If Donna Knowlton, director of development at San Jose's Nextdoor Solutions To Domestic Violence, is looking for someone to thank for a recent donation of hundreds of old cell phones, she might want to thank Victor Sifuentes.
Yes, that Victor Sifuentes.
That's because Johnny Gogo, the Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney who actually donated the phones, credits Jimmy Smits' character in the popular 1980's legal drama, LA Law, as an early reason he wanted to be a lawyer.
"He wore really nice suits," Johnny says.
Johnny, of course, grew up to realize fashion had nothing (or at least very little) to do with the law.
He joined the DA's office in 1999, dedicating his career to putting people who deserved it, behind bars. He also dedicated himself to helping the victims of those criminals.
"I rally around all causes for victims," Johnny says.
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It's why, after seeing a flier from Nextdoor asking for donations of cell phones he decided to help.
Johnny began by asking friends and colleagues if they had any old cell phones lying around he could donate. He gathered a few. It was at a Thanksgiving dinner later that same year that Johnny told his brother, a correctional officer, about his effort.
"I think he said, 'Bro, do you know how many phones we confiscate in prison?'"
Johnny said, no. The answer turned out to be a lot.
Cell phones are valuable contraband behind bars. Through unmonitored communication with the outside world an inmate can continue to conduct illicit business while still behind bars. Cell phones are often smuggled into to prisons, sometimes simply thrown over prison walls by people on the outside.
Prison staff will confiscate hundreds of them a year.
So Johnny made some calls to a state prison warden and his first batch of cell phones were on the way to Nextdoor. The non profit then exchanges the phones through a program that gives them cash in return. Nextdoor has raised close to $30,000 during their participation int the progam.
Johnny's latest batch of roughly 200 phones came mainly through a donation from Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Southern California.
"I'm filled with pride that we can gather so many phones for Nextdoor and help the work that they do," Johnny says.
