CLEVELAND — More than a half million people are released from prison every year nationwide. In one way or another, all of them will face the challenges of reintegration into society. For those who have been wrongfully imprisoned, those challenges can be compounded. However, with support and determination one such exonoree is flourishing.
Shortly after his release from prison after a judge overturned his 2003 murder conviction, Ruel Sailor started his branded clothing line, Comma Club, and began selling merchandize out of his trunk. The name of the business has two meanings: the metaphorical ‘short pause’ that his 15 years in prison served in his life and, also, an acronym for "creating opportunities, making more achievements." The story of his wrongful conviction and the message that his clothing brand conveys quickly began to take root.
“I kept trying to sell them out of my trunk and it kept growing and it kept growing,” Sailor said. “I [thought], ‘well, it’s about to get cold so if they want hoodies I’m onto something.’”
They did. He was. And he hasn’t looked back since.
Although he admits he did not have a full business plan at the time, the open storefront at 589 East 185th St. was fate, Sailor said.
“When I first came home from prison, this was where I bought my first phone. It had a sentimental value,” Sailor said. “I’m pretty sure [customers gravitate toward] my story. I’m cool with that but I’m pretty sure that it’s my story.”
In August, he will celebrate the second anniversary of opening his brick-and-mortar location. “Wall Street” West, who successfully reintegrated back into society after serving 10 years in prison, has become a loyal follower of the brand as well as its message. West is involved in a litany of different organizations centering around providing support for people transitioning from prison and back into normal life. He is also keenly aware of the challenges that reformed prisoners face.
“I believe in everything about him and he’s been a great role model to me as a grown man. It’s his personal influence on me, which is why I am so loyal to the brand,” West said. “There’s a real life mental health issue that goes on with people that have been in prison. It’s being overlooked. It may just be labeled as ‘he’s crazy, he trippin’ or he’s institutionalized and that’s not the case. We deal with things psychologically that we have no control of.”
Scholars have labeled this phenomenon as "post-incarceration syndrome" (PICS), which includes symptoms like anti-social behavior, a tendency of impulse violence, sleep impairments and other maladies. These issues, coupled with difficulties in finding housing, employment as well as financial and emotional support are why reintegrating into society is so difficult, said Tim Lewis, the founder of advocacy non-profit, Pound 4 Profit.
“The immediate challenges that a lot of guys that I work with face are just resources,” Lewis said. “You need emotional support just to get acclimate, just to receive true love and to be able to embrace the impact of people that have been waiting on you to come home.”
Lewis said Sailor’s transition into society — and his willingness to help others going through the same process — serves as a model.
“The thing that made it possible was the excuse to not have an excuse,” Lewis said. “To see him to go on a success story from out the trunk to a storefront has definitely been a privilege. He’s used that comma as a short pause between a story.”
On Saturday, Pound 4 Profit and GreenHarvest Health will be hosting a panel discussion about the hurdles that former prisoners face while re-entering society. The ongoing series "Taste of Freedom" will be held at the Cleveland School of Cannabis. More information can be found here.
