it's the best reason I haven't. been to in my life you know and I was I. just thank God that he made it possible. for me to come here because being here I. have got all the tools that I need to be. successful this time when are we going. reenter into our society I felt like if. I had the tools that they give us here. like the programs that they offer the. first time my incarceration my pocket. one had another prior conviction because.

they do kind of help you or they offer. more as far as like my education the. trays and then the continuing care to. COC right I don't offer that at home POC. camps they don't interesting give you. 250 dollars so they give you fifty. dollars and they just take it out the. door out the door and that's it. Wow so you've had that and in both prior. circumstances you were not in jail. that's how it is okay so you just. literally were handed 50 bucks and like. good luck with your life your local. jeweler that's insane to me what were. they expecting I guess I'm going to come.

back for you to come back right I mean. that sounds insane but it seems like. that's what they were expecting so here. you've had programs what did you take. could you do vocational did you go home. energy D well I took IOP program and I. already have my diploma so I try to sign. up for the PC support class but I have. transition that's a good that's a good. thing it have enough time it's a big. difference here at geo the education. that I've received here that I believe. it's going to make a very big difference.

when I'm released it's give me the tools. that's necessary to take and to really. make it on the outside and I've learned. so much in that the guards here they. they interact and they they try to do. their best to give us everything that. they can to if we have any problems and. the education here they go far and above. and beyond the call of duty to to see. that we're educated in that that we are. successful when we when we leave here. from prison and the IOP it's great here.

we learned about addiction in their peer. pressure where we need to live when we. don't need to live relationships I've. learned so much I go on and on and on. about it in and the teachers here are. wonderful and in it's it's sweet we eat. good here we good here. we're clothes good here and I I don't. think that I really have a chance to be. successful and I'm not gonna come back. to prison because I have the tools and.

the resources now that's available to me. when I'm released from here and it's. it's all the way from from having. transportation having the house and. having clothing they've got all of that. lined up for you all of that is line. don't even and even more it's it goes on. to even if I want to further my. education which I do I want to go to. college and in the geo group there. they're gonna help me with my books or. anything there that I might need to. finish my education to further my. education and it's it's I am very very.

grateful to be here in a private. institution I've been in a dlci. institution and they give you a few. dollars and they send you on your way. and they don't even say well hope you. make it a good love you know and there's. there's nothing in it's no wonder there. the recidivism rate is it's terrible. it's because they do not offer anything. they do not offer any kind of help when. you when we're released these men here. we need help and we have hope here at. that the geo group.

and it's hope so yeah I mean there's a. big difference here they care about you. I started off in a p1 the clothes class. I had and then I went to a b3 and then I. did on GED in 2013 then past January. 2013 the paint design so I'm a certified. painter in Florida now oh wow. and I started to go to a landscape. design I got 1,800 hours there so I'm.

thinking about pursuing that in a. college or something when I get out. because I'm going to a 12-step program. to keep me sober what's over the whole. time I've been in prison that is so very. trouble I'm doing much better it's like. a 180 so why do you think it is that. politicians are saying the opposite that. you know we have these politicians that. are saying these are the bad guys geo. group I don't know I've heard our. president saying that we need to take. and we need to educate prisoners and I. believe that myself because education is. its power wisdom is power and without it.

how can we be successful before not if. we're not told we need to we need to. learn how to be successful we need to we. need to learn this and I'm I'm thankful. that I'm learning a lot here they don't. they felt like because you've been a. competitive felon that you you're lost. cause of loss holes we really trying to. get out and better yourself but if I'm. not given the necessary proper tools. though you know right to help myself. then that's probably what I want to bone. so they don't want to you know actually. want a crack they don't want they want. to punish I have no idea maybe maybe.

they just scared for their jobs right. yeah there's a lot of very very. intelligent people in prison and very. they're just there's so many different. things people can do in here that it's. amazing. great some of the artists I've seen is. some of the best art I've ever seen in. my life has been in here like this is. the first prison sentence that you're. serving out where you've been offered a. program that has helped you with that. transition and these scenarios that.

they're giving you yes ma'am mom I. really think this time that I've been to. prison numerous times. and I think this time that I'm really. gonna be able to make it thanks to COC. you know I really think gonna make it. just I know I won't make it this time so. grace field is great you know when co su. is very great and I think DLC should. have it to offer to you you know and you. know and I'm you know the transitional. house that's good too you know like it's. gonna have stipulations but I need those.

stipulations something over me when I. get out you know like a timetable to be. in and this and that I need that I need. that I was pretty down and out when I. come to prison this place saved my life. actually I lost my wife since I've been. here and my brother died three weeks ago. oh gosh I'm so sorry to hear that had. like 18 friends died from drinking it. and taking drugs right well I would have. probably been with them too right you. know but like I said justice it saved me. it really has so if you could describe. to me how do you how do you feel the. general population feels here versus how.

the general population in the. environment was when you were in. Pensacola it's just a lot less tense I. mean like I said we need area you really. have nothing to look forward to but. baggage ships were here you got a people. that offers you a sense of support great. and you know you there'll be a day when. you you get out versus still see you're. wondering if you're gonna make it out. well honest with you and I mean here you. mean he's still in prison but at the.

same time you have a more for. opportunity more of a I guess of a. upbeat from positive vibes that are. around you as far as the they don't just. consider your a throwaway individuals. COC they give you the 100 all the Ross. car hunted all the winn-dixie car they. give you hygiene packages a bicycle for. transportation or a bus pass and it's. like they didn't give you that deal. series like they sent me and say it'd. help you sign up for school if you.

enrolled in school they help you get. your tools if you already have a trade. right it's like and they wasn't offering. Wow so you were part of the faith-based. community can you let me know what. that's like the faith-based dorms um the. faith-based dorms are an opportunity I. believe the faith-based dorms create an. opportunity for men that are in prison. that want to live a better life that. want to do better they want to. rehabilitate themselves they provide. that opportunity for them. we structured classes that deal with.

attitudes health and family marriage and. family mentoring and one of the things. that I've done is that I've taken an. opportunity to try to reach out to young. men in 2007 my 17 year old son was. murdered in New Orleans oh my good and. I've made it a purpose of my life to try. to reach out to young men to deter them. from gang culture gang activity and the. faith-based dormitory has provided me a. great opportunity to do that and the. optimism that's here is because people. that are incarcerated here feel as if.

they have an opportunity feel as if they. have a chance to actually succeed to. actually be reintegrated back into. society. most of the men that I talk with in. faith-based men that are teaching. classes and I teach on conflict. resolution anger management these guys. feel like they haven't just been thrown. away they feel like they have an actual. chance to be make a difference frame to. change and change their lives and I. truly believe that that what I have been. given here the opportunities that I've. been given I would have never have.

gotten these opportunities in state. prison. [Music]. okay so I'm just going to tell you guys. my initial emotions walking out of there. immediately frustrated and angry and. upset that our politicians lie they live. for the sake of getting votes and they. lie on the backs and on the lives of. inmates the consensus obviously you will.

see the footage the consensus here is. that these prisoners thank God that they. are in a private system they have all. spent time in public systems and they. tell you that the overwhelming. difference is that in private systems. they make an investment in the person. and they feel that they can leave here. rehabilitated whereas in the public. systems. it was punitive and they felt like just. another number and they were kicked out. with fifty dollars in a bus ticket it is. jarring to me that we have politicians. in an effort to demonize capitalism that.

are willing to take away the only real. chances that these men feel that they. have to be reintroduced into society in. a productive manner my heart completely. broke I guess in all of the best. possible ways speaking to that last. inmate who we know is going to be in. there for life and just seeing what. optimism he had because he was a part of. a faith-based community he spent 14. years in a public system and now he's in. a private one and he thinks God every.

day because he gets to get up and he. gets to teaches others about everything. that he has learned within the walls. that he's never going to leave. I guess the theme here is what I. realized in my life which is that. leftists lie they will lie their way all. the way to the top and they don't care. about those men in there they don't care. about those men who are so inspired and. grateful that geo and other groups like. them have stepped up to the plate to. provide real opportunities whereas the.

public has just completely given up on. them the public prison system does not. make an investment in their futures. whatsoever groups like this really do. you hear from 90 to 95% of the people. that are incarcerated will be coming. home they're gonna come back to be our. late we're still live with us so while. we have them in our custody again you. know why not do something differently if.

you continue to do the same thing. continue to have people there then. you're gonna get the same results that's. why you know several years ago when we. looked at what's happening 2017 GM. invested almost 10 million dollars you. know and they creating a continuum of. care division Wow ten million dollars. invested in continuum care but the. narrative out there is that all you guys. care about is your bottom line so how. does that translate room best and. providing that government services so we.

got a financial investment in that to do. the best we can to be better than. anybody else we always are striving to. be the best not just because you know it. sounds good but we're dealing with. individuals who are incarcerated and we. can make a positive difference in their. life how do you measure success in these. programs so some of the key performance. indicators that we look at regarding. programming there's a few specific ones. that we look at high school equivalency. diploma or GED diplomas that are earned.

substance abuse programming completions. as well as vocational certifications. when you look at 2017 we provided our. participants over 2,600 GE DS or high. school equivalency diplomas to that. population that we also provided 8400. participants with a substance-abuse. completion certification and over 7400. completed vocational programming I. wanted to mention just about. post-release services that that call.

center that's based out of our corporate. office is accessible 24 hours a day. seven days a week so when those. participants are released so now we're. beyond that 90 days prior they are. provided a 1-800 number so they can call. anytime to talk to their case manager. that an assigned case manager and we. continue to make contact with them for. up to 12 months and during those. contacts for. going back to that transition plan and. ensuring that we've met those goals and. those needs and some of those services. if it's housing food clothing for work.

maybe tools for work we'll provide that. service to them at no cost to that. participant in the community so we're. making sure that we are provided with. the best opportunity to succeed and at. our Graceville facility we've seen a 40%. reduction in the return rate so those. coming back to incarceration since the. inception of the continuum of care and. the full continuum of care with those. early services out of that facility. [Music].

okay guys so next I am headed to the. James Club the James Club is a community. nonprofit that helps with inmates. integrating into society after their. incarceration they're one of many local. organizations that partner with the Geo. group to focus on this transition period. so let's go speak to some of these. people and see if these programs are. actually helping them. James club is open to everyone looking.

to turn their life around okay we offer. a second chance to men so many of our of. our clients struggle with drugs and/or. alcohol or in the past criminal behavior. or a myriad of other addictions that. commonality is they're looking to better. their life and become self-sufficient do. you exclusively work with people that. are coming out of the prison system or. if they're just people at are struggling. with in their communities are they. welcome to come and join the James Club. recovery center as well that's a good.

question they are welcome of course but. we're dedicated to helping men when they. first get out of jail or prison and. we're delighted to be working with the. Geo group so that they can become. productive and successful members of. society. how long have you been working with the. Geo group for two years now and what. does that process been like what are the. results that you're seeing it's been. beyond amazing okay to watch men come in. when they first come out of prison to. watch their recovery progress to watch.

them become gainfully employed to watch. their self-esteem improve at the James. club for example on the weekends as a. group we feed the homeless together we. go to soup kitchens we go to nursing. homes we provide employment placement. services so we're really trying to make. a difference in the community I don't. think the public knows the truth. I see real-life examples of men that are.

coming into a program like the James. club from an entity like the geo group. and then to watch these men recover and. become good husbands and good fathers. and become honest men that's our key we. want men to. do the right thing so I think if there. was more exposure to the outcome where. there's more stories on these. individuals how they now become.

self-sufficient because of an entity. like the geo group I think the. perception from the public might change. ok so it can't all be good there's got. to be some people that attempt to go. through this process and doesn't work. well for them do you find what are what. statistically speaking how many people. fall into that category versus people. that actually are able to get their. lives started and contribute to society. again well that's very true not everyone. is a success story but we found many. times that we plant seeds so even if. someone comes in initial you know it.

appears that that person did not become. a success story many times they'll come. back to our program and they'll still. benefit from the experience my name is. dawn I grew up in South Carolina. I lived in Los Angeles for 16 years. before I had to come to Florida to serve. my sentence I have a sentence of three. years for trafficking okay I was an. addict for 19 years very long time of my. life very dark time and I came and did. my time in Florida and I'm once I did my.

time at the GEO Group I was placed into. the James Club Wow. so what what is the James Club. experience been like for you how long. have you been there and what are you it. laughs because this is a funny story. when I first got out you know I'm I was. very thankful to Gio because they give. you a voucher and that was my stepping. stone I wasn't looking to be in recovery. I wasn't taking it seriously because my. head wasn't in the right place but when. you got out yeah when I got but after a.

couple of months of being there and. getting to know the people in the. program what it stood for and where I. could be at in my life I took it. seriously I did my step work I got a. great sponsor and I did the deed of what. I needed to do to put me in a better. place because I was so tired and being. stuck in his cycle of being an addict of. getting so much in life and then losing. it again and doing it over and over. again because that cycle was just not. working for me. so was that your first sentence or had.

you spent time and my first in it was. your first. so you were actually blessed to be the. put into a private prison for your first. time whoa. you just don't know why nobody wants to. hear that Prison is a great experience. but it was a rewarding experience. because I took it seriously they placed. me in the therapeutic community program. which is basically a substance abuse. program and I had a great counselor who. work with me and she met with me every. week and it's what basically set me on. the path to where I am today to be able. to sit here with you right you know in a.

nice dress shirt suit you know tired. pants and be able to go to work this. afternoon and have money in the bank and. save up to you know buy a house and it's. just it was the forefront of where I am. today it's just a pinnacle right and I'm. appreciative of that what am I going to. do with that blessed thing is now that I. have completed the steps I'm starting to. sponsor guys which it adds a little more. pressure to me but I think I need that. pressure right now because I needed to. keep me big busy and keep my mind. focused on the positive attributes of. life that's guys I feel great when I'm.

able to sit down with my sponsor and. tell him hey I actually talked to. somebody today who really needs help and. I think I can help them it just makes me. feel good internally to know that I'm. able to put that bless that blessing. back out there exactly because I'm I did. was I was worried about becoming a. negative statistic because we're all. statistics maybe one of us are. statistics yeah but you don't have to be. a negative one you can be a positive. statistic and that's what I want to do I. want to be one of those people that it. makes even though if it's a small. difference in the world I just want to. do something that's good right for. change instead of looking out for myself.

all the time. I was sentenced for grand theft but I. was purchasing materials from a company. that I shouldn't have been what a. manager was kind of involved in it was a. sting operation I got set up okay. and I want to losing my electricians. license over it and my contracting. license over it and then they suspended. it for five years state of Florida did. now I guess I came out and I I started I. actually geo set me up with the with the.

James Bond they got me you know instead. of dumping me on the street with 50. dollars like a DLC would and just a bus. ticket to wherever and said see you. later you know I got started back you. know I've only been off thirty days. Wow but I have 25 congratulations so you. were in for two and a half years I was. in for two and a half years okay yes so. I've got 25 customers now and helping. guys you know give them guys jobs out of. the house and stuff like really yeah. already 25 customers yep I just got my.

uh just apply for an LLC yesterday and. then my tax ID number and stuff like. that that'll all be gone through in like. another seven days so it was my mind. because like I was saying to earlier to. see how politicians sell the story of. what happens right and of course. prisoners and inmates they can't speak. for themselves right so people jump on a. platform and they talk for you and they. say I'm gonna do the inmates a favor and. I'm gonna abolish the private prison. system because it's ridiculous that. there's a profit market and the inmates. are better off under state-run.

facilities yeah they're crazy they're. crazy they're crazy why do they do it I. can't nobody can give me an answer as to. why they would do that why wouldn't they. want your light to you better why. wouldn't they want you to have another. opportunity to get out go to James club. recovery and restart your life and file. an LLC yeah they just set people up for. doubtful. I was NGO about a year and four months. okay so you obviously heard a little bit. why why why I'm here I've just been sort. of exploring I'm really interested in. the prison system and it makes because I. grew up where all of my uncles were in.

prison and they served multiple. sentences for various things they were. always in the State Penitentiary and. they were never in a private prison. system I had this idea growing up that. private prison facilities were evil. because that's what I was taught from. the mainstream media they sort of say. you know they don't have opportunities. here they should be exclusively going to. state-run facilities and we have a lot. of politicians that now get on a. platform and say they're going to. abolish a private prison system so I'm. now learning obviously that that is not. the correct narrative and I just want to. hear a little bit about your experience. inside of a geo facility I put in for a.

good adjustment transfer and a lot of. the inmates are saying well it's going. to take it might take up three or four. years and so I waited and within two. weeks I was moved to Blackwater which is. a private facility and it was like. nine-day you know more more health care. more. concern for the prisoners welfare so.

it's a big difference between state-run. facilities and private facilities that. was my first rodeo okay yeah and God. willing my last right so I wanted to say. I put a couple private prisons because. another inmate told me that they were. better if you're gonna do town that's. what I was curious about so the inmates. understand there's an understanding. amongst the inmates in public systems. that the private ones are better and.

that if you want better conditions you. need to transfer over into a private. prison absolutely I just put my faith in. God you know and he had me gone within. two weeks Wow so you said earlier that. you wanted to focus on your future I. love that because I always say to people. focus on your future instead of focusing. on your past what does that look like. for you for me the future looks very. bright I was able through the private. facility Blackwater to be introduced to.

the geo group a lot of the guys if they. don't have life skills they just go back. to the same things and they want right. back up in the system so like I said. about how its grace I was able to get. through the jail program and the sky. singer I sat down with her she took my. case and she she said that's awesome. once I told my story she saw my.

compassion I let her know that I made a. mistake but I was remorseful of it so. she took my case she put it to the front. and she said this one's gonna make it. make sure his get to the top because. he's gonna make it from there I had the. privilege of having Ralph Ritz as my. case managers the world's best case. manager for geo coop and he was able to.

get me in a James Club that has made a. tremendous impact on my life today I am. a manager. at the James Club and it's all about. God's grace that I sit here and have the. GEO Group and James Club in my life to. help me be a better man a better person. and a better child of God your voice is. so important it which is so important.

and it pains me to know that politicians. don't care to hear these voices and. things that to get the word out about. what's actually happening you said that. by God's grace there are people that. mentored you I believe fully that you're. going to be a person that mentors other. younger people that are coming out and. need guidance and need what I think is. the most important issue in the black. community is father absence absolutely. having men that are available for them. to show them what's right and what's. wrong and I feel that God has blessed me.

by just letting me sit next to you and. hear your story so I just want to thank. you from the bottom of my heart thank. you it's been as I just want to say one. more quickly of course I wanted to say I. believe I'm you know as a crazy that. might sound that God allowed me to had. this experience right so I could help. other men coming out of jail in prison. that still lost that still on drugs and. alcohol so you know through our. struggles and through our hardships good.

can still come out of it God picks. people to go through certain things I've. lived through so many things you know. different parents uncles going through. certain things that I saw when I was. young I genuinely believe that all of. those things were blessings from God. because he knew that one day I was going. to have a voice and I was going to be. able to get the right story out and God. put you and I in this room together and. these cameras and these camera guys so. that we could get this message out I. promise you I'm going to get that. message out thank you I'm not going back.

I'm not going back this time I I don't. think I'm ever gonna come back again. that was what you heard over and over. again and what's interesting is that. they had all been back to prison but. they was their first time ever being a. part of a private prison facility and. they felt that they had finally been. given the tools to better their lives. you heard them say that the difference. is that the public system is punitive. and the private system is rehabilitate. we rehabilitate people who are. alcoholics we rehabilitate people who.

are suffering from drug addictions why. aren't we also rehabilitating people who. are leading lives of crimes. why don't we demand a system like the. private prison facilities that. rehabilitates inmates so that they never. come back ever again I think that's the. biggest takeaway for me this is a. facility that they are going to die. inside of and they feel grateful to God. for being able to be in the private. prison system I hope that when people.

watch these that when people see what's. actually happening when people hear the. voices from the actual inmates and it. maces them it makes them pause for a. second that people pause and they. realize that we make decisions for. people it's a narrative and it's a. disgusting narrative it it makes me. question everything and the biggest. question that I have is why what is the. point on lying on these inmates what is. the point of trying to create a. situation for them that they don't want.

I think the obvious answer is that it's. for votes and sitting down with them was. incredibly emotional especially knowing. that some of them are never ever ever. going to step outside of that facility. ever again. it's so important that we understand the. implications of the decisions that we. make politicians can jump on stage and. they can generate so much emotion we. need to be careful that they're not. manipulating our emotions for votes geo. is not some greedy capitalist company. despite what all the media would have.

you believe that is trying to hurt. inmates they're trying to help them. they're not trying to help them they are. helping them why aren't our politicians. wanting to get the truth out about that. why are they interested lying to the. public. and that's a wrap you now have the facts. don't fall for the narrative again.