➤ PIERRE, from p.16
But now, I’m coming out. There’s
nothing to be ashamed about: I
met someone that I love. Our marriage
is actually better than some
people’s in the free world. It’s something
to be celebrated.
SUSIE DAY: Have you contacted
any lawyers to see if they
could help Emmanuel?
EMMA PIERRE: Lawyers, as
you know, are expensive. I spoke
to one attorney who loved Emmanuel’s
case. But he said, in
good conscience, he couldn’t take
my money because the case might
take six years to go before a judge,
and Emmanuel’s going for parole
in seven.
Emmanuel said, “Look, take that
money, buy a house. We’ll be fi ne.”
He told me we’ll fi gure another way.
I appreciate him, but I hate him at
the same time for that. I still want
him home. Laughs It’s tough;
we’re 43 years old. Right now, he’s
attending college. He’s a straight-A
student, I’m proud to say. He’s always
been super smart.
SUSIE DAY: How does the reality
of Emmanuel in prison impact
your everyday life?
EMMA PIERRE: It hurts every
day. Every day I feel like I’m fi ghting
for him, for us, for our son. I see
people taking their relationships
for granted. They argue about
these little frivolous things, and I
want to tell them, “You should be
happy your loved one is there with
you to have these arguments.”
When we argue — as all couples
do — I don’t know when he’ll be
able to call me so we can work it
out. And when he does call, you’re
only given 15 or 30 minutes on the
phone — sometimes two minutes
— to talk things over. It’s hard, especially
with the holidays, because
you want to be with your loved one,
you want to be a family.
So much time is passing us by.
I want a child. I feel like a failure
sometimes as a woman because I
want to be able to give him a child
but he’s not home. When he comes
home, I’ll be 50.
So we’ve decided, once he comes
home, it’ll be “our time.” We have
a list of things we’ll do. Like, I
could travel the world, but I can’t
go to Paris, ’cause that’s gonna
be ourthing. We’ll see the City of
Lights together. Sit in a café and
drink some tea, people-watch,
whatever we want to do. We live on
a fantasy. Because I don’t know if
that day will come. Tomorrow’s not
promised. I might not make it; he
might not make it…
SUSIE DAY: How is that for
Graham? Does he consider Emmanuel
a father?
EMMA PIERRE: He does. He
loves Emmanuel. He calls him
Dad, if he’s not calling him Twin.
It’s hard to parent while one parent
is behind the wall, especially with
a young man. Graham’s 12, the
teenage years are coming, and he’s
trying to fi nd himself. Me, I can
only give him but so much, so he
relies on Emmanuel for guidance.
Whatever they discuss is between
them. I try to stay out of it.
Sometimes Graham comes to
me and says, “You know, when
Emmanuel comes home, I’ll be
20?” I’m horrible at math, and
when Graham has math problems,
he’s like, “Is Twin going to call? I
need help with math.” Every time
we watch a judge show, he’s like,
“Mommy, can that help Twin?” Or,
“Can we object?” Laughing So
it’s a beautiful thing but it’s hard.
Emmanuel gets upset because he
misses important things, like Graham
graduating, getting awards,
playing basketball.
But I’m happy we had a foundation
before COVID hit. We do things
together, like our own little reading
club. We pick books to read and
discuss. We have movie nights,
me, him, and Graham. We do Bible
studies. We do couples’ quizzes together.
We date on the phone. We
try to keep it fresh.
We take this time to strengthen
our marriage, because my worry
is, when he comes home, it’s going
to be different. I’m not used to having
him here. Even though I know
how he is, I don’t know how he is as
a romantic person.
SUSIE DAY: What’s it like for
Emmanuel in terms of COVID?
Does he feel safe?
EMMA PIERRE: Well, actually,
he’s calling right now. Do you want
to ask him?
Robo-woman’s voice: This call
is subject to recording and monitoring.
To accept charges, press one –
thank you for using Securus. You
may start your conversation now…
EMMA PIERRE: Hi, baby. I’m
doing the interview and Susie
asked if you feel safe in prison
about COVID. Do you mind answering?
EMMANUEL PIERRE: Hi, how
you doing? … Not at all. I’m scared.
There’s no way for me not to be
scared.
We’re in close enough proximity
where, if somebody has it, you’ll
get it. I wash my hands, I wear
my mask — they give us masks
— but still you’re scared. Let’s say
ten people test positive. They don’t
have ten ventilators for us in here.
If it’s really bad, they might take us
to a local hospital, but if the beds
are full, do you think they’re going
to put one of usin there? So there’s
a constant fear.
SUSIE DAY: How was visiting
for you and Emma, before New
York State shut down visits?
EMMANUEL PIERRE: At fi rst,
we could hug each other, then they
said, No hugs; No physical contact.
I couldn’t even hug my wife.
I haven’t kissed my wife since
March. People might not think
that’s anything, but we’re a loving,
married couple, so to not be able to
kiss your wife…
SUSIE DAY: How have incidents
of white supremacy,
like the January 6 madness at
the Capitol, affected both your
lives?
EMMA PIERRE: I was part of
the Black Lives Matter marches.
The way we were handled, I was
scared. You saw the offi cers just
waiting to do anything if you looked
at them wrong. You could feel the
tension. Then to see these people
at the Capitol rioting and offi cers
opening up barricades for them… I
know, as a Black person, wecould
not have gotten that far.
When I visited my husband, the
way the offi cers treated us visitors
and the people inside, it’s sad. You
come to the visiting fl oor, and the
guys in prison, they’re very nice
to the families. They’ll say “Good
morning” or “Good afternoon,” always
respectful. But the guards:
“NO talking.”
He just said “Good afternoon,” is
it really that serious? It’s the power
these offi cers want. You can feel
it. It’s basically the same thing for
BLM marches and when I go visit.
EMMANUEL PIERRE: That’s a
good comparison.
SUSIE DAY: Emmanuel, do
you want to talk about what it’s
like to wait years for a chance at
parole?
EMMANUEL PIERRE: Wow,
that’s a loaded one. Over the years,
I’ve seen many individuals do a lot
of time — eventually, they get exonerated.
You fi nd out the crime they
were in for, they didn’t do. I read it
in the papers. How much time did
they do — 16, 24, 28 years? Why
did it take so long? Why are there
so many people in here that are innocent?
I have seven more years. Some
people might say, “Oh, it’s just seven,
compared to the 17 you already
did.” I’m saying, a lot of time was
wasted. I want to be home. I miss
my family so much. My mom, every
time I see her, she’s getting so
old. My grandparents passed away.
They were together 75 years. Once
one went, the other passed a few
months later.
For years I just wanted to see
my grandmother and grandfather:
Tell me about when you were kids;
about life when racism was even
bigger out there — tell me how you
got through. Tell the stories.
And with COVID, why not start
letting people who’ve done lots
of time go home to be with their
families? They might not get that
chance if COVID becomes rampant
in prison, or if it hits their
loved ones outside. Ah. Let people
go. I pray. I pray every day for the
moment I could say, “I’m home.”
Emma, you want to add anything?
EMMA PIERRE: I remember at
the end of his trial, the lawyer said
to him, “If you plead, you’ll probably
get 14 years.” I told him, “Just
take the deal.” He said, “No. I didn’t
do it.”
Of course, I supported him in
what he wanted. But when the 14-
year mark came around, I was like:
You could have been home.
EMMANUEL PIERRE: Oh,
babe don’t cry, you’re gonna make
me tear up over here. Emma, you
right. It’s easier to think about it
now, after the 14 years came and
went. Maybe I should have pled just
to have gotten lesser time. What
if I’d taken that deal? But when you
know you did not do something,
you’re like — no. Even fi ve — two
years is too much.
But babe, I thank you for being
here for me. Even before, when we
were just “best friends.” You kept
me going. A lot of people don’t have
that love. I thank you for that. It’s
hard, but we’ll get there…
GayCityNews.com | JANUARY 28 - FEBRUARY 10, 2021 17
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