The Year of the Everlasting Storm

One, two, three, four, five, six...

Six feet away!

Six feet away!

Dad, can you come over here and visit?

I don't really have happy dreams...

Yeah.

I have to fill out this paperwork for my kids.

They want to medicate them.

I alone am fighting for the well-being

and the safety and security of my children.

Then on top of that, I'm also doing my work for this job

that I have just got, working with troubled youth.

So the fight continues on.

I started learning how to love at the age of 22 years old.

Stop! You don't operate the phone!

Hey, I gave yay'veontay the task to operate the phone.

So may you guys please allow him to do it?

I'm gonna...

Hey, one of you guys take the phone and go outside.

Alright...

Oww!

You got your shoes on?

Mhm!

Alright.

Go outside, like by the front door, and let's see

how the reception is right there.

I'm outside.

Manieepoo!

What's the deal, mama?

Nothing.

The video works so much better with you outside.

- Manieepoo? - Huh?

Hey, maniee, stay right there where the reception is good.

Manieepoo?

My three children were separated in all different foster homes.

My children's mother and myself went through a hard break-up and

we both could have conducted ourselves in a better fashion.

And being that we didn't,

it resulted in our children being taken from our custody

by the department of children and family services.

The current pandemic has not affected

my current arrangements for visitation.

Where are you?

I'm not too far from you guys.

Oh, can you come?

Hmmm...

If it's okay with your auntie.

I may be over there a little later.

I am not able to come over there today but...

Hey look, but on a more serious note,

if you can, I really need you to pay attention

to what I'm about to tell you.

Wasn't there a shooting over there?

Like yesterday or the night before last?

If you're outside, right? And you hear gunshots,

what are you supposed to do?

- Look? - No...

- Run? - No.

- In back... under a car... - No. No. No.

You get down, you prone out.

You get as close to the earth as you can.

You know why I'm telling you this, right?

'Cause that dog right there, that dog.

What?

The dog!

- You don't see that dog? - I don't want...

Okay, lemme see the dog.

If you had super powers, mama,

what super powers would you want?

To fly!

Woo!

There we go!

I wanna be extremely fast...

I had a dream that I...

I chose that I could just run to dad every...

My visitation with my children is at least once a week,

for whatever amount of hours the caretaker allows.

For seven years,

I have been fighting tooth and nail to regain custody.

I feel like I'm incomplete.

Sometimes, I get so deep into my depression

that I just wanna be alone,

I don't want to interact with people.

It's a fight.

Yeah, it's a fight.

You know, the biggest fight of my life.

Six feet away!

One, two, three, four, five, six...

Dad, when's the next time we go to court?

We're supposed to go to court this month,

but due to the COVID-19 pandemic,

we was unable to go to court.

So it can be next week, it can be next month,

or it can be next year.

I wanna be the judge.

So, okay, if you wanna be the judge, that's magnificent.

Families going through what we going through,

you can be able to better assist them

because you went through it, right?

First I'm gonna work as a dentist for a little bit then

I'm gonna quit it... And be a judge.

Well, I feel like we should discuss that...

- A little bit more... - Six feet away!

Six feet away.

I dream about my kids, yeah.

And when I dream about my kids, it's just like...

Things as simple as having a meal together.

You want some?

Yeah, just gimme a bite.

It's pepperoni.

Conversations,

being in the living room,

watching TV...

The things that a lot of people take for granted.

Those are daydreams.

Those aren't the physical dreams

that I dream when I lay down at night,

and try to sleep.

I suffer from PTSD.

My dreams is rooted in the hardships that

god has blessed me so far to escape.

Being homeless as a child,

being beaten,

being neglected, you know?

Some nights I don't sleep.

Hey, what's going on, yay'veontay?

Good, where you at? Why won't you come?

You guys are my children, of course I'm gonna be there.

What's up, dad?

What's going on, brother?

You look real nice with your glasses.

Why didn't you put your bow on?

Why didn't you put it right here?

Like that?

Dang! I forgot about that...

You forgot? Wait, come here!

Can I take a picture of you?

I'm happy that my children

were finally able to be placed in the same residence,

and placed in the care of family members.

We're hopeful that, on the next court date,

they're gonna liberalize my visits.

I'll be able to go get my kids,

and spend about 5 hours with them

take 'em wherever I want to take 'em,

and at the end of that 5 hours, drop them back off.

Is you crying?

Say no.

- Cause you're a big man? - Yeah.

Papa, is you a big man?

Yes, y'all is. Then you got...

Yay'veontay!

Yay'veontay, right there, man!

Say cheese. Don't cry, okay?

Stop crying.

Wipe your face.

You're a big girl.

Daddy gonna come back and see you, okay?

Don't cry.

You're gonna be alright.

Sometimes, I'm not capable of physically

reaching out and touching my kids,

but spiritually,

we're connected and they know their father is there.

Periodically, I dream about my kids,

us flying...

We'll all be together, holding hands, flying, laughing...

Swimming, without having to come up for air...

Being able to be free, and defy the limitations

that the physical put on us.

These dreams bring me peace.

Yeah, peace, peace.

My love, my sunshine, my dear...

Is this recording? No?

Is this recording?

Hi Laura...

So you asked me to start sending memos about

this ongoing investigation.

Uhmm...

So like this...

We were watching the news about

the spread of surveillance technology

for corona tracing.

So, the way that kind of global viral emergency

is used to roll out the surveillance projects

in different parts of the world.

One company name was always there...

Nso group.

So, we already wanted for a long time

to start an investigation on the nso

because nso software was used to target

our colleagues and friends.

We know that you know what it feels to be surveilled,

that surveillance is not only a breach of privacy,

that it is violence,

that it does things to you,

that things start to happen to you in the real world...

And then it spreads across

your network of friends, colleagues,

and stakeholders or clients...