Podcasts about chicago community bond fund

Chrystul Kizer, 23, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to the reckless homicide of Randall Phillip Volar, III, a man she alleged had sexually abused her for years. Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David P. Wilk handed down a sentence of 11 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision. Chrystul Kizer, 23, gained widespread attention online after being charged with first-degree murder, arson, theft, and other offenses related to the death of 34-year-old Randall Phillip Volar, III, in 2018. Her case, which has drawn significant advocacy and fundraising efforts from victims' rights supporters, has seen a prolonged and complex legal journey. This week, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David P. Wilk issued a 16-year sentence in a courtroom without video cameras, comprising 11 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision. In May, Kizer had pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide. This plea deal resulted in a sentence less than half the maximum 25 years allowed for the crime and a much lighter outcome compared to the potential life sentence she could have faced if convicted of murder in a trial. In July 2022, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Kizer could invoke a law allowing human trafficking victims an affirmative defense for crimes committed as a direct result of their exploitation. This law allows such victims to be acquitted of any offenses directly resulting from the trafficking, regardless of whether anyone was prosecuted or convicted for the underlying crimes. Kizer's defense team argued that she killed Volar in response to his prolonged sexual abuse and exploitation. Kizer was 17 when she shot Volar twice in the head, set his body on fire, and fled in his vehicle. Investigators later discovered that Volar had been under investigation for producing child sexual abuse material and abusing several underage Black girls. His arrest before his death revealed hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse. Kizer's bail was initially set at $1 million but was reduced to $400,000 in February 2020. This amount was later covered by The Chrystul Kizer Defense Committee, the Chicago Community Bond Fund, the Milwaukee Freedom Fund, and Survived & Punished. An online petition supporting Kizer, which garnered over 1.5 million signatures, called for the charges to be dropped. Claudine O'Leary, an independent consultant who works with sexual trafficking survivors and attended the hearing, expressed her disappointment with the sentencing. She has been organizing community resources to support Kizer if released, noting that the Wisconsin prison system lacks adequate resources for survivors of sexual trafficking. O'Leary also mentioned that she works with many trafficking survivors who already distrust the court system, and she believes Monday's sentencing will only deepen that mistrust. “They're learning from the court system that their lives don't matter if they defend themselves—they need to be ready to face prison,” she said. “There's a profound lack of understanding about the real harm people endure.” During the hearing, Kizer's defense attorney revealed that Kizer was first trafficked at 16 when she posted an ad on a website later seized by the FBI for prostitution. She used the money she earned to buy food for her siblings. Kizer had previously stated that she didn't know who would respond to her ad since she was unfamiliar with the site and needed another girl to show her how to use it. Volar contacted her through this site. At the time they met, he was already under investigation by the Kenosha Police Department for sexual conduct with underage girls as young as 12. “The court is well aware of your circumstances surrounding your relationship with Mr. Volar,” Judge David Wilk said as he delivered his sentence. “You are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning. To hold otherwise is to endorse a descent into lawlessness and chaos.” Kizer ultimately chose not to go to trial, where she could have faced a potential life sentence. Instead, she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree reckless homicide. “You entered a guilty plea. That allows you to argue your circumstances warrant mercy, but not that they warrant absolution,” the judge said. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Chrystul Kizer, 23, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to the reckless homicide of Randall Phillip Volar, III, a man she alleged had sexually abused her for years. Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David P. Wilk handed down a sentence of 11 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision. Chrystul Kizer, 23, gained widespread attention online after being charged with first-degree murder, arson, theft, and other offenses related to the death of 34-year-old Randall Phillip Volar, III, in 2018. Her case, which has drawn significant advocacy and fundraising efforts from victims' rights supporters, has seen a prolonged and complex legal journey. This week, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David P. Wilk issued a 16-year sentence in a courtroom without video cameras, comprising 11 years in prison followed by five years of extended supervision. In May, Kizer had pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide. This plea deal resulted in a sentence less than half the maximum 25 years allowed for the crime and a much lighter outcome compared to the potential life sentence she could have faced if convicted of murder in a trial. In July 2022, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Kizer could invoke a law allowing human trafficking victims an affirmative defense for crimes committed as a direct result of their exploitation. This law allows such victims to be acquitted of any offenses directly resulting from the trafficking, regardless of whether anyone was prosecuted or convicted for the underlying crimes. Kizer's defense team argued that she killed Volar in response to his prolonged sexual abuse and exploitation. Kizer was 17 when she shot Volar twice in the head, set his body on fire, and fled in his vehicle. Investigators later discovered that Volar had been under investigation for producing child sexual abuse material and abusing several underage Black girls. His arrest before his death revealed hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse. Kizer's bail was initially set at $1 million but was reduced to $400,000 in February 2020. This amount was later covered by The Chrystul Kizer Defense Committee, the Chicago Community Bond Fund, the Milwaukee Freedom Fund, and Survived & Punished. An online petition supporting Kizer, which garnered over 1.5 million signatures, called for the charges to be dropped. Claudine O'Leary, an independent consultant who works with sexual trafficking survivors and attended the hearing, expressed her disappointment with the sentencing. She has been organizing community resources to support Kizer if released, noting that the Wisconsin prison system lacks adequate resources for survivors of sexual trafficking. O'Leary also mentioned that she works with many trafficking survivors who already distrust the court system, and she believes Monday's sentencing will only deepen that mistrust. “They're learning from the court system that their lives don't matter if they defend themselves—they need to be ready to face prison,” she said. “There's a profound lack of understanding about the real harm people endure.” During the hearing, Kizer's defense attorney revealed that Kizer was first trafficked at 16 when she posted an ad on a website later seized by the FBI for prostitution. She used the money she earned to buy food for her siblings. Kizer had previously stated that she didn't know who would respond to her ad since she was unfamiliar with the site and needed another girl to show her how to use it. Volar contacted her through this site. At the time they met, he was already under investigation by the Kenosha Police Department for sexual conduct with underage girls as young as 12. “The court is well aware of your circumstances surrounding your relationship with Mr. Volar,” Judge David Wilk said as he delivered his sentence. “You are not permitted to be the instrument of his reckoning. To hold otherwise is to endorse a descent into lawlessness and chaos.” Kizer ultimately chose not to go to trial, where she could have faced a potential life sentence. Instead, she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree reckless homicide. “You entered a guilty plea. That allows you to argue your circumstances warrant mercy, but not that they warrant absolution,” the judge said. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Join us for a lively exploration of the concept of "abolitionist safety planning" and supporting survivors from feminists and abolitionists. In situations of domestic violence, survival can become criminalized in unexpected and chilling ways. However, because isolation is a central strategy of abuse, many survivors lack the community and resources needed to find support for both the violence as well as the risks of criminalization. What can concrete support for intimate partner violence survivors look like from a prison abolitionist perspective? What can it look like in practice to support survivors while being acutely aware of both the dangers of abuse and the overwhelming violence of the criminal legal system? Join us for a lively exploration of the concept of "abolitionist safety planning" from feminists and abolitionists, who will share their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned from supporting survivors in situations of active and ongoing violence. Speakers: Mariame Kaba (moderator) is an organizer, educator, curator, and prison industrial complex (PIC) abolitionist who is active in movements for racial, gender, and transformative justice. Kaba is the founder and director of Project NIA, a grassroots abolitionist organization with a vision to end youth incarceration. Mariame is currently a researcher at Interrupting Criminalization, a project she co-founded with Andrea Ritchie in 2018. Kaba is the author of We Do This Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice, Missing Daddy, See You Soon and Fumbling Towards Repair: A Workbook for Community Accountability Facilitators with Shira Hassan. Aracelia Aguilar (she/her) is one of the Empowerment Directors at DeafHope, providing direct services to Deaf DV/SV survivors. DeafHope recognizes the system barriers and institutional oppressions Deaf survivors navigate through to get to safety, and Aracelia's advocacy strongly focuses on putting the survivor at the center of the work. Aracelia has also received training under Sujatha Baliga and Mimi Kim to incorporate Restorative and Transformative Justice into the work of DeafHope. Aracelia provides Teen Dating Violence, Consent & Boundaries, and Sexual Violence presentations for Deaf teens at High Schools all over the Bay Area. Rachel Caidor (she/her) has spent over 25 years providing direct service and organizational support to rape crisis and domestic violence survior support agencies in Chicago. She is a member of Love and Protect and supports the work of the Chicago Community Bond Fund. Shira Hassan (she/her) is the founder, co-creator and principal consultant for Just Practice, a capacity building project for organizations and community members, activists and leaders working at the intersection of transformative justice, harm reduction and collective liberation. She is the former executive director of the Young Women's Empowerment Project, an organizing and grassroots movement building project led by and for young people of color that have current or former experience in the sex trade and street economies. Hyejin Shim (she/her) is a Building Community Power Fellow at Community Justice Exchange. She has over a decade's experience in supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, particularly immigrant, refugee, and criminalized survivors of abuse. Hyejin is a co-founder of Survived and Punished, a national organization dedicated to supporting criminalized and incarcerated survivors of gender-based violence. This event is sponsored by Community Justice Exchange, Survived and Punished, Interrupting Criminalization, and Haymarket Books. https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org https://survivedandpunished.org https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/QEVuJuBrj5A Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks

This is the audio version of a panel discussion hosted on March 24 that explores the importance of physical mail in prison and how the prison industrial complex works to undermine imprisoned people's ability to meaningfully communicate with their loved ones. You can watch video of the panel here: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/video-why-physical-mail-matters Physical mail is a layered issue, and policies that eliminate physical mail are violent and cruel. They seek to destroy the loving and caring connections that people have. They “pile on” more separation than that which already exists and makes it even harder for people to remain in relationship and community with their support systems. They disproportionately affect poor people. They add another cost onto the already long list of things that prisoners and their loved ones pay for. They expand the surveillance mechanisms of the carceral state in ways that I'm not sure we have begun to grapple with. Letter writing has always been an important form of communication between prisoners and their loved ones. Eliminating physical mail reveals the inhumanity of this system and illustrates that incarceration has NOTHING to do with rehabilitation or preparing people to return to their communities, and EVERYTHING to do with using incarcerated people and their loved ones as revenue streams.   Letters exchanged between prisoners and loved ones offer a counter to the dehumanization that we experience. Letters, cards, drawings, and ephemera serve as proof of life in a system that seeks our erasure and death. These documents are how we build or rebuild relationships, how we share news (good, bad, and mundane), how we learn about the conditions inside, how prisoners are able to stay connected to the children and families that are outside, and how we prevent more harm.  Hosted by the Beyond Prisons Podcast, NYU Prison Education Program and Study and Struggle.  Introduction by Kim Wilson. Kim Wilson is an educator, self-taught artist, and cohost and producer of the Beyond Prisons podcast. Moderated by Charlotte Rosen. Charlotte Rosen is a PhD Candidate in History at Northwestern University and a member of Study and Struggle, which organizes against criminalization and incarceration in Mississippi through mutual aid, political education, and community building. Panelists: Monica Cosby. Monica describes herself as a “gramma trying to do liberatory stuff,” subscribing to an abolition feminist mode of thinking, being and moving in the world. Her life and work have been shaped and informed by  the communities to which she belongs, including the community of artists, scholars, moms with whom she was incarcerated, and whose survival was/is an act of resistance against a system that would dispose of them. As an advocate and activist, she has collaborated, organized, and worked with Westside Justice Center, Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois, Women's Justice Institute, Uptown People's Law Center, and others. Monica is a scholar, thinker, and writer, having essays published or reprinted in TruthOut and In the Long Term (published by Haymarket Books). She also wrote Solitary Confinement is Used to Break People; On Leaving Prison: A Reflection on Entering and Exiting Communities; And, Restorative Revelations by Monica Cosby and Analise Buth–published in the St. Thomas Law Journal.   Lawrence Posey (He/Him). Lawrence is 44 years old and originally from Camden, New Jersey. He currently lives in the Bronx. He is a father of two children who are 18 and 15. He was previously incarcerated. Since his  release, he works as a manager at a company called Reserve Inc which is a covid-19 coalition. He is also a student at New York University studying at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study, majoring in Film and Business. He recently started his own publishing and production company called Legacy Works Enterprises. In addition to publishing, Legacy Works Enterprises focuses on youth educational programs and social justice. Lawrence is part of a social justice cohort At the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO Works) where he organizes with the Participant Advocacy Council (PAC for short). The PAC cohort has lobbied with Communities Not Cages (CCA) which has fought to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing,  and advocated for Second Look Act, the Earn Good Time Act, and the Clean Slate Act. Finally, PAC also is in association with Treatment Not Jail (TNJ), lobbying for mental health programs instead of prison.  Mychal Pagan. Mychal Pagan (BA '24) is a student at NYU, and  is curious about the relationships between perception, memory, and narration. He is fascinated by the process of merging poetry with filmmaking, and the art of social photography with data-driven storytelling. His writing and photography have been featured in NYU publications including The Gallatin Review, Confluence, Fire in the Lake, and Missives. And his short documentary series Afternotes can be viewed at the NYU's Prison Education Program website. Sergio Hyland (He/Him). Sergio recently returned to society after serving nearly 21 years straight. He is an abolitionist, and Editor-in-Chief of THE MOVEMENT Magazine, the official magazine of the Human Rights Coalition in Pennsylvania. He also works for the Abolitionist Law Center. Andre Pierce. Andre is a Black man that spent the last 25 years caged in Connecticut State prisons. He earned a Bachelor's Degree with a concentration in Philosophy. He writes,  “my strenuous efforts took place alongside my fight to maintain my sanity in a soul-crushing carceral institution.” He asserts that his extraordinary growth and development cannot be understood as rehabilitation but instead as Black Liberation. Dre, uses his intimate experience of suffering in prison to fuel his passion for prison abolition. Ellis Maxwell. Ellis Maxwell is an educator and community member in Fort Worth, Texas. They believe in making organic political education available to people of all ages, and seek to work with anyone willing to look at their conditioning and try to move differently. Ellis is the editor of the Beyond Prisons podcast. Maya Schenwar (She/Her). Maya is the editor-in-chief of Truthout. She is the co-author (with Victoria Law) of Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms and author of Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better. She is also the co-editor (with Joe Macaré and Alana Yu-Lan Price) of Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States. Maya is a co-founder of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and she organizes with the abolitionist collective Love & Protect.  Episode Resources & Notes Watch video of the panel: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/video-why-physical-mail-matters Learn more about this issue and campaign: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/say-no-to-eliminating-physical-mail-in-delaware-prisons Credits Created and hosted by Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein Edited by Ellis Maxwell Website & volunteers managed by Victoria Nam Theme music by Jared Ware Support Beyond Prisons Visit our website at beyond-prisons.com Support our show and join us on Patreon. Check out our other donation options as well. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Play Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes, events, and more Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops. Please contact beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com for more information Twitter: @Beyond_Prison Facebook:@beyondprisonspodcast Instagram:@beyondprisons

My guest is Briana Payton, a policy analyst with the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and a leader with the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. We discuss Ms. Payton's path to community justice work as a career, the origins of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and some exciting legislative victories of The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice. Guest- Briana Payton Host/Producer- Tariq I. El-Amin Image- Chicago Community Bond Fund Music-Benjamin Banger- Whistle (Instagram (@BenJaminBanger) smarturtit/hit20)

This episode gives our intrepid co-hosts a chance to sit back, have a tasty adult beverage, and answer questions from our listeners! We talk about dating, polyamory & kink communities, what (if any) political offices we'd run for, and what charities we support - and more! Samuel L. Jackson Motherf***er Supercut Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0LBi1MHoaU Show Links & Transcript: http://bit.ly/SiPodcastLinks  Website: http://bit.ly/SocialIntercoursePodcast  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/socialintercourse Sarah Sloane's website: https://www.sarahsloane.net  Charities Mentioned: The Afiya Center: https://www.theafiyacenter.org/ Interval House - https://intervalhousect.org/ Block Club Chicago https://blockclubchicago.org/ Chicago Community Bond Fund https://chicagobond.org/ Chicago Abortion Fund https://www.chicagoabortionfund.org/ Assata's Daughters https://www.assatasdaughters.org/ TransLatin@ Coalition https://www.translatinacoalition.org/

Ali Abid (@AlisAccount) on the podcast this week! We played Space Mayhem, Cube Rampage, Shutter Stroll. Our cause is The Chicago Community Bond Fund. We've donated, if you donate and send us proof we will shout you out on the show!

June 11th is the international day of solidarity with Marius Mason and all long-term anarchist prisoners. This year we want to explore the connections between long-term prisoner support and anti-repression efforts around recent uprisings, a sharp reminder to us that the difference between a status of imprisoned or not is often tenuous and temporary. With thousands of arrests for protesting, rioting, and property destruction from last summer's George Floyd uprising, we must be preparing for the possibility that more of our friends and other rebels may end up in prison. We're also seeking to find ways to facilitate interactions between our long-term prisoners and uprisings in the streets. We were happy to share the production of this episode with the lovely folks at June11.Org. To this end, we speak with: Cameron and Veera, who are part of a group that have been supporting prisoners from the Ferguson uprising for the last 7 years; Earthworm from Atlanta Solidarity Fund and ATL jail support ; Jeremy Hammond, formerly incarcerated anarchist and hacktivist, and his twin brother, Jason Hammond, who works with the Chicago Community Bond Fund. They produce the podcast, TwinTrouble They share with us their experiences with state repression, what motivates them, and some thoughts on what we can be doing to make us, our communities, and our liberatory movements more resilient. The speakers responded to questions in the same order throughout the conversation but didn't identify themselves much, so remember that the order and the projects they're involved in can be found in our show notes. You can learn more about Marius Mason and how to support him at SupportMariusMason.org. You can see past podcasts by June 11th, prisoner statements, artwork, info about the prisoners supported by the effort, a mix-tape they curated last year and events listed for various cities you can join at June11.org. We're releasing this audio before June 11th to entice folks to consider a potluck, an action, a letter writing event, a banner drop, a postering rampage or something to share the day with folks behind walls. Hear our past June 11 episodes here. You can also hear the June 11th statement for this year alongside other info on prisoner support from comrades at A-Radio Vienna in the May 2021 BadNews podcast! Announcements BRABC Letter Writing Today If you're in Asheville, join Blue Ridge Anarchist Black Cross today, June 6th for a letter writing from 5-7pm at West Asheville Park on Vermont Ave. BRABC meets every first Sunday at that time, provides info on prisoners with upcoming birthdays or facing repression, stationary, postage and company. Never written a letter? Don't know how to start? Swing by and share some space! Fundraising for Sean Swain Parole Sean Swain is fighting to be paroled after 30 years in prison and 316 podcast segments. You can find more about how to support his efforts here: https://www.anarchistfederation.net/sean-swain-is-up-for-parole/ David Easley needs help Comrade David Easley, A306400 at the Toledo Correctional Institution, who has in previous months been viciously assaulted by prison staff at the direction of the ToCI Warden Harold May, as well as number of other inmates also who have been isolated for torture and other oppressive, covert, and overt retaliatory actions at that facility, denied adequate medical care for speaking out against the cruel, inhumane treatment at that Ohio facility. More and more comrades are reporting occurring throughout the ODRC, and across this country for any who dare stand up and speak up for themselves, and the voiceless within the steel and concrete walls. This is a CALL TO ACTION to zap the phone at the U.S. District Court in Toledo, Ohio and demand that Comrade David Easley be granted a phone conference with Judge James R. Knepp II, and the Attorney General because Comrade Easley's lawyer of record has decided to go rogue by not filing a Memorandum Contra Motion as his client requested and now the State has presented a Motion to Dismiss his case to that court. Plaintiff: David Easley, A306400 Case No: 3:18-CV-02050 Presiding Judge: James R. Knepp II Courtroom Clerk: Jennifer Smith Phone No: (419) 213-5571 Also, reach out to Comrade Easley using the contact info he like many of our would appreciate the concerns, and love from us on the outside to stay the course, and not get discouraged in his Daily Struggle. David Easley #A306400 Toledo CI PO Box 80033 Toledo, OH 43608 Fundraiser for David Anarchist Bank Robber and Prisoner, Giannis Dimitrakis Healing from Attack the following was received from comrades at 1431 AM in Thessaloniki, Greece, a fellow member of the A-Radio Network. We had hoped to feature an interview they would facilitate with Giannis Dimitrakis for June 11th, however you'll see why this hasn't been possible. We hope he heals up quickly and would love to air that interview for the Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners in August: On 24/5, our comrade, a political prisoner, the anarchist Giannis Dimitrakis was transported to the hospital of Lamia, seriously injured after the murderous attack he suffered in Domokou prison. G. Dimitrakis barely survived the the attack, and the blows he received caused multiple hematomas in the head, affecting basic functions of his brain. A necessary condition for the full recovery of the partner is the complete and continuous monitoring of him in a specialized rehabilitation center by specialist doctors and therapists. In this crucial condition, the murderous bastards of the New Democracy government, M. Chrysochoidis, Sofia Nikolaou and their subordinates decide on Thursday June 3rd to transfer Giannis back to Domokos prison and even to a solitary confinement cell, supposedly for his health. Transferring our comrade there, with his brain functions in immediate danger, is for us a second attempt to kill him. Domokos prison does not meet in the slightest the conditions for the treatment and recovery of a prisoner in such a serious condition. Αs a solidarity movement in general, we are again determined not to leave our comrade's armor in their blood-stained hands. Nothing should be left unanswered, none of the people in charge of the ever-intensifying death policy that they unleash should be left out of our sights. Immediate transfer of our partner to a specialized rehabilitation center Hands down from political prisoners Solidarity and strength to the anarchist fighter G. Dimitrakis This is an invitation to engage June 11 in solidarity with Giannis Dimitrakis. On June 9th there will be a solidarity demo in Exarchia, Athens at 7pm! . ... . .. Featured Tracks: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band from 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

Rev. Jason Lydon, secretary of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, joins Steve Bertrand on Chicago’s Afternoon News to explain why they posted bond for Ruben Roman, the man authorities say was with 13-year-old Adam Toledo the night he was shot dead by police. Follow Your Favorite Chicago’s Afternoon News Personalities on Twitter:Follow @SteveBertrand Follow @kpowell720 […]

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) joins Steve Bertrand on Chicago's Afternoon News to discuss the first in-person Chicago City Council meeting in over a year, changes coming to CPD’s foot pursuit rules, whether-or-not the Chicago Community Bond Fund should have paid for Ruben Roman’s bail in connection to the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old, and the pace of […]

Latino community leaders and lawyers are asking the Department of Justice to investigate the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. Meanwhile, Ruben Roman, 21, who was with Toledo the night of the shooting and was charged with firing his gun before police arrived, has been released on bond. His bail was paid for by the non-profit Chicago Community Bond Fund. Reset checks in with a criminal defense lawyer and a courts reporter for the latest in the case. For more Reset interviews, subscribe to this podcast. And please give us a rating, it helps other listeners find us. For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset

Sharlyn Grace, Executive Director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, tells WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore that too many people…most of them Black and Brown...are in jail simply because they cannot afford to make bail while their cases are decided. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this bonus episode, we're partnering with our good friends over at the Chicago Community Bond Fund to share a collage of audio from a series of virtual townhalls hosted by the Coalition to End Money Bond. Recorded this fall, the conversations explored the different imperatives for ending money bail, and connected elected representatives with lawyers, organizers, and advocates who are leading the fight. SHOW NOTES Plug into the fight at http://endmoneybond.org Send a letter to you legislator in support of the Pretrial Fairness Act: bit.ly/pretrialfairnessletter Watch all three townhalls at the Coalition's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/endmoneybond/videos/ Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/

The American criminal justice system is based on the idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty. But did you know that most people in jail have not been convicted of a crime? How is this happening? In Episode 1 of Season 2, host Samantha Laine Perfas explores the history of incarceration in the U.S. and the far-reaching effects of locking up millions of people. With guests: criminal law professor Alexandra Natapoff, sociologist Bruce Western, “70 Million” podcast creator Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, and clients of the Chicago Community Bond Fund.

Owen Misterovich returns to the program to chat about his band's newest full length album, 'Flyer', which comes out on June 19. The Chicago Community Bond Fund can be found at chicagobond.org ( https://chicagobond.org/ ). My Block, My Hood, My City can be found at formyblock.org ( https://www.formyblock.org/ ).

This week, I talk to my good friend, Olivia Love, about an album she does not like, The Definition by Jon Bellion. We talk about music appropriation, problematic celebrities, and grocery store stress.I am encouraging anyone who hasn't to donate money to places like The Chicago Community Bond Fund, My Block My Hood My City, Black Visions Collective, and many many more amazing organizations. Please sign petitions to demand justice for Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor. Master list of petitions and places to donate: https://linktr.ee/NationalResourcesListLink to the Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wrAnqBK0ZabymGoc79pdG?si=Bh1zXIHvQrqQkth7dFRUjAThis is a Knaveryink podcast.

Mike Stephen discusses the need to address systemic racism in our society with Sharlyn Grace, executive director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and Aislinn Pulley, co-executive director of the Chicago Torture Justice Center and founder of the Chicago chapter of Black Lives Matter. After that we learn the Secret History of successful video game composer Michael Salvatori.  And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin explore ways to work towards racial equity in our society. The local quarantine music this week comes from DJ Taz Rashid.

Learn more about the Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/ Learn more about Black Lives Matter Chicago: https://www.blacklivesmatterchicago.com/ Learn more about the Chicago Freedom School: https://chicagofreedomschool.org/ Listen to more Black voices in the tabletop community: https://medium.com/tabletop-micdrop/pay-attention-black-voices-in-the-rpg-community-34fd75f8bad8

It's never a bad day to talk about Christen Press, but whew, the timing on this one. We sat down on Friday night to talk about a Chicago legend, goal scorer, and captain, but we also talked about what is happening in America right now, the intersectionality of sports and life, and how important it is to support the black community every day in both. This is the second to last topic in our Days of Red Stars Past series, but it also felt weirdly essential this week. We hope you guys enjoy. Sandra and I also made some donations this week, funded by this Patreon. We encourage you to seek out ways to support in the coming days, and throughout the rest of time. Black Lives Matter Chicago: https://www.blacklivesmatterchicago.com/ Brave Space Alliance: https://www.bravespacealliance.org/ Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation: http://www.soulinchicago.org/ Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/ Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate Columbus Freedom Fund: https://www.paypal.me/ColumbusFreedomFund Louisville Community Bail Fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/ And there are so many more. Stay safe stay angry friends

HEARTWARMING: This Chicago police officer just took a knee to motorboat our fucking tits! The girls are back with the man we bring onto our CLOSED SET for "serious episodes," Will Okay! (@okaychicago) This week, we discuss the state of the American race war, and interrogate its most pressing questions: Now that Trump has instilled Jaida Essence Law, how do we organize a legislative long-term plan for police abolition? How has #MeToo ruined the American idea of meaningful protest? And perhaps most importantly-- when will Uber Eats be open past 8PM again???? We attempt to talk about Grindr's removal of the ethnicity filter, but we got too drunk on White Claws and alcoholic freeze pops and end up talking about our childhoods. What it gave, officer?Follow the girls & company on Twitter @VLRTUALBOY, @YOURE2BASIC and @OKAYCHICAGO.Donate to up to 55 community bail funds here! (Sometimes links do not work from the podcast description body-- this link is available in Nick's Twitter bio @VLRTUALBOY as well!)The Thot Topics Foundation has donated to the LGBTQ Freedom Fund and the Chicago Community Bond Fund. We recommend donating to your local community bail fund, or to a protest hotspot most meaningful to you if your area is not currently holding protests that have endured police violence. We'll kiss u thru the pod if u do!!For further reading on police abolition and possible long-term legislative goals, we recommend reading Alex Vitale's "The End of Policing," available for free on the Verso Books website. Angela Davis's "Are Prisons Obsolete?" is also available for free online. The ladies encourage you to do your own research and consider what policies you will unequivocally demand from your elected officials when the social media storm eventually dies down. Love you, mean it, ACAB, Black Lives Matter!

This week, I talk to my good friend, Laurel Martinez, about the album Shaman by Santana. We talk about the current civil unrest, why people hate New Jersey, and she comes out as a Nickelback fan.I am encouraging anyone who hasn't to donate their time and/or money to places like The Chicago Community Bond Fund, My Block My Hood My City, The Minnesota Freedom Fund, and many many more amazing organizations. Black Lives Matter!Link to the Spotify playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4TRmQgzJSW7c2ij3RWlgrGThis is a Knaveryink podcast.

This week I called Chloe Radcliffe in New York City to talk about her (our) obsession with popping a good zit. Chloe is a writer for the Tonight Show and produces a weekly YouTube show called Something Good every Tuesday at 9pm EST. Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/chloe.radcliffe/ Our live story comes from Gena Gephart (that's me!). My story catalogues the many disappointing sexual experiences I have had while on vacation. Over a thousand people were arrested this Saturday at the Black Lives Matter protests in downtown Chicago. If you'd like to donate to help these protestors (and others) with bail consider making a donation to the Chicago Community Bond Fund at https://chicagobond.org/ The Ladylike Podcast is produced by Gena Gephart: https://www.instagram.com/genagephart Theme song is Type of Wound by Natalie Grace Alford: https://nataliegracealford1.bandcamp.com Follow Ladylike: https://www.facebook.com/ladylikechicago https://www.instagram.com/ladylikechicago https://twitter.com/ladylikechicago Contact us: ladylikechicago@gmail.com

On May 31, 2020, Chicago and its surrounding communities shut down their public transit systems entirely in an unprecedented move to suppress Black Lives Matter protesters' free right to assemble. In this unscheduled, emergency episode we talk about what happened, why the city did it, and how you can continue to protest despite attempts made to break solidarity.Intro to this episode is the poem “Look How They Treat Us” by Saul WilliamsWhere Financial Aid is needed:Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/Reclaim The Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/homeMy Block, My Hood, My City: https://www.formyblock.org/NAARP (National Alliance Against Racism & Political Repression): https://naarpr.org/

In which I tell stories from past jobs I've had. On a more important note, I hope that people like me remember that this week is not the only time they will raise their voices for others. I hope that we remember that this is an ongoing issue every day, and it has been ongoing for a LONG TIME. Most acts of racism and prejudice are not documented, and we need to remember this fact. White people, we need to do more than we have been, and if you didn’t realize that before, I hope that this movement has taught you to reconsider. Feel free to correct me if anything I said in the podcast needs correcting. IG post with protesting info: https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0MNHTDKXP/ DONATE: National Bail Out: http://nationalbailout.org/Louisville Community Bail Fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund Chicago Community Bond Fund: https://chicagobond.org/donate/ Brooklyn Community Bail Fund: https://brooklynbailfund.org/ Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019 READ: The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics by Laura BriggsWhy I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge“The White Space” by Elijah Anderson“In Defense of Looting” by Vicky Osterweil

This is South Side Weekly People's Radio. Each week, we'll post audio submissions we get from you. For more information on how to submit to the South Side Weekly People's Media initiative, visit www.southsideweekly.com/peoples-media or dial 331-308-0773. This week's episode includes interviews from detainees at Cook County Jail, recorded on April 6 and April 7. Maira Khwaja of the Invisible Institute has been in touch with a detainee at Cook County who passed the phone around to several other detainees so they could share their stories with us. All of the inmates in this episode are being housed in the Residential Treatment Unit in Division 8, which means they each have medical conditions that require routine ongoing treatment that they aren't currently receiving. We don’t know their real names and can’t fact-check their backstories. They’ve used pseudonyms here to protect against retaliation from the jail. "Michael Scott" at 1:32 "Ezell Parker" at 4:00 "Kingston" at 5:35 "Mike" at 6:58 "Marcus Anderson" at 9:00 "Earl" at 12:57 On April 7, there was a car caravan protest to demand the mass release of detainees from Cook County Jail. At the end of this episode, we included a voicemail submission we got from Matthew Nicolas, who attended that caravan. Here's a list of groups that organized the caravan: A Just Harvest, All of Us Or None Chicago, American Friends Service Committee, Assata’s Daughters, Believers Bail Out, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Chicago Community Bond Fund, Circles & Ciphers, Community Renewal Society, Equity and Transformation (EAT), Liberation Library, Love & Protect, Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), The People’s Lobby, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), South Side Workers Center, Trinity United Church of Christ – Chicago, Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois, Westside Justice Center, Women’s Justice Institute and Parole Illinois. This episode was produced by Erisa Apantaku and Maira Khwaja. The bumper at the beginning was produced by Jed Lickerman. For more news, visit www.southsideweekly.com.

From the isolation of our homes, AirGo is presenting a series called On the Line, which focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and the people putting their bodies on the line to help us all survive and heal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be hopping on the line with workers in the health care, educational, governmental, organizing, and prison abolition spheres to talk about what their work looks like right now, and what we can do to help as we isolate our physical bodies at home. This episode's guest is Sharlyn Grace, who is a cofounder and the Executive Director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund. She talks about the front lines work CCBF is doing to protect and free the 4500+ people currently held in Cook County Jail, where the COVID infection rate is 40 times that of the rest of Chicago, and shares how y'all can contribute to their current call-in campaign. Participate in the call-in here: https://chicagobond.org/call-in/ Recorded 4/6/20 in Chicago Music from this week's show: On the Line - Isaiah Rashad

If we want a just and humane world, we must create one in which apparatuses of oppression are no longer considered reasonable. This week on For The Wild, we are joined by Mariame Kaba for an expansive conversation on Transformative Justice, community accountability, criminalization of survivors, and freedom on the horizon. Mariame addresses punishment as an issue of directionality while reminding us why it is vital to have the prison abolition movement in conversation with the movement for climate and environmental justice. When we engage with these issues and shape our actions out of a commitment to removing violence at its core, we are working to transform our world beyond recognition into something teeming with possibility, beauty, and life.  Mariame Kaba is an organizer, educator and curator who is active in movements for racial, gender, and transformative justice. She is the founder and director of Project NIA, a grassroots organization with a vision to end youth incarceration. She has co-founded multiple organizations and projects over the years including We Charge Genocide, the Chicago Freedom School, the Chicago Taskforce on Violence against Girls and Young Women, Love and Protect and most recently Survived and Punished. As a Researcher in Residence at the Barnard Center for Research on Women (BCRW), Mariame Kaba works with Andrea J. Ritchie, fellow Researcher in Residence, on a new Social Justice Institute (SJI) initiative, Interrupting Criminalization: Research in Action. Mariame is on the advisory boards of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, Critical Resistance and the Chicago Community Bond Fund. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including The Nation Magazine, The Guardian, The Washington Post, In These Times, Teen Vogue, The New Inquiry and more. She runs Prison Culture blog. Mariame’s work has been recognized with several honors and awards. Music by Wyclef Jean, Jason Marsalis and Irvin Mayfield

Proving this show contains multitudes and occasionally our guests delve into ~~cUlTuRe~~, the hilarious and generous writer, producer and comedian Patrick Gill shares stories of building a better relationship with your body from ballerina Maria Tallchief and falling in love with the world of Pedro Almodóvar. Topics include: Raccoons vs. opossums, our relationships with our bodies, the importance of The Firebird, Surya Bonaly (again), grand movie palaces, the loneliness and observance of gay childhood, where to start on your Pedro Almodóvar journey, the best shea butter in Chicago and more. Patrick can be found on Instagram at @patrickfishpart, or you can go see his Second City Show (@bummerfunny), We Have Questions, with the next date here: https://www.facebook.com/events/650667565344881/ Visit Sesame the Opossum's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/itsmesesame/?hl=en Donate to the Chicago Community Bond Fund here: https://chicagobond.org/ Support the wonderful work of Itunuoluwa Ebijimi and Petty Butter here: https://www.itunuoluwaebijimi.com/about You can find I'll Be There For You on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We release new episodes every other Sunday to help you beat those Sunday scaries. Please tell your friends, subscribe, give us those sweet reviews! If you have questions, feedback or want to be a guest, you can reach us on most social platforms at @IBTFYPod or illbethereforyoupod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening, you tiny Joan Didions.

Throughout Illinois and across our country, many people are held in jail awaiting trial simply because they are unable to afford the cash bond for their release. The use of these cash bonds also increases racial disparities in the criminal system, as those detained pretrial are more likely to be convicted and receive longer sentences. In this episode, we are joined by Lavette Mayes - who was separated from her children, lost her small business, and spent 14 months in jail because she couldn't post bail - and who was featured in an ACLU animated short that illustrated her story. We are also joined by Sharlyn Grace, Executive Director of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, to discuss how we can reform this harmful system.

GUESTS Tia Haywood, born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, is the Managing Attorney and Solo-Practitioner of Haywood Monte Law Offices and consultant to Shiller Preyar Law Offices mainly specializing in immigration, civil rights, and criminal defense. She graduated from Howard University (undergraduate), Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and Comillas Pontificia Universidad (Masters of Law). Tia has volunteered with Centro Sin Fronteras as a Lead Attorney, First Defense Legal Aid, Chicago Community Bond Fund, and countless other groups. Jesús Vargas, raised on the Northwest side of Chicago, is a 21-year-old paralegal at Haywood Monte Law Offices, who has previously volunteered with ALSO (Alliance of Local Service Organizations) and CeaseFire. From a young age, he was active in the community, attending and participating in numerous marches and protests dealing with criminal justice reform and immigration. OVERVIEW The American political climate has been largely and saliently polarized with the Trump administration’s legal decisions and executive orders while Chicago has also been highly visible for legal controversy in the Jason Van Dyke trial and the proceedings and activism surrounding it. Tia and Jesús help BrownTown better understand the ins and outs of the criminal justice system and immigration law through their roles in the very legal institutions that govern us. They start by discussing the Coalition to Dump Matt Coghlan, a campaign that successfully unseated the problematic Cook County judge in November 2018 (see SoapBox Dump Coghlan PSA). Tia and Jesús harp on the importance of court watching and attending public meetings to gather first-hand information about criminal justice operatives (lawyers, judges, etc.) and elected officials that continuously make real decisions that effect so many lives. Tia dives into the world of immigration law and immigration rights, making it known that immigration courts are all too similar to criminal courts yet without certain protections. As the group dives into the particulars of systematic procedures, BrownTown and Jesús discuss how dominant, problematic narratives sway how criminal justice operatives can and will apply laws and precedents selectively (see Brock Turner vs. Meek Mill). In regards to the unpoliticized or those, at-the-moment, unscathed by problematic laws and/or enforcement of such, Tia eludes that these forces don’t effect you…until they effect you, adding that by the time you need support and resources for a situation you never thought you would be in, it’s too late to act (see “First They Came” poem). The gang digresses into the Jason Van Dyke trial and the other developments surrounding it: Kwame Raoul’s review of the sentencing, the Chicago Police Department code of silence case, and, of course, #NoCopAcademy. Considering it all, BrownTown grapples with what true justice for Laquan McDonald looks like in practice and in policy. Beyond the bureaucracy itself, through personal narratives and stories of both the most and least marginalized, how do we use law and bureaucratic institutions to challenge the root causes of systemic issues? With a broken and complicated system, how do we not only imagine a different world but practically work towards it? Here’s BrownTown's take. Read related SoapBox article "Chicago at a Crossroads" -- Visit Tia and Jesús at the Haywood Monte Law Offices at the Westside Justice Center! -- CREDITS: Intro/outro song Winter in America by Gil Scott Heron. Audio engineered by Genta Tamashiro. -- Bourbon ’n BrownTown Site | Become a Patron on Patreon! SoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3 Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

GUEST Mel Phillips was born and raised in the Carolinas and is a newly certified part-time yoga instructor and full-time devotee to the restaurant industry. She graduated from East Carolina University in 2014 with a Bachelors in Communication and a Bachelors in Merchandising. Mel escaped the South after graduation and moved to Chicago. She spends the majority of her “free” time teaching yoga for special communities and organizations like I Grow Chicago in Englewood and Yoga for Recovery, an organization that brings the practice of yoga and mindfulness to women in Cook County Corrections. Mel has specialty training in trauma-informed yoga and actively pursues bringing mind and body practice to those with limited access. When she isn’t running reservation systems for restaurants or teaching seven-year olds crow pose, she is sitting at home cuddling her hairless cat @sophiathesphynx.
 OVERVIEW Mel, a collaborator with SoapBox’s ongoing Fitness Against Fascism series, brings her trauma-informed yoga experience to the discussion around holistic health, access to wellness care, and the ways in which we challenge systems of oppression in seemingly apolitical industries. What does equity and liberation look like in the allied health continuum? Together, using Fitness Against Fascism as model, we extrapolate the connections between social justice and holistic health at various levels. Mel first speaks on the lack of women of color she noticed in mainstream yoga spaces and the article that changed that perception (see Black Girl in Om) as well as teaching yoga to women in pre-trail detention in Cook County Corrections. With that in mind, BrownTown discusses the different levels and roles people can take in addressing systemic inequality in fitness spaces—both meeting people where they are at and challenging more established institutions (see Trap Yoga Bae and the SoapBox article on her). The gang breakdown Chicago heat maps and critique the un-coincidental lack of access to traditional fitness spaces in the same areas that lack many social determinants of health (see Episode 7 with Jessica Puri). Mel parallels this with the popularization of “self-care” and the power and privilege aligned with the necessary yet commodified phenomenon. She and BrownTown take a step back to investigate the function capitalism has in this regarding worker productivity, paid leave, and owners valuing employees for their humanity versus their ability to sell their labor for longer, both in the US and abroad. The conversation rests on the notion that it's crucial to understand that health and wellness, like everything else in our socialized world, is not apolitical. Our destinies are connected to each other and it's imperative, now more than ever, to be vulnerable and take initiative in and outside of these spaces. Health must be radical in its analysis and holistic in its approach if we are to truly obtain equity in wellness. -- “Fitness Against Fascism" is an on-going SoapBox series of events, dialogues, and community collaborations. The first two events were workout fundraisers at CrossTown Fitness where SoapBox paired anti-oppressive, liberatory-minded high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts with yoga sessions in tandem with a community conversation about the topics of this episode. Other Chicago companies and organizations mentioned: aSweatLife, Healthy Hood, and the Chicago Community Bond Fund. Not mentioned yet relevant: Caullen on aSweatLife’s podcast #WeGotGoals Episode 68 and Episode 87. -- CREDITS: Intro music by Fiendsh. Outro song Fitness by Lizzo. Audio engineered by Genta Tamashiro. -- Bourbon ’n BrownTown Site | Become a Patron on Patreon! SoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3 Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Site | Support

For the last few months, AirGo partnered with the Real Chi newsroom at Free Spirit Media, a youth media nonprofit here in Chicago. On the final episode of their first season, the Real Chi squad talks bond reform and e-carceration with folks from the Chicago Community Bond Fund, plus a lot of other great deep dives into the news and North Lawndale community. Get on board!

Last month, the Chicago Community Bond Fund hosted City Bureau’s 58th Public Newsroom. Director of Advocacy Irene Romulo and volunteer Liz Corrado talked through Cook County’s money bond system and shared findings from a 2017 courtwatching initiative led by the Coalition to End Money Bond. Here they answer questions posed by a curious audience. Notes: As of early May, the Circuit Court of Cook County website has data about bond court from the last quarter of 2017 and first quarter of 2018. The Civic Federation proposed recommendations for the Sheriff’s Office, not legislation. Read and listen to more of South Side Weekly's coverage of bail at https://southsideweekly.com/?s=bail+reform. South Side Weekly Radio airs live on Tuesdays from 3-4pm at WHPK 88.5 FM - The Pride of the South Side - with your hosts Andrew Koski, Sam Larsen, and Olivia Obineme. The bumper at the beginning featured Chicago scholar, artist, and activist Eve Ewing and was produced by Jed Lickerman. For more news, visit www.southsideweekly.com.

In Episode 19 of Beyond Prisons, hosts Brian Sonenstein and Kim Wilson catch up with activist, writer, and educator Mariame Kaba. Mariame shares her experiences advocating on behalf of Bresha Meadows, a teenage girl who killed her abusive father and was detained while facing the possibility of trial as an adult and a lifetime of incarceration. She recount's Bresha's story and explains how activists worked to make sure the family's needs were met and help them navigate the collateral consequences of detention, including an enormous financial burden and the shame and stigma that makes people internalize their struggle. Mariame explains how children who are abused face limited options and harsh punishment for trying to escape their abusers and even harsher punishment for defending themselves. She talks about the racialized aspect of this arrangement, and how black children are dehumanized and not seen as children but as criminals in training. She discusses the work that Survived and Punished put into assembling a tool kit to help people who are victims of abuse and are criminalized for survival actions. The tool kit has information on what the group thinks works for supporting immigrant survivors, trans survivors, how to engage with the media and legal teams, how to raise money and build a base of support, and more. Their website also has interviews and videos that provide more information. Mariame reacts to a common question asked of abolitionists, which is what to do about people who have caused serious harm to others. She talks about the fear of criminals in society and the severe misperceptions among the public of who is incarcerated and what it means to be in prison. The effectiveness of prison as a tool to fight sexual violence, murder, and other serious crimes is questioned. The conversation continues with Mariame's view of abolition as a collective project that embraces people who sense there is a problem with American institutions and are interested in figuring out what to do about it. She explains what she means when she says hope is a discipline, not an emotion or sense of optimism, and how this informs her organizing. Self care is examined as a community project. Finally, Mariame shares what books are on her shelf and what she's reading right now. Mariame Kaba is an organizer, educator, and curator. Her work focuses on ending violence, dismantling the prison industrial complex, transformative justice, and supporting youth leadership development. She is the founder and director of Project NIA, a grassroots organization with a vision to end youth incarceration. She was a member of the editorial board for Violence Against Women: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal from January 2003 to December 2008. She was a founding advisory board member of the Chicago Community Bond Fund and she's a member of the Critical Resistance community advisory board. Kaba currently organizes with the Survived and Punished collective and, in addition to organizing and serving many other organizations, she is an educator and also runs the blog Prison Culture. Follow Mariame Kaba on Twitter: @prisonculture Support our show and join us on Patreon. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Sign up for the Beyond Prisons newsletter to receive updates on new episodes, important news and events, and more. Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein @jaybeware Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware

Matt McLoughlin has done it before. The Philly native is an activist and accomplice in the best sense of the word–from the streets of Occupy, to the transformative lot of Freedom Square, to the courtrooms and offices of his current work with the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Matt's open-eyed commitment and love shines through. He comes on the show to talk about the campaign to end cash bond in Illinois, and more.  Recorded live 9/14/17 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: Warmth Forever - ABSRDST Tell Me - Dru Hill

Activist Susan Burton tells the story of her inspiring journey from prison to the forefront of the movement for incarcerated women. Sociologist Michaela Soyer talks about recidivism in the juvenile legal system. Sharlyn Grace of the Chicago Community Bond Fund describes the problems of the bail bond system.   Open Stacks is the official podcast of the Seminary Co-operative Bookstores. This episode was produced by Kit Brennen and Imani Jackson. Music by Jeff Deutsch and Colin McDonald.

In episode 6 of Beyond Prisons, Brian Sonenstein and Kim Wilson speak with Maya Schenwar about her book, "Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better."  Maya discusses her experience living a "dual reality" as a journalist covering incarceration and as someone with a sibling who has been incarcerated multiple times while struggling with addiction. She shares her thoughts on the detachment common among journalists who cover the justice system and how their relationships with law enforcement are accepted as standard. "The view from nowhere is a view from power," she said. She also talks about the importance of pen-palling with incarcerated people and how it has shaped her work and knowledge of the issue.  We talk about the struggles facing incarcerated mothers and pregnant women—from the various ways they are forced into the prison system to their experiences finding basic, humane medical treatment behind bars and the harm of separating families. In this emotional interview, we hear from Maya about her sister's struggle and how her family has been impacted by this experience. If you have read the book, you'll want to tune in because Maya shares what has happened since it was published. "When you break up particularly a mother and her newborn child, you are saying this person should not be reconnected with society, this person should be isolated, and separated, and shamed, and disposed of," Maya said.  Finally, she tells us what abolition means to her. Maya is the Editor-in-Chief of Truthout and the co-editor of "Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States." She has written about the prison-industrial complex for Truthout, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, Salon, Ms. Magazine, and others. Maya lives in Chicago and organizes with Love & Protect and the Chicago Community Bond Fund. Get your copy of "Locked Down, Locked Out." Read Maya Schenwar's work at Truthout: ">www.truthout.org Visit Maya's personal website: mayaschenwar.com Follow Maya on Twitter: @mayaschenwar   --   Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Sign up for the Beyond Prisons newsletter to receive updates on new episodes, important news and events, and more. Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware