Prisoner's Death Leaves His Community Shaken

 Several days ago, another prisoner, whom I've known for eight years, experienced a medical emergency that had him leave the prison in an ambulance. He had a similar emergency several years ago that left him rehabilitating for months afterwards. We just weren't sure how bad it was this time, and so we prayed. 

For two or three days the Calvin Prison Initiative community to whom he belonged, along with some other prisoners, prayed for him and his recovery. Yet, on May 19th we received the very sad news that Trice had passed away from complications he experienced with his medical emergency. His death has left many people feeling shaken and deeply saddened.

Trice did not share my faith, and he made a point of irritating me from time to time. But he considered me a friend, and I considered him a friend. One thing we shared a love of was playing Scrabble together, and though he rarely beat me, he kept coming back for more. He liked to claim victory over a game that we had to quit half way through because we ran out of time. He felt like he needed that win on the books, but I wouldn't let him count it as a win. 

We both shared having spent parts of our lives in California and Chicago. We often reminisced about the places (especially food!) we loved in Chicago, and we both were big fans of the Chicago Cubs. We couldn't have been more different in many ways, but it was refreshing to find commonality and shared meaning with someone from a completely different walk of life. 

Trice recently graduated in the class of 2022 with his bachelors degree from the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI). Some from his family attended to celebrate the momentous day with him, sharing in his (and our) pride in his accomplishment. He and I had talked about sharing a graduation celebration meal, but we ran out of time to make it happen. 

Trice was a good writer who enjoyed helping others write better, even serving in our Rhetoric Center in CPI. He also loved discussing ideas and sharpening his ability to debate different sides of an argument. He often asked me to read through his papers for different classes, and I learned a lot by reading his work. 

Sadly, Trice was only weeks away from a decision he's been waiting for in the courts that would have likely made it possible for him to leave prison. After serving nearly three decades in prison, his life sentence may have been reduced due to a court decision on young lifers (18-21 year olds). I know he was anxiously waiting with anticipation for that decision, a decision that came too late. 

Trice, we'll miss you, but we'll also remember you with fondness. And my brother, I'll let you have that win after all.