DeSean Jackson brings message to San Quentin

DeSean Jackson has been doing a significant amount of charity work this offseason, with visits to Philadelphia and in his native California. He has talked about prevention bullying and raised money to help cure pancreatic cancer with his foundation in memory of his father.

Jackson recently visited San Quentin, the most famous active prison in California, to talk to inmates, listen to their stories and them to his, shoot some hoops.

Oakland Tribune columnist Monte Poole accompanied Jackson to his recent visit to the prison. Click the link for more scenes from Poole's observations.

"I see people here who walked the same streets I did, trying to survive," says Jackson, who grew up in inner-city Los Angeles and attended Long Beach Poly High. "I'm a part of that. But I had to learn how to put it to the side.

"All my life, it was thrown to me. 'You're that dude. You're going to take it to the NFL.' Now I want to make a difference."

Jackson had visited the prison previously after he began at Cal, and promised he would be back again.

"You're going to see us again," Jackson says. "We will be coming back here."