Three months after he was seized and nearly deported, a Santa Rosa man has been released to rejoin his family, and recover from his experience inside the privatized detention facility.

  KRCB previously reported on Okili's arrest on May 21, here.

Because Okili has not only tried to play by the rules as far as his visa was concerned, but has also become an active and constructive member of the community, Sabrina Krause remains convinced that when they are finally able to explain his circumstances to a judge, that background will make a convincing case for him.

At one point during his detention in Eloy, Arizona, Okili was very nearly deported in spite of the frantic efforts to obtain his release. He recalls that he was actually at the airport, just minutes away from boarding the plane that would have taken him to Europe, when he was spared by a last-minuts intervention.

The treatment of detainees at Eloy was subtly abusive, Okili says, from barely edible food to ill-fitting shoes that took weeks to get replaced.

The profit motive affects many aspects of the operation of that privatized detention facility, from policies that prolong the detainees stay there, boosting per diem revenues, down to exorbitant charges for telephone contact with the outside world.

Belated enforcement of an African student's expired visa, more than 20 years later, is now threatening to tear apart a Santa Rosa family.

There will be a benefit concert, featuring many of Okili's musical friends and supporters, Friday night, May 22 at the Sebastopol Community Center, to raise money for his legal defense (more details below). Donations can also be made directly here.

It's been a full month since Okili was taken away from his home and family  including his son, Olembe, who is now 17. During that time,his wife, Sabrina Krauss, has managed only limited telephone contact with him.

Sabrina Krauss says the couple made what they felt were good faith attempts to obtain legal immigrant status for Okili, even consulting with Congressal representative.

There's more to the story of pirates along the Somali coast than just bad guys in boats. In today's report, John Reid, President of the Conservation Strategy Fund in Sebastopol, looks past recent headlines to the root causes of this outbreak of nautical lawlessness.

 

Because natural resources are essential to the survival of millions of residents of undeveloped nations, CFS President John Reid (right) predicts that, in order to help preserve them, climate change will soon become a major factor in shaping US foreign policy.

 

 Michael Winship, senior writer for the weekly PBS public affairs program "Bill Moyers Journal," has additional background on this issue here.

 

Her quiet efforts to provide homes and medical care for orphaned children in rural South Africa have brought international recognition to a 75-year old nurse, as well as a visit to northern California.

 

Perhaps because she was 14 by the time she was able to start school, Sister Abigail knew that she wanted to be a nurse, a career path she says was based on two sorts of inspiration.

 Today, Sister Abigail is lauded and loved for her dual community based projects, Clouds of Hope, a home for orphaned children, and  The Khuphuka Project, which provides heath care services for adults, especially those who are HIV-positive.

It's a long, long way from the mountains of South Africa to Sonoma County and San Francisco, a journey that Sister Abigail recalls began with a whim, and took flight with a big surprise.