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>> >>PEGGY: MOTHER ANTONIA IS KNOWN AS LA MA MA SHE HAS LIVED FOR THE PAST THREE DECADES.
HER INCREDIBLE MINISTRY IS DOCUMENTED IN THE NEW FILM, LA MA MA, AN AMERICAN NUN'S LIFE
IN A MEXICAN PRISON. JOINING ME IS THE FILM'S PRODUCER AND WRITER,
JODY HAMMOND. MOTHER ANTONIA LEFT BEVERLY HILLS TO DO PRISON
WORK IN TIJUANA, BUT IT WAS NOT A DIRECT ROUTE. GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF HER HISTORY.
>> >>JODY HAMMOND: SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BEVERLY HILLS, THE DAUGHTER OF A WEALTHY
FAMILY. SHE WAS MARRIED TWICE, DIVORCED TWICE, HAD
SEVEN CHILDREN, WAS VERY ACTIVE IN HER CHURCH, AND HAD BEEN ACTIVE IN COLLECTING SUPPLIES
AND FOOD FOR KOREAN ORPHANS, WHICH AT THE TIME WAS A BIG, CHARITABLE EFFORT IN THE YEUN.
>> >>PEGGY: IS THAT HOW SHE CHOSE TO WORK IN PRISONS? HOW'D SHE MAKE THAT LEAP?
>> >>JODY HAMMOND: WELL, IT THERE WASN'T REALLY ONE DIRECT THING, BUT SHE DID MAKE
A VISIT TO TIJUANA AND HAPPENED TO END UP AT THE PRISON AND AT THE TIME LA MESA STATE
PENS PENITENTIARY WAS A VERY, VERY PRIMITIVE PLACE AND IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE MONEY, YOU MIGHT
NOT EVEN HAVE A CELL OR A PLACE TO SLEEP. AND IT WAS DANGEROUS, IT WAS VERY CORRUPT,
AND SHE MANAGED TO MAKE IN ROADS THERE, BRINGING SUPPLIES, BRINGING FOOD, HELPING WHOEVER SHE
COULD WITH OTHER PEOPLE FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER.
>> >>PEGGY: WHAT KIND OF CONDITIONS IS IT LIKE NOW? WHAT IS SHE LIVING IN?
>> >>JODY HAMMOND: I HAVE TO SAY, SHE WAS LIVE NOTHING SD PRISON WALLS FOR MORE THAN
30 YEARS. AND SHE LIVED IN WHAT'S CALLED A CARACA, A
LITTLE TINY ONE ROOM APARTMENT. CERTAINLY NICER THAN A CELL.
AND WITH A BED, AND NO HOT WATER, BUT VERY SPARTAN.
BUT SHE WAS ABLE TO COME AND GO AS SHE PLEASES. AND, UM, NOW SHE IS NOT LIVING THERE ALL THE
TIME BECAUSE HER HEALTH >> >>PEGGY: SHE'S 84 YEARS OLD.
>> >>JODY HAMMOND: SHE'S GOING TO BE 86 ACTUALLY NEXT MONTH.
SHE'S BEEN IN POOR HEALTH. SO SHE STILL VISITS AS REGULARLY AS POSSIBLE,
BUT SHE'S NOT ACTUALLY LIVING AT THE PRISON RIGHT NOW.
>> >>PEGGY: LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP FROM A PRISONER TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK
SHE'S DOING THERE. >> >>: THERE USED TO BE A PRACTICE FOR NEW
PRISONERS KNOWN AS EL GREETO, OR THE YELL. >> >>: ALL THE GUARDS WOULD STAND ON PARALLEL
LINES, AND THEY WOULD HAVE ALL THE KIDS WOULD HAVE TO COME UP AND THEY'D HAVE TO YELL THEIR
NAME WHAT THEIR CRIME WAS, AND WHAT THEIR ALIAS WAS.
BUT IF THEY DIDN'T YELL IT LOUD ENOUGH, THEY WOULD HAVE TO RUN THROUGH THE GUARDS AND THE
GUARDS WOULD KICK THEM. YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD BEAT THEM, AND THEN BEAT
THEM ON THE WAY BACK. MOTHER ANTONIA CAME DOWN WITH A FIRM FOOT
AND MADE THAT KNOWN. SHE EVEN TOOK IT TO THE POINT WHERE SHE WOULD
WALK IN WITH THE PEOPLE WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT TO SAY THEIR NAME AND THEIR ALIASES JUST TO
MAKE SURE NOTHING WOULD HAP TOON THEM. >> >>PEGGY: WOW, VERY HANDS ON, SO TO SPEAK.
WHAT SHE HELPED THE PRISONERS LIKE I SAID VERY HANDS ON, BUT SHE ALSO WORKS OUTSIDE
THE PRISON. >> >>JODY HAMMOND: SHE HAS FOUNDED AN ORDER
CALLED SERVANTS OF THE 11TH HOUR, ALL OLDER WOMEN WHO WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE NUNS BECAUSE
THEY'RE TOO OLD. THEY HAVE TO HAVE THEIR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE,
AND THEY'RE FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. THEY HELP HER INSIDE THE PRISON WITH AIDS
PATIENTS, GATHERING CLOTHES AND FOOD, AND BRINGING A LOVING PRESENCE INSIDE THE PRISON
TO MANY OF THESE INMATES WHOSE FAMILIES ARE FAR AWAY BECAUSE MANY OF THEM HAVE COME TO
CROSS THE BORDER AT TIJUANA AND THEY ARE DEPORTED BACK INTO MEXICO, AND THEY HAVE NO SUPPORT
SYSTEM WHATSOEVER. >> >>PEGGY: HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT HER?
>> >>JODY HAMMOND: I WAS A REPORTER IN SAN DIEGO, FOR SEVERAL LOCAL TV STATIONS, BECAUSE
I SPEAK SPANISH, I WOULD OFTEN BE SENT TO TIJUANA TO DISCOVER WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
I STARTED HEARING ABOUT THIS AMERICAN NUN WHO WAS LIVING INSIDE THE PRISON, WHICH CERTAINLY
INTRIGUED ME. AND FINALLY WHEN I MET MOTHER ANTONIA, SHE
REAL DIDN'T WANT THE COVERAGE. SHE SAID OH, DEAR, YOU'VE GO TALK TO SOMEBODY
ELSE. PLUS, SHE WAS VERY CONCERNED.
HE DIDN'T WANT MY COVERAGE TO BE AN EXPOSÉ OF PRISON CORRUPTION OR CORRUPT COPS.
SHE SAID THAT SHE HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO DO MANY THINGS IN MEXICO SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN
ALLOWED TO DO IN AN AMERICAN PRISON, FOR EXAMPLE LIVING INSIDE PRISON WALLS.
>> >>PEGGY: THANK YOU, JODY HAMMOND, PRODUCER OF LA MA MA, AN AMERICAN NUN'S LIFE IN AN
MEXICAN PRISON WHICH AIRS ON KPBS AT 9:30 P.M. TONIGHT.