An American Christian in Syria

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19

Everyone needs a hero, mine is Dave Eubank. Over 20 years ago he started a relief organization called Free Burma Rangers. Dave had been an Army Ranger and decided that Burma was a good place to use these skills to bring relief to the minority indigenous populations in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma before a military junta seized control of the government. Burma is not a country of great geopolitical significance so the atrocities of the military junta received little international attention. It has been your typical ethnic cleansing scenario wherein any tribal or religious group not aligned with the ruling warlords have been raped, killed and driven from their land into neighboring refugee camps, predominantly in Thailand. In this case it is the Muslims along with other minority ethnic groups that have been the victims of periodic massacres carried out by government troops.

One of Dave’s sponsoring churches was Malibu Presbyterian where I attend, and so he has regularly come to Malibu to give us an update on his work. During these visits we have heard reports of his often successful efforts of warning villagers of approaching government troops, outwitting and outmaneuvering them, then hiding out with them in the jungle or making it outside the country to a refugee camp.

Over the years I have gotten to know Dave, and so when he is in town we go on walks together in a local neighborhood. Dave flatters me by expressing a real interest in my work and the criminal justice system in general. Luke 4:18-19 is the chosen scripture of his organization and thus you can see at the heart of his work is an overwhelming desire for justice on behalf of us all. It is quite an experience just walking around with Dave as I have never met someone who better exemplifies the Puritan Ethic of “never leave a place without having made it better.” Whether it is the elderly lady struggling to take out her trash who he runs over to help, or the young lady under the influence who needs a ride home, there is no good deed he won’t perform.

To be honest Dave is probably the only man I know that intimidates me. He doesn’t do it on purpose, far from it, Dave is by nature humble, but simply being around him challenges me to be a better man. I try not to resent this power he has over me, but at times I wonder just how it is that a man that has seen as much horror and tragedy as Dave can be so damn happy, so filled with joy, so willing to love everyone like himself. Its just not normal.

Due to the strength of Free Burma Rangers and the winning of some democratic freedoms in Burma, Dave has now expanded his efforts to include providing relief to refugees fleeing war torn providences of the Middle East. Be it Sudan, Iraq or Syria, Dave has been their seeking freedom for the oppressed. When Mosul was under siege he helped supply 5,000 refugee families with food and water, while his team of Burmese Karen State volunteers provided medical relief to civilians fleeing ISIS tyranny. Think of it, former refugees of one war torn country in Asia now strong enough to save lives in the Middle East.

In Syria right now with his family – yeah that’s right he often takes his wife and three children with him – they are assisting refugees with food, medical supplies and most significantly caring for the needs of the widowed and the orphaned. The reign of ISIS has been held together by brutal executions of anyone not pledging complete support to their religion of terror. Dave, his team, and his family combat this evil by spreading as much love in the region as possible. This is what I find so intimidating about Dave, he truly lives out a Christian life – in the most dangerous places in the world – on behalf of the most desperate of God’s children. Rather than worrying about what measures he should take to protect his family from whatever perceived dangers may exist all around us, Dave takes the fight to the enemy, he places the well being of his wife and children in God’s hands, and soldiers on and for Christ. It is his faith that keeps him going “…the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Surrounded daily by overwhelming displays of cruelty and suffering it is hard to understand how the men and women of Free Burma Rangers continue the fight. Their battle however is not against the soldiers of ISIS or Myanmar but rather the “powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil.” Into battle they go under the motto that we should “love one another. Unite and work for freedom, justice and peace. Forgive and don’t hate each other. Pray with faith, act with courage, and never surrender.” Yes, there is hope for us all.

For more information on Dave and the Free Burma Rangers, or to donate to their noble cause, got to the website HERE.

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Philip Remington Dunn is a practicing criminal defense attorney, social justice advocate, and author of the critically acclaimed book: When Darkness Reigns.

A Little Humanity Can Go A Long Way

***This article originally appeared on TheBlaze under the title Funding Prison Reform Works - Read It There***

The most recent California statistics on paroled prisoner recidivism are out and its good news. From a peak of 67.5% in 2010 to 44.6% in 2016 it is clear something is working in California’s prison system. What this means is almost 23% less of California parolees reoffend within three years of their release from prison. At a cost exceeding $60,000 per year for one inmate the economic savings are obvious. What is not so obvious is the long term societal benefits of less repeat crime. Not only are there less victims of crime, there are indirect benefits as well. The formerly incarcerated work, pay taxes and most importantly are able to parent their children. There is at long last, real hope we can reverse the revolving door of re-incarceration that has plagued our state (and country) for more than thirty years.

It all started with the fear fed to us by advocates of anger policies in the 80’s and 90’s. “Career Criminal” and “Three Strikes” laws along with the “War on Drugs” led to a quadrupling of our prison population causing the system to house almost 200% of what it was designed for despite massive prison construction during the same time period. A dear friend of mine, Daniel is his name, was one of the many inmates that were sent out of state to deal with overcrowding. He was housed in Arizona and Oklahoma. Far from family and friends he rarely had visitors, which made it very difficult to hold onto relationships that might have provided a support system for him upon his release. This is not the way to treat someone you hope will never go back to prison.

It took the United States Supreme Court to put an end to this retribution binge. In Brown vs. Plata, Justice Kennedy wrote for the majority in ordering California to reduce its prison population to 137.5% of capacity. In doing so Justice Kennedy found that the overcrowding was a violation of the Eighth Amendment Cruel and Unusual Punishment clause as it was responsible for living conditions described as “wretched misery.”

When forced to act the politicians passed AB-109 which reduced some overcrowding by shifting the burden of housing nonviolent offenders to county jails – which didn’t really change the incarceration rates, it only prolonged the shell game. Real reform fell to the people in the form of criminal justice initiatives on the ballot. Propositions 36, 47 and 57 all provided sensible ways to reduce the prison population while still emphasizing public safety. Passed with substantial majorities these measures have now withstood the test of time and proven the wisdom and decency of California voters. Despite dire warnings from tough on crime advocates, state wide crime statistics remain close to historic lows, particularly for violent crimes. Still, individual cases are paraded through the media to stoke the dying flames of retribution. However, it would appear that the “Willie Horton Syndrome” has played itself out as voters are no longer easily swayed by worn out fear mongering tactics.

California has also chosen to invest new money in rehabilitation programs. During the same time period that recidivism dropped nearly 23%, funding for rehabilitation has gone from $355 million to $482 million. But the real heroes in this struggle are the men and women of goodwill that volunteer for a multitude of NGO’s providing various educational, vocational and life skill services to prisoners returning to our communities. One such program is The Urban Ministry Institute that provides a course of study that is the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in Theology. Recidivism statistics for participants in this program are an astonishing 6.2%. Another is CRI-HELP, which is a residential drug treatment center, that Daniel went to after his release. He was able to live there for 30 days before transitioning to a state sponsored sober living home for six months. In his case it turned out to be a wise investment that he greatly appreciated. Almost three years later he is a thriving independent business man, taxpayer and prominent advocate for those very programs that likely saved him from re-offending.

There is hope for even the least of us, and we all benefit from recognizing our common humanity. Treating our fellow human beings humanely, no matter who they are is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. When Daniel paroled out, he had nothing but the clothes on his back, and an opportunity given to him by the taxpayers. Today he is an inspiration to others as he continues to pay it forward. With every person we save from prison we are not only being smart on crime, we are also touching countless lives for the good of us all.

Written by: Philip Remington Dunn – a practicing criminal defense attorney, social justice advocate, and author of the critically acclaimed book: When Darkness Reigns.