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| ‘Jail Is for the Birds. No One Belongs There.’ | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Adalid DeJesus does not remember a lot about his childhood, but he knows this much: It was not a happy time for his family. “It was rough. It was bad,” he said. | Adalid DeJesus does not remember a lot about his childhood, but he knows this much: It was not a happy time for his family. “It was rough. It was bad,” he said. |
| Mr. DeJesus arrived in New York with his parents when he was 2, leaving the mountainous town of Utuado in Puerto Rico for a neighborhood in Brooklyn. They came in search of a better life, but all he remembers are disagreements between his parents and the presence of drugs. | |
| As he grew up, Mr. DeJesus saw drug runners from his apartment window and drug users in his building’s hallways, a temptation right outside his door. He got involved by making deliveries for dealers. | As he grew up, Mr. DeJesus saw drug runners from his apartment window and drug users in his building’s hallways, a temptation right outside his door. He got involved by making deliveries for dealers. |
| “You could make $200 or $300 easy,” he said. | “You could make $200 or $300 easy,” he said. |
| Then he went from being a person in the supply chain to a user. “I was my best customer,” Mr. DeJesus said. When he was 30, he was arrested on drug charges and awaited trial at the Rikers Island jail for a year. He thought he would receive probation and not face serious time in prison, but he was wrong. | Then he went from being a person in the supply chain to a user. “I was my best customer,” Mr. DeJesus said. When he was 30, he was arrested on drug charges and awaited trial at the Rikers Island jail for a year. He thought he would receive probation and not face serious time in prison, but he was wrong. |
| He was convicted and spent three years at the Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York. | He was convicted and spent three years at the Clinton Correctional Facility in northern New York. |
| “It really scared me. Jail is for the birds. No one belongs there,” he said. “Prison scared me so deep that I stopped selling altogether.” | “It really scared me. Jail is for the birds. No one belongs there,” he said. “Prison scared me so deep that I stopped selling altogether.” |
| Out of prison, Mr. DeJesus could not resist the lure of using drugs, trapped in the revolving door of rehab facilities — at least 15 stints that he can remember — and failing to sustain sobriety. | Out of prison, Mr. DeJesus could not resist the lure of using drugs, trapped in the revolving door of rehab facilities — at least 15 stints that he can remember — and failing to sustain sobriety. |
| “Every time I would come out of the facility, I had money, so it was easy for me to get the drugs,” he said. Finally, Mr. DeJesus said, it hit him: It was “time to grow up, time to live my life,” he said. | “Every time I would come out of the facility, I had money, so it was easy for me to get the drugs,” he said. Finally, Mr. DeJesus said, it hit him: It was “time to grow up, time to live my life,” he said. |
| “It took me 20 years to stop, and I am tired,” he said. | “It took me 20 years to stop, and I am tired,” he said. |
| Mr. DeJesus now lives in a so-called three-quarter house in Brooklyn, a branch of outpatient substance-abuse treatment for the poor, and does janitorial work there. He cleans the space and is in charge of unlocking the door in the morning and closing it at curfew. | Mr. DeJesus now lives in a so-called three-quarter house in Brooklyn, a branch of outpatient substance-abuse treatment for the poor, and does janitorial work there. He cleans the space and is in charge of unlocking the door in the morning and closing it at curfew. |
| Mr. DeJesus said his focus was on trying to avoid trouble and the temptations of drugs. He He calls his sister every day just to stay connected. | Mr. DeJesus said his focus was on trying to avoid trouble and the temptations of drugs. He He calls his sister every day just to stay connected. |
| “She worries. She wants to make sure I am alive,” he said. “That helps.” | “She worries. She wants to make sure I am alive,” he said. “That helps.” |
| As he is rebuilding, he is trying to experience the life he missed while he was on drugs and in prison. Mr. DeJesus recently visited his son in Florida and learned he is a grandfather. | As he is rebuilding, he is trying to experience the life he missed while he was on drugs and in prison. Mr. DeJesus recently visited his son in Florida and learned he is a grandfather. |
| “It was amazing to watch her run around,” Mr. DeJesus said about his granddaughter. “I couldn’t believe it.” | “It was amazing to watch her run around,” Mr. DeJesus said about his granddaughter. “I couldn’t believe it.” |
| In order to build a life that includes them, Mr. DeJesus still has a lot of changes to make. He needs a job. But with limited income, he worried he did not have the proper clothing for a job interview. | In order to build a life that includes them, Mr. DeJesus still has a lot of changes to make. He needs a job. But with limited income, he worried he did not have the proper clothing for a job interview. |
| Mr. DeJesus receives $194 in food stamps and $123 in public assistance a month. He pays $215 a month in rent. With the help of Brooklyn Community Services, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, he received a $150 gift card to Burlington Coat Factory to buy clothes. | Mr. DeJesus receives $194 in food stamps and $123 in public assistance a month. He pays $215 a month in rent. With the help of Brooklyn Community Services, one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, he received a $150 gift card to Burlington Coat Factory to buy clothes. |
| With a newfound confidence for an interview and with hopes of moving into his own apartment, Mr. DeJesus looks forward to spending time with his family. | With a newfound confidence for an interview and with hopes of moving into his own apartment, Mr. DeJesus looks forward to spending time with his family. |
| “I spent a lot of time on myself,” he said. “Now it’s all about my family.” | “I spent a lot of time on myself,” he said. “Now it’s all about my family.” |