The Thread: a podcast against mass incarceration The Thread podcast against mass incarceration

EPISODE 2: July's episode of The Thread features interviews with Maya Schenwar, author, activist, and the editor-in-chief of Truthout, as well as the second part of our interview with Kinetik Justice, a leader of the Free Alabama Movement.

Maya talks extensively with Matt about how to approach prison and criminal justice reforms. They discuss the long-term vision of transformation from a system of isolation, confinement, and marginalization to a new vision for justice that would include rebuilding our communities and restructuring the economy and budgets. Maya (http://www.mayaschenwar.com/)has written for multiple publications including the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/opinion/too-many-people-in-jail-abolish-bail.html?_r=), The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/profile/maya-schenwar), and is the editor in chief for Truthout (http://www.truth-out.org/author/itemlist/user/45138). She is also the author of Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better (https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6694/t/17304/shop/item.jsp?storefront_KEY=661&t=&store_item_KEY=2906) and edited Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States (http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/Who-Do-You-Serve-Who-Do-You-Protect).

Kinetik Justice is currently incarcerated at Holman Correctional Facility, and because of his involvement with the prison strike, is being held in solitary confinement. Kinetik and Matt talk about the proposed reforms to the Alabama state prisons, the same that Maya discusses, that would have cost $800 million and vastly expanded the prison system. The prison workers went on strike in part to kill this bill, which they did on day 3 of the strike. Kinetik also shares how he became political after going to prison, his extensive legal education on the inside, and mentors and moments that influenced his political perspective.

For more information about Kinetik Justice and the Free Alabama Movement, check out their homepage. You can also read their Freedom Bill that Kinetik mentioned in his previous interview. You can also see Kinetik in the news.

If you’re interested in any of the groups that Maya mentions, follow these links:
Californians United for a Responsible Budget (http://curbprisonspending.org/)
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (http://ellabakercenter.org/)

Here are Links to articles that Maya mentioned if you’re interested in learning more:
“When Prison Reform Means Prison Expansion” (http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/35594-when-prison-reform-means-prison-expansion)
“Decades Later, Victims Of Chicago Police Torture Paid Reparations” (http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/05/462040444/decades-later-victims-of-chicago-police-torture-paid-reparations)
“The Prison System Welcomes My Newborn Niece to This World” (http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/18776-the-prison-system-welcomes-my-newborn-niece-to-this-world)

If you're interested in prison organizing, check out part 1 of our interview with Kinetik Justice in episode 1 of The Thread.

Political prisoner that trained Kinetik, Richard Mafundi Lake [http://www.cbpm.org/prlistal.html]

Theme music is from the Die Jim Crow EP, available at http://diejimcrow.com/ .

We'll keep posting relevant links to our social media, so check out our Facebook [www.facebook.com/TheThreadpodcast] or follow us on Twitter @DefeatMassInc[twitter.com/DefeatMassInc].

June's episode of The Thread features interviews with Kinetik Justice, the leader of the Free Alabama Movement and the recent Alabama prison strike, and Cheri Honkala, the founder of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and former Vice Presidential candidate.

Kinetik Justice is currently incarcerated at Holman Correctional Facility [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holman_Correctional_Facility], and because of his involvement with the prison strike, is being held in solitary confinement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odcsxUbVyZA]. Kinetik gives an incredibly detailed look at how they went about organizing the prison strike, the networks created within the State prison system, and the reasons for their strike. They also talk about the predecessors to the strike and what led to the current organizing. For more information about Kinetik Justice and the Free Alabama Movement, check out their homepage [https://freealabamamovement.wordpress.com/]. You can also read their Freedom Bill that Kinetik mentioned in his interview [http://freealabamamovement.com/A%20BILL%20PRESENTED%20BY%20FREE%20ALABAMA%20MOVEMENT%20TITLED.pdf]. You can also read about Kinetik in the news [http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/13/alabama_prison_strike_organizer_speaks_from].

If you're interested in any of the other movements Kinetik mentioned, follow these links:
Free Mississippi Movement United [https://www.facebook.com/Free-Mississippi-Movement-United-485474431606022/]
Free Ohio Movement [http://freeohiomovement.org/]
Free Virginia Movement [https://iwoc.noblogs.org/post/2016/02/16/free-virginia-movement-declaration/]
New Underground Railroad Movement [https://newundergroundrailroadmovement.wordpress.com/]
Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People's Movement [https://ficpmovement.wordpress.com/about/ficpm-national-platform/]
The Ordinary People Society [http://www.wearetops.org/]

If you're interested in prison organizing, follow these links:
For prison organizing all over the country: IWOC [https://iwoc.noblogs.org/]
For prison organizing in Denver, Chicago, WI, GA: Anarchist Black Cross [https://denverabc.wordpress.com/prisoners-dabc-supports/]
For prison organizing in TN: Black Autonomy Federation [http://blackautonomyfederation.blogspot.com/]

Cheri Honkala continues to fight for the rights of people living in poverty across the nation. You can see more of the work she does on the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign homepage [http://economichumanrights.org/]. Cheri talks with Matt about the history of her involvement with anti-poverty work, her methods and model of organizing, how money and fundraising influences grassroots organizations, and how to use electoral politics alongside movement work. Cheri has been on Front Line USA's danger list for her work as a human rights activist. You can read about Front Line's work with Cheri and other human rights defenders, click here [https://law2.arizona.edu/iplp/outreach/shoshone/documents/Appendix4Frontliners.pdf].
Cheri and her running mate in the 2012 election, Jill Stein, are currently suing the Commission on Presidential debates. If you want to read more about their arrest, click here [http://www.democracynow.org/2012/10/17/green_partys_jill_stein_cheri_honkala]. If you want to read more about her lawsuit, click here [http://www.jill2016.com/presidential_debates].

If you're interested in The March For Our Lives taking place on July 25th at the Democratic National Convention, follow these links:
The March For Our Lives [https://march4ourlives2016.org/]
Green Party Endorsement [http://www.gp.org/green_party_endorses_march_for_our_lives_in_philadelphia_on_july_25_during_the_democratic_convention]

We'll keep posting relevant links to our social media, so check out our Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheThreadpodcast] or follow us on Twitter @DefeatMassInc [https://twitter.com/DefeatMassInc].