Malakkar Vohryzek was the only federally-convicted felon attending Gov. David Paterson’s reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. He joined around a hundred elected officials and advocates for the occasion atop the roof of the Elmcor Youth and Activities Center on April 24, 2009. Just 13 months out of federal custody, Vohryzek “crashed the party” in a T-shirt and shorts; his shaggy, shoulder-length hair and silver hoop earring also may have contributed.
But, to Vohryzek, the historic occasion just wasn’t worthy of a suit. From the vantage point that came along with a ten-year federal prison sentence, the “amusing” and “rhetoric-filled” morning only ceremonially ended 36 years of severe and costly drug laws in New York. Certainly a necessary first step, according to Vohryzek, but the governor’s event was futile in the scheme of changing the deeply seeded flaws he sees in America’s prison system.
- Photo coutesy of Malakkar Vohryzek
Vohryzek happens to owe his life to that very system and he has no problems admitting it; better to lose your twenties and to have purpose than wake up at 55 and realize you’ve been imprisoned your whole life, said Vohryzek. After experiencing and witnessing the minutiae of federal prison, Vohryzek, 33, has dedicated himself to fighting for an overhaul of drug policy in America. The eccentric, self-described “computer-geek” and uncommitted atheist/ agnostic is using his insight, edginess and audacity to irritate the wound surrounding American drug policy. Working as an office administrator and blogging for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Vohryzek uses whatever opportunities he can to further the public’s discussion and action towards systemic reform.
“The more language you put out there, the better because generating debate is of tremendous value to society,” said Vohryzek. “My personal belief is that the war on drugs is a continuation of reasoning that started with slavery, was adapted to Jim Crow, and now exists currently as the drug war.”
The strength of his convictions aside, Vohryzek’s anomalous viewpoints developed early. After being part of the only white family in an ethnically diverse community, Vohryzek was deeply affected by the bigotry and intolerance he perceived upon his reentrance into suburban California at age 9.
“If you have that kind of epiphany at a very early age, you’re doomed,” said Vohryzek. “At first I was baffled; then I grew irate and I wouldn’t stand for it.”
By age 11, Vohryzek got caught up using alcohol and cannabis to take his own pain away. As a social outcast with a turbulent and often violent home and school life, he moved on to stronger street drugs at 15 and began selling the psychedelic drug LSD at 17. This lifestyle led to his imprisonment shortly after his 24th birthday.
Not the average inmate, Vohryzek banked on his advanced vocabulary and white skin to lessen his punishment for the federal charge of conspiracy to cross-nationally distribute LSD. During his seven-and-half-year-long incarceration, Vohryzek worked as a jailhouse lawyer helping illegal immigrants and bank robbers, and became good friends with “gangbangers from Compton.” Vohryzek’s prison time refocused his mission to help people and promote equal treatment in the judiciary system.
“He came out with an acute sense of personal purpose and a vision of what he wanted to accomplish in this world,” said Gabriel Sayegh, Vohryzek’s closest friend. “Challenging and transforming the way our society uses our prison system is, at this point, his life’s work.”
The transition from federal prisoner to advocacy coordinator seemed like the logical next step for Vohryzek. While he considers himself part of the radical, “lunatic fringe” within the drug policy movement, advocates across the nation credit Vohryzek with dispelling myths about the penitentiary system and initiating fundamental shifts in policy proposals.
“He’ll stop a conversation and remind us not to use assumptions or the terminology of the people who made the system that we’re fighting to reform,” said lawyer and longtime friend Alexis Wilson, who added that Vohryzek has “irreparably impacted” her law practice and her direction.
Vohryzek’s fresh voice and unorthodox opinions have secured him the role as DPA’s primary blogger. Also featured by the Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post [click on each publication to see Vohryzek’s blog posts!), Vohryzek uses his publicity to proliferate unheard and underpublicized perspectives while stimulating debate on America’s judiciary failures.
However, blogging is only supplementary to Vohryzek’s main mission, which is to increase personal sovereignty through the controversial option of legalizing all drugs. Vohryzek ultimately hopes to contribute to a sweeping rewrite of national drug law, including the very bylaw that landed him in prison with no physical evidence. In the meantime, his legacy continues to impact advocates and youth alike.
- Malakkar Vohryzek, courtesy of Malakkar Vohryzek
Matt Namer, New York University’s representative for Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, says Vohryzek represents the “very scary possibility that such a talented, smart and genuinely good person” could miss his entire twenties under today’s imprisonment laws.
“It’s a reminder to me in particular, being that age, how severe the consequences of drug prohibition can be,” said Namer. “And it’s a strong reminder of why I want to help end this policy of incarceration.”
Jason Carlton was so affected by the justice system’s treatment of his little brother that he was politicized from an apathetic fiscal conservative to a full-blown Keith Olbermann enthusiast. The vehement passion and enthusiasm that Vohryzek has dedicated to his calling also impacted Carlton’s political reconsiderations. According to Carlton, his brother “breathes, eats and drinks” drug policy and he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.
Although Vohryzek doesn’t think everything happens for a reason, he believes people can choose to derive purpose and meaning out of circumstances. Vohryzek’s arrest, trial, conviction and subsequent advocacy work has deeply punctuated his life trajectory. Heading to law school this June, Vohryzek isn’t giving up until the American judiciary system feels his vengeance and ensures that incarceration is the last possible measure.
“When you’re motivation is higher than just a check,” Vohryzek said, “you are willing to make sacrifices that ensure your underlying sense of purpose and accomplishment is satisfied.”
