Misfortunes Glaucoma Jail Escapes

James Savannah’s life has been one some may call a life of misfortune. It began when as a youth, he made some bad decisions, some of which landed him in jail. Looking back over his life, he says he would have made different choices. When he was facing serious time, Savannah made another bad choice. He was supposed to serve time in Ouachita Parish, but before he was placed behind bars, he escaped from jail, winding up in California. He stayed away for about three years, then decided to turn himself in; returning to Louisiana, he was placed behind bars again, but while there, he developed glaucoma. Savannah said that he didn’t get the proper treatment while in jail. He said that while in jail, a White inmate suffering from the same eye ailment was getting treatment, a sure sign of discrimination against him, he said. Fed up with how he was treated as his eyesight slowly worsened, Savannah escaped again, returning to California. He was captured and spent time in a California jail awaiting extradition back to Louisiana. While in jail in California, Savannah began to receive treatment for glaucoma. His eyesight improved a little, but once he was back in Louisiana, it was the same as before being given medical treatment. Savannah somehow was able to escape back to California again, as he had some distant relatives living there.

Before Savannah went back to California, he had filed a lawsuit against prison officials in Louisiana, charging them with cruel and unusual punishment and violating his civil rights. It was at that time Savannah’s life of misfortune took a turn for the worst. The lawyer who took on Savannah’s case completely abandoned him, leaving him in limbo over the status of his case. Savannah’s eyesight began to deteriorate rapidly, as a settlement would have enabled him to live a life as comfortably as possible. He would eventually receive parole, he said, probably because of the pending lawsuit. Savannah believed a settlement was near, but the lawyer who took his case wasn’t. Though the lawyer told Savannah he would be in touch, there was never any communication between the two men. Savannah was upset and angry, not to mention hurt, because he put his trust and confidence in the attorney. James tried to find out what happened, and someone told him that the lawyer who practiced in Monroe allegedly sold his practice and moved to Arkansas. Savannah was left alone, slowly going blind with few resources. He had been abused in the prison system by inmates and guards alike.

The bitterness built up inside of him. It became so bad that he said if the lawyer had been in his company, he might have killed him for leaving him with nothing. The lawyer would have deserved it because he violated the principles of being a lawyer. To this day, Savannah says that he doesn’t know the lawyer's whereabouts or even if he is still alive. Savannah is a man of faith, knowing that God would not abandon him despite his physical deficiencies. Though he can’t see enough to read, he has studied the scriptures over the years. Some traces of the bitterness remain. Despite the hardships/heartbreak in his life, Savannah reaches out to others through the scriptures. He regularly can be found at the Desiard Street Shelter, where he ministers to others through prayer and the word of God. He has a health worker that comes to visit him for a few hours, Monday-Friday. He is thankful for that but truly believes his season is upon him. He believes that he is about to reap the harvest of God’s blessings. He said that he is walking by faith and faith alone.