Dismantling Injustice

We are back sharing another special episode in honor of our beloved executive director, Carl Hamad-Lipscombe. In this conversation, Carl spoke to an expert on the social change ecosystem: Deepa Iyer. Deepa is an activist, facilitator, lawyer, strategist and the author Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection. In this conversation, you'll hear Carl reflect on his own roles in the social change ecosystem — a critical combination of talent, perspective and skill that are already sorely missed. Thank you all for listening to this special series of episodes in memory of Carl. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Krys Mendez, Special Assistant at Envision Freedom Fund, shares one of Carl's favorite episodes of the podcast — his conversation with Kenyon Farrow, a writer, editor, strategist, activist and someone he knew and admired for many years. They discuss the intersection of queer liberation and abolition, the meaning of Pride, and much more. We hope you'll enjoy it as much as he did. Stay tuned for more episodes celebrating the life and legacy of Carl Hamad-Lipscombe.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Rosa Santana, Bond Director at Envision Freedom Fund, shares a conversation that was very near and dear to Carl's heart — his discussion with Rose Berry of BLMP about the intersection of Blackness, queerness, and migration. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

The Envision Freedom team shares the devastating news that Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, Envision's beloved executive director and the host & creator of the Dismantling Injustice podcast, passed away in March. To find comfort and direction during this time, we'll be revisiting some of Carl's favorite episodes of this podcast with reflections from the Envision Team. We hope you feel as inspired as we do to continue this work in his memory and in his honor. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Welcome back to Dismantling Injustice! In the first episode of 2024, Envision Freedom staff discuss what we're up against this year (spoiler alert: it's a lot) and how we're strategizing to tackle it head on. Julie Mente, Zoë Adel Perry and Rosa Santana discuss the current political landscape, crunching budget numbers, mental health and so much more! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

In this conversation, Julie Mente sits down with Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, and Loray Hodge, a leader at Freedom Agenda and mother to a son currently incarcerated on Rikers, to discuss the fight to decarcerate New York City and end the inhumanity of Rikers Island. They discuss the harsh realities of life inside Rikers Island, including daily struggles, long-term effects, and the impact on families like Loray's. Learn about the toxicity beneath the surface at Rikers and how Darren and Loray work to both honor and transform the pain caused by Rikers into something new.  Notes: https://fa.urbanjustice.org/ https://www.campaigntocloserikers.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Julie Mente sat down with Samah Sisay, Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, to shine a light on the human rights violations occurring at Orange County Correctional Facility. Samah delves into the true reality of immigration detention in New York, sharing stories of inhumane conditions faced by people detained and how they have organized and advocated against these conditions. Finally, learn about the lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, NYCLU and Bronx Defenders against Orange County, ICE, and officials and discover how you can support efforts to end immigration detention in New York and support those inside.  Notes: https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/our-cases/ortiz-v-orange-county-ny --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

¡Un episodio especial en español! ¿Es esta la primera vez que escucha de Envision Freedom Fund? ¿O es usted un antiguo simpatizante que quiere refrescar sus conocimientos sobre quiénes somos, qué hacemos y cómo hemos adaptado nuestras estrategias para mantenernos al día con el siempre cambiante panorama político? Tenemos el episodio perfecto para ti.En esta conversación especial, Rosa Santana y Anacristina Fonseca celebran el segundo aniversario de la organización como "Envision Freedom Fund" y hablan de por qué y cómo hacemos honor a este nombre. Además, compartirán interesantes noticias sobre el lanzamiento de nuestro nuevo programa de afiliación comunitaria y los próximos eventos presenciales. Notas:Si está interesado en nuestro nuevo programa de afiliación comunitaria, póngase en contacto con ACF Fonseca en acfonseca@envisionfreedom.org.Vea este vídeo animado sobre nuestro trabajo, creado por estudiantes de Pratt: --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Are you new to Envision Freedom Fund? Or are you a longtime supporter who wants a refresher on who we are, what we do, and how we've adapted our strategies to keep up with the ever-changing political landscape? We've got just the episode for you! In this special conversation, Julie Mente and Zoë Adel Perry celebrate the organization's two-year anniversary as "Envision Freedom Fund" and discuss why and how we live into this name. Plus, they'll share exciting news about the launch of our new community membership program and upcoming in-person events!  Notes: If you are interested in our new community membership program, please reach out to ACF Fonseca at acfonseca@envisionfreedom.org. Check out this animated video about our work, created by Pratt students! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCmm-4bha7A --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Referrals for legal services is one of the most requested methods of support we hear from folks we have bonded out from immigration detention. That's where experts like Rebecca Press come in. Co-founder of Co-Counsel NYC and Senior Counsel at Central American Legal Assistance, Rebecca joins the podcast to discuss the dire need for immigration legal services in New York City. The episode explores the challenges faced by legal service organizations, what's at stake for migrants, and tangible steps you can take to help address this urgent issue. Notes: Check out these resources provided by Rebecca! https://www.proseplusnyc.org https://cocounsel.org  https://www.centralamericanlegal.info https://www.unlocal.org/ Asylum Seeker Legal Assistance Network Asylum Application Help Center --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Council Member Shahana Hanif, NYC District 39, joins us on the podcast to discuss what it means to be a sanctuary city in name and in practice. Listen to learn why she gives NYC's response to migrants a “C,” the danger of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and how our creative, talented and compassionate city can do more for arriving migrants.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Welcome back to a new season of the Dismantling Injustice Podcast! To kick things off, we are doing a deep dive into an issue that is making headlines everyday: the arrival of asylum seekers and other migrants to New York. First: shelter and housing. On this episode, Carl sat down with a reporter who has been on the front lines documenting this evolving situation for months — Daniel Parra, reporter and editor at City Limits. They discuss how New York City's approach to housing migrants has changed over time, what migrants are sharing about their experiences, the organizations overseeing these facilities and how imposing “length of shelter stay” restrictions will create more instability. Notes: Check out Daniel Parra's recent reporting on asylum seekers in New York... Asylum Seekers Navigating NYC's Costly Rental Market NYC Has Quietly Placed Immigrant Families with Children in Hotels Under 28-Day Stays Faith-Based Shelter Initiative Off to Slow Start Amid Ongoing Capacity Crunch Asylum Seekers Bed Down Outdoors as Shelter System Buckles Asylum-Seeker Families Decry Sudden Transfer from Emergency Shelter in Queens --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Introducing the last episode in our summer “Staff Picks” series! Last fall, Carl sat down with Nicole Triplett, Envision Freedom's consultant on criminal legal strategy, to dive deep into the history and evolution of surveillance — from convict leasing and FBI watch lists to data scraping of our social media profiles today. The thread tying the past to the present? The desire to control certain bodies and separate them from their rights and liberties. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week, our Communications Manager, Julie Mente, shares one of our most listened to episodes. Professor Henning, activist, youth defender and author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, sat down with Carl for a conversation about the criminalization of Black youth. Professor Henning explains how and why America manufactured fear of Black children, how that fear feeds into criminalization today and the ways in which Black children are not allowed the same adolescence as white children. She shares solutions for moving forward and why we must all examine our biases toward Black youth. Erase the Database: How the NYPD Gang Database Harms NY Youth --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

We interrupt our summer #StaffPick series for a special conversation with Jocelyn Simonson, professor of law, former public defender and author of the new book Radical Acts of Justice: How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration. Carl and Jocelyn explore how ordinary individuals are sparking extraordinary change within the criminal legal system through bail funds, court watching, participatory defense and peoples' budgets. Discover how these approaches challenge the system from within, redefine safety and reclaim the power of the people. Listen now and purchase Radical Acts of Justice today! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week our Research & Advocacy, Zoë Adel Perry shares our conversation on the criminalization of mental health—a topic that is, unfortunately, as relevant today as it was when we released this episode in January. Whether it's the police shooting Raul de a Cruz in the Bronx or the vigilante murder of Jordan Neely on the subway, it's clear that violence in response to individuals experiencing mental health crises has been normalized. On this episode, Carl was joined by Jeffrey Severe from the NYC Public Advocate's Office to share Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' concerns with how we deal with mental health as a city and how we support solutions that lead to care and treatment, not violence. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week our Director of Development, Donny Repsher, shares an episode we released over the winter holiday about how we can have calm, productive conversations about bail reform while bringing more people into the movement to end pretrial detention. Although we should say, the takeaways from this episode apply to more than just bail reform! They can be used in any conversation where ideas are exchanged and hearts and minds can be changed. Notes: 7 Tips for Talking About Bail Reform Public Briefing on Bail Reform with Latrice Walker, Amanda Jack, Zoë Adel Perry and Carl Hamad-Lipscombe --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Hello dear listeners, we hope you are having a restful and revolutionary summer! We are coming to you with some exciting news. While we're taking a little summer hiatus before the next season starts in the fall, we will be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes from the last season. You'll be hearing from Envision Freedom Fund staff over the next few weeks as they reintroduce these episodes to you and we hope you will listen, listen again and share with a friend! And at the end of the summer, we'll be back with a brand new season of conversations about how we envision and bring to fruition freedom for all people. On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Envision Freedom's communication manager, Julie Mente, steps in for Carl to continue unraveling the mystery of government budgets. Julie is joined by Gabriela Viera, senior advocacy manager at Detention Watch Network. They discuss the federal appropriation process - including Biden's proposed budget for the next fiscal year - and how they impact the rights and dignity of immigrants in the U.S. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Hello dear listeners, we hope you are having a restful and revolutionary summer! We are coming to you with some exciting news. While we're taking a little summer hiatus before the next season starts in the fall, we will be re-releasing some of our favorite episodes from the last season. You'll be hearing from Envision Freedom Fund staff over the next few weeks as they reintroduce these episodes to you and we hope you will listen, listen again and share with a friend! And at the end of the summer, we'll be back with a brand new season of conversations about how we envision and bring to fruition freedom for all people.  Everyone has a role to play in the fight for social change. But how can you find the role that best uses your strengths and meets the needs of the movement? Carl and author, activist and trainer Deepa Iyer discuss her new workbook, "Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection," which maps out the social change ecosystem and how we can each find our place in the movement—including what to do if you realize you're in the wrong role, how these roles intersect with race and gender, and how identifying our role helps us avoid burnout. Note: To order Deepa's workbook Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection and learn more about the map, visit: https://www.socialchangemap.com/framework --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

In our final episode for Pride, Carl is joined by Marti Gould Cummings, an acclaimed NYC drag artist, political activist, former NYC Council candidate and one of New York State's most influential LGBTQIA+ people (City & State). Together, they discuss the disturbing criminalization of drag sweeping the nation and its profound impact on LGBTQIA+ communities and self-expression more broadly. Learn why defending drag is so essential for our larger, interconnected struggle for civil liberties everywhere.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

In this episode of the Dismantling Injustice podcast, Carl sits down with Gabrielle Inès Souza, the executive director of the Okra Project, to discuss the needs of Black trans New Yorkers and the profound significance of mutual aid in bridging the gaps left by governmental and systemic failures. Gabrielle also shares the upcoming, exciting work of the Okra Project and reminds us why investing in Black trans joy (with no strings attached!) is critical to our personal and collective liberation. Notes: To learn more about The Okra Project visit https://www.theokraproject.com/. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Carl is joined by Rose Berry, Co-Director of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP), to discuss the intersection of Blackness, queerness, and migration. Rose shares the importance of centering and building power within this community to create a world where all Black LGBTQIA+ people are free and liberated. Learn how to support and learn more about BLMP's work, during Pride month and beyond! Notes: Learn more about BLMP by visiting their webpage and following them on social media at @OfficialBLMP! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

We kick off our series for Pride Month with a captivating conversation with Kenyon Farrow, a writer, editor, strategist, activist and the Policy VP at Point Source Youth. Carl and Kenyon go BIG in this episode - tackling everything from the urgency of ending homelessness for LGBTQIA+ youth, to criticisms of gay marriage and the need for abolition. And together they try to answer the question: what is the meaning of Pride? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

On this eye-opening episode of Dismantling Injustice, we dive into the impact of the NYPD gang database on the youth of NYC. Our special guest, Anthony Posada, Supervising Attorney at the Legal Aid Society's Community Justice Unit, reveals the inherent racism of this database, how social media is being weaponized by the NYPD and how you can support legislation to #EraseTheDatabase once and for all.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

This week on Dismantling Injustice, we talk to Aaliyah and Mike from Youth Represent, which uses a youth-driven approach to advocacy and peer education in addition to providing legal services. Prioritizing the voices of young people who have experience with criminalization is critical in the fight for youth justice in New York. Aaliyah, a passionate activist since her teens, shares why changing the criminal and juvenile justice systems has always been her priority. Mike explains how Youth Represent's comprehensive approach meets the diverse needs of young people impacted by the system.  Notes: Visit https://youthrepresent.org/ to learn more about Youth Represent and support their work! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

We kick off our series on youth justice with Professor Kristin Henning, activist, youth defender and author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Professor Henning explains how and why America manufactured fear of Black children, how that fear feeds into criminalization today and the ways in which Black children are not allowed the same adolescence as white children. She shares solutions for moving forward and why we must all examine our biases toward Black youth.  Notes: Order Professor Henning's book today at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623467/the-rage-of-innocence-by-kristin-henning/9781524748906?ref=PRH0A7A42D11B&aid=13521&linkid=PRH0A7A42D11B --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, we are joined again by Zoë Adel, research & advocacy manager at Envision Freedom Fund, to update us on how New York state leaders passed a budget that includes a third round of changes to the bail laws that will undo the progress made towards pretrial freedom. Zoë breaks down the specifics of these changes and the human toll we can expect. As someone who has been fighting to expand pretrial freedom for many years, Zoë shares her insights on why setbacks like this one are not enough to derail continued organizing and advocacy. Listen to learn more. Notes: Check out our 7 Tips for Talking to Your Family & Friends About Bail Reform: https://envisionfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/7-Tips.pdf --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Envisionaries, we have a treat for you today! Carl sits down with NYC's Comptroller, Brad Lander, to discuss all things NYC budget. Comptroller Lander explains why providing migrants with resources helps all New Yorkers, how we get to the root of public safety issues (hint: it's not investing more in NYPD and DOC) and why you should testify at city council hearings. And finally, he answers the age-old question "How do you pronounce Comptroller?"  Notes: Comptroller shouted out some of our favorite partner organizations, Freedom Agenda and VOCAL-NY! Visit their websites to learn more about their work: https://fa.urbanjustice.org/ and https://www.vocal-ny.org/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

The New York State budget is already a week late and there's one thing holding it up - Governor Hochul's dangerous proposal to rollback bail reform for a third time. Envision Freedom's research & advocacy manager, Zoë Adel, joins the podcast to explain the history of bail reform in New York, the meaning and impact of the Governor's proposal and how you can step in to help save bail reform.   Notes: Reach out to your legislators today and tell them to hold the line and protect bail reform using this Phone2Action Toolkit! p2a.co/odTjzAr --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

On this week's episode of Dismantling Injustice, Envision Freedom's communication manager, Julie Mente, steps in for Carl to continue unraveling the mystery of government budgets. Julie is joined by Gabriela Viera, senior advocacy manager at Detention Watch Network. They discuss the federal appropriation process - including Biden's proposed budget for the next fiscal year - and how they impact the rights and dignity of immigrants in the U.S.  Notes: To learn more about Detention Watch Network follow them at @detentionwatch and visit their website https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/. Check out the Defund Hate Campaign at @defundhatecampaign and their website https://defundhatenow.org/. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dismantlinginjustice/support

Do you hear the words "government budget" and feel lost, confused or disinterested? Marissa Martin, executive director of The Advocacy Institute, is here to help. She joins the podcast for the first episode in our series about the New York budget to break down the budget process, what we should look out for this year and why YOU should care. Notes: Visit https://hi.advocacy-institute.org/ to learn more about Marissa and the work of The Advocacy Institute.

Everyone has a role to play in the fight for social change. But how can you find the role that best uses your strengths and meets the needs of the movement? Carl and author, activist and trainer Deepa Iyer discuss her new workbook, "Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection," which maps out the social change ecosystem and how we can each find our place in the movement—including what to do if you realize you're in the wrong role, how these roles intersect with race and gender, and how identifying our role helps us avoid burnout. Note: To order Deepa's workbook Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection and learn more about her work, visit: www.socialchangemap.com/

Concluding our series on Black Futures, Carl sits down with Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, to discuss one of the most destructive forces in our history: the so-called War on Drugs. Kassandra explains how the "War on Drugs" intersects with all other systems, why treating drug use as a health issue is incomplete, and what a post-war future could look like. Notes: To learn more about Drug Policy Alliance, visit: https://drugpolicy.org/

On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl speaks with Tosca Davis and Cedrick Smith, founders and co-CEOs of TO BE US Productions - a Black-owned production company with a mission to elevate Black stories. They discuss the physical impact of racism on the body (aka weathering) and the power of turning towards one another through storytelling to acknowledge this pain. Note: Tosca and Cedrick use their childhood photos rather than traditional head shots because they feel that these images best represent who they were before they were socialized and fully impacted by a racist, broken society. Carl joined the TO BE US team in this practice for this week's episode.

During this #BlackFuturesMonth, Carl speaks to Kristin Powell-Harris, deputy director of Black Futures Lab. Kristin shares a behind-the-scenes look into the Lab's Black Census Project — the largest survey of Black people in the U.S. in 157 years. They discuss community concerns, the desire to be heard and what Black communities envision for the future. Notes: You can still participate in the 2022 Black Census! Visit blackcensus.org to complete the Census today.

While this is not what we hoped to highlight for our first episode of #BlackHistoryMonth, the death of Tyre Nichols and police violence are tragically part of Black history in America. As guest Nicole Triplett says, "This is not an aberration or breaking of police protocol, this is what policing in America has been and will continue to be." Carl and Memphis native Nicole, the senior advocacy & litigation strategist at Envision Freedom, talk about what is happening in Memphis, the role of race in Tyre Nichols' murder, and what this means for policing in the U.S. more broadly. Notes: Looking for ways to support those on the ground in Memphis? Check out Decarcerate Memphis! Listen to Nicole Triplett previously on the Dismantling Injustice podcast.

We are wrapping up our series on mental health with a conversation with Cara Page - a Black, Queer Feminist cultural memory worker, author & organizer. For the past 30+ years, she has organized at the intersections of racial, gender & economic justice and transformative justice. Cara is the co-author of the book Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care & Safety - to be released next month. Cara and Carl discuss healing justice: how it addresses activist burnout, how it's different from self-care and why it's necessary for our collective liberation. Notes: Cara's book Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care & Safety will be released February 7, 2023. You can pre-order here! https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/healing-justice-lineages/ You can join their virtual launch event on February 8, 2023 here! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xSjrzeh8QhG-JeShJxCIvg You can follow their work on instagram at @hjlineages.

A conversation between Carl Hamad-Lipscombe and Vianey Romero-Mendez, director of programs at Mixteca, about the need for mental health resources in immigrant communities. Vianey explains the term "immigration stress," why mental health services are so critical for immigrant New Yorkers and small ways we can all reduce stress in our own lives. Notes: Learn more about Mixteca at https://www.mixteca.org/en/home. If you are in need of services, you can reach Mixteca at (718) 965-4795 or visit their office at 245 23rd Street, 2nd Fl. Brooklyn, NY 11215.

TW: Mention of suicide Access to effective and affordable mental healthcare has long been an issue in New York, recently rising to a higher profile in the wake of the pandemic and, most recently, Mayor Eric Adams' proposed plan to involuntarily hospitalize people who appear mentally ill. Carl sits down with Jeffrey Severe from the NYC Public Advocate's Office to discuss the criminalization of mental health in NYC. Jeffrey shares Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' concerns with Adams' plan and offers alternative solutions for mental healthcare that do not contribute to incarceration and community destabilization. Together, they discuss why jails and policing solutions will never lead to the safe and compassionate mental health treatment that New Yorkers desperately need.

You're gathered around the dinner table for the holidays when a relative makes a comment about bail, jail, or public safety that doesn't mesh with what you know. We've all been there. Envision Freedom is here to help! In our final episode of 2022, Carl talks to Envision Freedom Communication Manager, Julie Mente, about how we can have calm, productive conversations and bring more people along with us to end the deadly harms caused by money bail and pretrial detention. Notes: 7 Tips for Talking About Bail Reform Our factsheet on Jail and Pretrial Detention

On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl gives us an end-of-year wrap up on 2022. This year, we fought for liberation and WON with the passage of the Stop Immigration Bond Abuse Act! Carl shares more about this exciting news along with analysis into why some of the bills we supported did not make it over the finish line this year. He also shares what angered us in 2022 - including immigration transfers from Orange County Correctional Facility, rollbacks to bail reform and fear-mongering by media and politicians. And we pause to remember the lives taken from us by the deadly institution that is Rikers Island, including the most recent death on Sunday, December 11.

To wrap up our series on homelessess, Carl talks with Ariadna Phillips, founder of South Bronx Mutual Aid, about supporting asylum seekers in New York. Ariadna walks us through the origins of the mutual aid group during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and how this model meets community need when systems continue to fail us - including when asylum seekers were bused to New York this past summer. Ariadna tells us what this action looked like behind the scenes, the ways our government dropped the ball and how we can continue to provide support.

VOCAL-NY's Keli Young, a civil rights campaign coordinator, and Celina Trowell, a homeless union organizer, talk with Envision Freedom about the connections between bail reform, pretrial detention, and homelessness. The cycle of destabilization created by pretrial detention and the cash bail system often leads to and is exacerbated by homelessness. Eliminating bail—or even reforming it— interrupts this cycle, but to make it a reality we need reject the acceptance of jails as de facto shelters and invest in remedies like affordable housing rather than disappearing people into jail.

Carl sits down with Jacquelyn Simone, policy director at Coalition for the Homeless, to discuss the predicted perfect storm for New York's current housing crisis. From trespassing and loitering laws to encampment sweeps, NYC has a long history of criminalizing homelessness. Jacquelyn shares how this has evolved in recent years and the impact it has on real peoples' lives. She leaves us with how Mayor Adams' administration can begin to repair this harm and how we can all join the fight to interrupt this crisis. Notes: Visit https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/ to learn more about Coalition for the Homeless' work and services.

On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl sits down with Nicole Triplett, senior advocacy & litigation specialist at Envision Freedom. From convict leasing and FBI watch lists to data scraping of our social media profiles, she walks us from the history of surveillance of Black communities to present day adaptations. The thread tying the past to the present? The desire to control certain bodies and separate them from their rights and liberties.

From a growing culture of deputized surveillance, to shows like “Ring Nation,” surveillance is evolving with us. Carl speaks to Rumsha Sajid and Danny Cendejas, two deeply experienced organizers working at MediaJustice, about the historic roots of present day surveillance—colonialism and slavery—and the continued disproportionate impact that surveillance has on communities of color. Notes: Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness by Simone Browne Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People's Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time, by James Kilgore Unshackling Freedom Toolkit, https://mediajustice.org/unshackling-freedom/ Find Media Justice's work at https://mediajustice.org/ and @mediajustice on social.

Rafa Kidvai, the Repro Legal Defense Fund Director at If/When/How (and former legal fellow for Court Watch NYC!) joins Carl to talk about the intersection between reproductive justice, surveillance and criminalization. While we should be wary of new technology that will increase data surveillance, much of this surveillance already exists. Some communities (read: Black and brown people, immigrants, disabled people, Black and trans folks) were living in a “post-Roe reality” long before the overturn went into effect. The path forward? Creating a better system than we had to begin with. Notes: Euki Period tracker: https://eukiapp.com/ The artwork that Rafa referenced is entitled “I Don't Watch My Neighbors. I See Them.” by Micah Bazant. If you or anyone you know is experiencing state violence, please reach out to: https://reprolegalhelpline.org/ https://reprolegaldefensefund.org/

Carl and Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of STOP (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) discuss mass surveillance, —particularly of pregnant people or people who can become pregnant— and new technology that is being leveraged to surveil more people with less discretion. And of course, they get into the disproportionate impact these technologies have on communities of color and how we may be creating more inequality by focusing on personal protection, rather than systemic accountability. Notes: Find STOP and their work at https://www.stopspying.org/ and on social media @stopspyingny

Carl is joined by Envision Freedom Fund's Zoe Adel, Angel Parker, Nicole Triplett, and Salih Israil to discuss the anniversary of George Floyd's murder, the recent outbreak of white supremacist terrorism, and the current state of the social justice movement with regard to racial justice and criminal legal system reform.

Carl provides a sneak peek at what's to come in Season Two of "Dismantling Injustice."