Tony Serra: Philosopher, Maoist, Legal Quixote

For 72-year-old attorney J. Tony Serra, prison life was a mixture of utopia and hell. He witnessed what he called a “beautiful fusion” where inmates would trade books and pillow cases. He also saw inmates beat up a snitch with a homemade bludgeoning tool: rocks bagged in a bed sheet.

The recently released San Francisco attorney — who served 10 months in federal prison for tax evasion — gave an audience of attorneys a glimpse into life at the Lompoc federal prison today over a buffet lunch at the Concordia-Argonaut Club. The Criminal Trial Lawyers Association of Northern California sponsored the event.

“In exile, the human condition loses its embroidery,” he said. “You become a robot.”

At night, he would lie in his bunk bed and listen to the inmates’ voices that were so cacophonous, the multiple languages eventually blended together and lulled him to sleep. He’d hear everything his fellow inmates did at night — the snoring, the breathing, the shrieks.

Living that “toxic” routine for nearly a year made him realize how vibrant life was outside of prison, he said. He urged his fellow defense attorneys not to let their imprisoned clients and former clients feel abandoned. A simple letter once a year, he said, can help them feel connected to the outside world.

But it wasn’t all bad. He had time to think as he watered plants, pondering over old memories like his first childhood fistfight.

So what did the introspective inmate do when he got out? A few things. He smoked his office with sage, caught up on his medical marijuana cases, and bought a new copy of Mao Tse-Tung’s “Little Red Book” and a statue of the communist leader. He says they’re both in his office now.

Of course, he also filed a federal class action against federal prison officials this week for what he called “slave labor.” He received 19 cents an hour for his work watering plants.

“It’s not going to win,” he said. “It’ll probably get thrown out, but it illuminates the problem.”

—  Millie Lapidario

Comments

[Sherree]

Somehow Mr. Serra you have showen me a different world. I love to read what you think and see how you want the same things so many people do. I am just sorry that I do not able to help people as much as you do, I try and I do my part but I am not a voice anybody is going to hear. I hope to raise my children and grandchild to be a voice that everybody can hear. Thank you for what you do.