From Chains to Change

  In this special podcast, our deputy director and host Bruce Reilly, sits down with community leaders (Norris Henderson, Ronald Marshall, Emily Ratner, Rubia Garcia & Rev. Willie Calhoun) to discuss the attack on our children and the potentially disastrous ramifications our communities could face if the 4 amendments on the ballot for the March 29th election, get passed. Recorded at our headquarters in New Orleans, LA on Wednesday, March 26, 2025

 In this Interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with candidate for State Senate District 14, Quentin Anderson, along with our very own Policy Director Checo Yancy and Director of Political Operations Devin Davis  at our Baton Rouge office on February  4, 2025, for a conversation with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss his race for state senate, to replace Cleo Fields and what priorities he plans on tackling if elected.

 In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our very own Nziki Wiltz sits down with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss the upcoming March election and the potential impacts the passage of the constitutional amendments on the ballot could mean for the future of criminal justice reform in the state of Louisiana. 

Leading up to the Dec. 7 run-off election (Early Voting has begun), our hosts speak with Baton Rouge's incumbent Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome, who seeks reelection against Sid Edwards, a Republican who has never held political office. Baton Rouge is Louisiana's capital city navigating issues of public safety, jail construction, rising cost of living, and shrinking number of jobs.

Nziki and Bruce talk with Nick Laborde, candidate for Public Service Commission District 2, which stretches from Baton Rouge to Lafayette. They jump in about phone rates in prisons and jails, then talk about Louisiana's sustainable energy needs where climate change and hurricanes make it the soft underbelly of America. In a world where political parties are building walls between them, the electric bill may be the last place we can come together.Recorded October 24, 2024 in New Orleans. 

Nziki Wiltz and Bruce Reilly interview Dr. Donaldo Batiste, a former New Orleans school principal and superintendent, who is running for reelection to his Orleans Parish School Board seat in District 4. Dr. Batiste names the problems with charter school companies that have tied the hands of local control over our children's education.[Note: From Chains to Change reached out to his opponent, who has ignored all contact from our organization].

Here we geaux! Voters Organized interviewed congressional candidate Devin Davis about his race against incumbent Rep. Troy Carter. Join Bruce Reilly and Devin for a lively discussion on abortion rights, home insurance in the time of climate disaster, Cancer Alley, Palestine, and much more. Recorded at Voters Organized HQ in New Orleans on October 18, 2024. 

In this interview, Bruce Reilly and Nziki Wiltz of Voters Organized meet up with Ted James, the former Louisiana legislator who is challenging incumbent Sharon Weston Broome in the Baton Rouge Mayor-President race. They talk about crime, housing, and economic development, giving listeners a chance to really see where Ted James is coming from.Recorded live at our Baton Rouge office on Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. 

Catch the full VOTE 20 Dance Groove here on Spotify.For the 166 tracks DJ Bruha pondered before selecting the final 20, check out DJ Bruha 04-24:The Bangers. 

In this interview, Voters Organized's Bruce Reilly and Nziki Wiltz meet up with Mel Manuel, Democratic challenger to Representative Steve Scalise in Louisiana Congressional District 1. A North Shore native, Mel shares their values on equality, civil rights, immigration, and foreign policy. Mel is openly trans and nonbinary, and well-versed in the current climate of attacking LGBTQ people for political points.

In this interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with Jasmine Davis Spencer,  candidate for Baton Rouge Metro Council District 10. Recorded at our Baton Rouge office on October 7, 2024, Bruce Reilly and Checo Yancy talked with Ms. Spencer about her roots in the city, the Baton Rouge jail construction, her own family's experience with incarceration, and the blessing/curse of having LSU in District 10. 

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our deputy director and host Bruce Reilly is joined by Dr Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, currently serving as the professor of Geography and African American & Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky to discuss her book ‘Prison Capital: Mass Incarceration and Struggles for Abolition Democracy in Louisiana' The book explores Louisiana's rise to having the world's highest incarceration rate, examining the racial and economic factors that fueled mass incarceration alongside the resistance movements that emerged in response.

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly is  joined alongside the staff of Voice of the Experienced along with concerned members of our community to discuss the ongoing attempts by the Landry administration and the GOP in the Louisiana legislature in their ‘Special Crime Session' to roll back critical justice reforms and progress we've achieved over the past few years. We discuss attempts by the legislatures to dismantle key legislative victories while making our communities less safe and more vulnerable to over policing and abuse by law enforcement.

In this episode, our host sits down with two old friends to discuss their unlikely journeys. Rep. Cruz first met Bruce during a successful 2006 voting rights campaign in Rhode Island, when neither of them could exercise the fundamental right of citizenship. Today, she serves as a valued legislator on the Criminal Justice Committee after having earned two degrees from Brown University. Steve first met Bruce in A-Block, while both were awaiting trial over 30 years ago. Today, he puts his passion into Freedom Reads, installing libraries into prisons and jails across the country with the award-winning Dwayne Betts. Be careful listening, as the accents might get pretty thick!

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, filmed from the banks of the Mississippi River in Norco, Louisiana, our host Bruce Reilly sat down with a panel of guest including, Anne Rolfes, the Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and our Director of Political Operations Devin Davis to speak with Lindsey Cheek candidate for Louisiana Attorney General. We discussed her candidacy and her priorities if elected along with the devastating impacts the petrochemical industry has had on the people of Louisiana and the impact her election to the office could have for these vulnerable communities. 

In this Interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with Tammy Savoie, candidate for Louisiana House District 23 in the 2023 election. Filmed at our main office  in New Orleans, LA on October 23, 2023, for a conversation with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss her candidacy and her priorities if elected. 

In this Interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with Rep. Barbara Carpenter, Louisiana house representative for District 63 along with our very own Policy Director Checo Yancy. Filmed via zoom at our main office  in New Orleans, LA and our chapter office based in Baton Rouge, LA on October 19, 2023, for a conversation with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss her time in office, the urgent need to mobilize voters and her current race for re-election.

In this Interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with Shaun Mean, candidate for Louisiana House District 23 in the 2023 election. Filmed at our main office in New Orleans, LA on October 18, 2023, for a conversation with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss his candidacy and his priorities if elected. 

In this Interview, Voters Organized to Educate sat down with Britt Gondolfi, candidate for Louisiana Senate District 12 in the 2023 election. Filmed at our main office in New Orleans, LA on October 12, 2023, for a conversation with our deputy director Bruce Reilly to discuss her candidacy and her priorities if elected. Learn more and stay up to date! Website: www.VotersOrganized.org Facebook: @VotersOrganized X: @justice_votes Instagram: @VotersOrganized

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director, Bruce Reilly sit down with VOTE member and the director of the Light of Justice Program Calvin Duncan to discuss his wrongful conviction and his journey back home as well as the changes seen within criminal justice system in Louisiana, the impact of life sentences, his experience completing law school and more.

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director, Bruce Reilly sit down with our Executive Director Norris Henderson, and Leon Roche candidate for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court - Section A. We discuss Leon's experience as a public defender and his plans for the court if he gets elcted. Election Day is Saturday, April 29th and early voting goes from April 15th to April 22nd.

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director, Bruce Reilly sit down with our Director of Political Operations Devin Davis, and Davante Lewis our endorsed candidate in the LA Public Service Commission (District 3) race. We discuss Davante's experience thus far along the campaign trail and if elected, what his priorities would be going into office. We also touch on the recent controversy with current PSC commissioner Boissiere and his campaign finances as well as all the need-to-know updates around the upcoming November 8th election.

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director, Bruce Reilly sit down with our Policy Director Checo Yancy, our videographer Charles Amos who just returned home, Ronald Marshall our Policy Analyst, and our office manager Anthony Hingle, to discuss there own lived experience as well as the recent release of the Visiting Room Project which follows along the journeys of people serving life without the possibility of parole at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, telling their stories, in their own words. 

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly sits down with Rose Murray, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, and Homero López, the legal director and co-founder of Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy (ISLA) to discuss there work providing services and aid to the immigrant community in Louisiana as well as advocating for legislative reforms on the state and federal level, the crisis of criminalizing immigrants and the barriers faced to provide adequate resources and representation to clients within the ICE detention system.

In this episode of from chains to change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with two special guests, Professor Andrea Armstrong from Loyola College of Law and Professor Ashley Wennerstrom from LSU School of Public Health to discuss their work studying deaths in Incarceration, lack of adequate healthcare while incarcerated and the challenges accessing to medical services upon release in Louisiana. 

In this special episode of From Chains to Change we pay tribute to the life and legacy of our brother Robert Goodman Jr. who was a beloved leader of his community, an organizer with VOTE and Safe Streets. Sadly, Robert was called home at the beginning  of the COVID-19 Pandemic on March 6, 2020 but his life, love, and legacy lives on in the community of friends and family he encountered along the way. This is a dedication to that legacy and a reminder that he will always be remembered.  

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly sits down with VOTE member and community organizer Alfred Marshall where they discuss his lived experience coming back home, how he got inspired to engage in the work of organizing and advocacy and how going forward, his continued commitment to helping build up the next generation of leaders that will aid in sustaining the movement well into the future. 

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with state representative Royce Duplessis to discuss his ongoing legislation around addressing long sentencing, crime prevention and parole reform along with other priorities he'll be working on throughout this current legislative session.

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with state representative Mandie Landry to discuss her ongoing legislation around bettering medical care for people currently incarcerated, implementing term limits for sheriffs amongst many other priorities she'll be working on throughout this current legislative session.

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with state representative Candace Newell to discuss her ongoing legislation to legalize and regulate cannabis as well as other legislative priorities being championed throughout this legislative session.

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with a number of special guest including our executive director Norris Henderson, Jamila Johnson, attorney with the Promise of Justice Initiative and state representative Matthew Willard to discuss the continued fight around non unanimous juries, than later joined by Earl Hagans to discuss equal opportunity in housing and his own lived experience with housing discrimination. 

In this special episode of From Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with Birmingham City Council member LaTonya Tate, discussing her experience running for office as a black woman in the Deep South, having recently been elected and since taking office, the work she's engaged I within her community and chairing the councils Public Safety Committee. Our discussion also delves into LaTonya's lived experience and work as an activist and transitioning from the advocacy realm to a position of governance.

On this week's episode of from Chains to Change, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with Tulane Ph.D. student and FIP Jarrod M. Wall on his lived experienced, the impacts of the school to prison pipeline as well as discussing his research around Post-Secondary Prison Education, Stigma & Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records.

(PART II) In this special 3-part episode of From Chains to Change, we take you into the Grand Opening of VOTE's new building in New Orleans. Formerly incarcerated people reflect on the road to this realization, and the power it represents” 

(PART I) In this special 3-part episode of From Chains to Change, we take you into the Grand Opening of VOTE's new building in New Orleans. Formerly incarcerated people reflect on the road to this realization, and the power it represents”

(PART III) In this special 3-part episode of From Chains to Change, we take you into the Grand Opening of VOTE's new building in New Orleans. Formerly incarcerated people reflect on the road to this realization, and the power it represents” 

In this episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly and our executive director Norris Henderson sit down with a special guest and the newly elected, Orleans Parish Sheriff-elect, Susan Hutson to discuss her recent victory over 4 term incumbent Marlin Gusman in the December 2021 runoff election and how she envisions the upcoming transition process as well as her priorities once she takes office this May. 

In this episode, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with Norris Henderson, our executive director, Nziki Wiltz, our chapter organizer and Devin Davis, our political coordinator to discuss the results of the recent December 2021 runoff election in New Orleans and recapping our victory in the race for Orleans Parish sheriff.

Our host Bruce Reilly sits down with VOTE co-founder Biggy Johnson who retells his expereince of being stranded in OPP during Hurricane Katrina and other insightful tales from our executive director Norris Henderson along with a special guest.

In this episode, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with Ronald Marshall discussing his lived experience along with his journey reconnecting with his family and community after 24 years in Angola and the urgent need for parole and release reform. Bruce then does a closer breakdown of the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office over the years and its shady financial dealings under the watch of Sheriff Marlin Gusman. 

In this episode, our host Bruce Reilly and Executive Director Norris Henderson sit down with Susan Hutson candidate for Orleans Parish Sheriff, and Troy Glover candidate for New Orleans City Council District D about their experience throughout the primary election and recapping their victories in making it to the runoff. We also discuss with the candidates, the road ahead to the December 11th runoff election, along with if elected, their vision of reform, and what their priorities will be once in office.Susan Hutson secured a spot in the December 11th runoff election for Orleans Parish Sheriff. She will face off with 5th term seeking incumbent Marlin Gusman whose tenure has been laced with controversy and scandal.Troy Glover secured a spot in the December 11th runoff election for New Orleans City Council District D. After a crowded primary of over a dozen candidates, Troy Glover will face off with Eugene Green in the December 11th runoff election.Voters Organized to Educate has endorsed both of these candidates (Troy Glover & Susan Hutson)

In this episode, our host Bruce Reilly sits down with Hardell Ward an attorney with the Promise of Justice Initiative and community advocate, to discuss their work on post-conviction relief applications and more recently a decision out of the 4th circuit court of appeals not just finding non-unanimous jury verdicts to be unconstitutional but that it should also apply retroactively, which will hopefully bring some relief to 1500 some individuals across Louisiana who are still incarcerated due to a non-unanimous jury.After Bruce sits down with Norris Henderson, our executive director, and Devin Davis, our political coordinator, to discuss the results of the November 13th election in Louisiana along with the success of our endorsed candidates and where the race for sheriff and others stand going into the runoff in Orleans Parish. 

This week our host Bruce Reilly sat down with Greg Finney who recounts his saga of voter disenfranchisement even after he got his right to vote restored.  Also, we're joined by  the co-founder of Voters Organized to Educate Checo Yancy to breakdown and discuss all the good, the bad and ugly of the system.

In this weeks podcast our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly sit down to have a conversation with three amazingly strong women all who've served over 20 years in prison and have been recently released to talk about there lived experiences, transitioning, transformation and hope. 

In this week's episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly chat with our Executive Director Norris Henderson and our Political Coordinator Devin Davis, about the upcoming November 2021 election taking place in New Orleans. We're also joined by Alonzo Knox who's running for City Council District C discussing his experience so far on the campaign trail along with his ideas and priorities if elected to the council.

In this week's episode of From Chains to Change, our host and deputy director Bruce Reilly and Executive Director Norris Henderson chat with two formerly incarcerated women, Ivy Mathis, (Baton Rouge organizer) and Kisha Edwards (New Orleans reentry specialist) about the exploitation and trauma women experience while incarcerated, along with commentary on the Netflix propaganda series ”Jailbirds: New Orleans.” We also speak with Sade Dumas, with PAC for Justice and OPPRC, regarding the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of jail expansion. Finally, we sit down with our special guest, Susan Hutson, who's running to become sheriff of Orleans Parish, a post no woman in Louisiana has ever held.

Many people wonder why Louisiana is the leader in mass incarceration. Norris Henderson (Executive Director) and Bruce Reilly (Deputy Director) talk about the sentencing and parole laws, non unanimous juries and the lack of access to exculpatory evidence as so many people have been convicted and sentenced so many times. This has created the problem we have dedicated our work to solve.