F.I.R.E
Formerly Incarcerated Requiring Empowerment
We are proud to be providing dental care for the formerly incarcerated.
“My name is Paul Redd, and I spent 44 years in prison for a crime I did not commit. I grew up in poverty in Oakland, with a mother who did everything she could to give us what we needed. After I stopped going to school, I grew up in the street life and was in the wrong place at the wrong time when I was charged with first-degree murder of a local drug dealer. I have always maintained that I did not commit this murder. I spent 30 years of my prison sentence in solitary confinement, which is meant to break you through sensory deprivation, anxiety, and panic. However, instead of sitting there and allowing my surroundings to eat me up, I became active in my community. I helped other prisoners with legal work and kept my mind thinking beyond the prison walls. I didn’t let time do me, I did the time. I unified with fellow prisoners and led the hunger strike efforts, where in 2013 we had over 30,000 prisoners participate to make real change in the system. I was denied parole 14 times before I met the attorney who fought for me to get out after 44 years. On May 21, 2020, I walked out of prison after the sentencing judge declared me not guilty of the crime. While I am out of prison now, my mindset is still the same. We have a finite amount of time to make change on this planet, and no matter the circumstances, we must continue to strive for a better future for our communities, and I plan to continue doing that.
When I got out of prison, I needed dental work done that I did not receive in prison. However, upon getting out, the state sponsored insurance that I was given did not cover the majority of the dental work I needed. Through the grapevine, I met Dr. Daniel Nam, founder of an Oakland dental nonprofit, Just Health 510. He learned about my case and treated me completely for free. We got to talking and it became clear that we both shared a passion for improving the community, in any way that we could. With his skillset and my mission, we realized that we could provide comprehensive dental care to former prisoners who need help rehabilitating their smiles in order to allow them to get proper jobs and help with overall self-confidence during re-integration. Not to mention, at the bare minimum, alleviating any kind of dental pain or problems they might be experiencing. I am very excited about this partnership with Just Health 510, so that we can provide critical dental care to those coming out of the system, so that they can have the proper smile and oral health in order to properly reintegrate into society, and go on to make their communities a better place. We are fundraising for donations of all sizes, in order to ensure the longevity of this special program in its mission to provide comprehensive dental care at no cost to formerly incarcerated persons, by using the donations to cover service costs that are not covered by the state sponsored dental insurance (which currently does not cover many of the major dental procedures that people need).
Some people wonder how I am not bitter after all this time being treated this way. I explain that I am trying to be a testament to what hope is all about. I will be around a long time trying to achieve my dream of helping more people out of prison and setting them up for success during reintegration.”
Thank you for your support of many others like me. - Paul Redd