The Loop

Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
  • 4.7 (29)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • BIWEEKLY SERIES

In this all-New York season, Ear Hustle embeds with two innovative programs aimed at kids and young people caught up in the criminal justice system. In the first five episodes of the season, we bring listeners into the Crossroads Youth Detention Facility in Brooklyn, where a program called Drama Club teaches improvisational theater techniques as a way to build connection and conflict-resolution skills. Nigel and Earlonne spent a year at Crossroads, following a cohort of Drama Club participants and graduates. For the final episode of the season, we take the train uptown to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Twice a month, the museum closes its doors to the public, and opens them to a select group of parents and their children. Moms and dads, bussed over from Riker’s Island in chains, are uncuffed upon arrival at the museum. Wearing regular, non-prison clothes, they’re reunited with their kids for a rare, emotional, and often bittersweet visit outside prison walls. Join us this fall as Ear Hustle takes on its first project outside the world of adult incarceration, chronicling the lives of young people involved, one way or another, in New York’s criminal justice system as they navigate growing up, dreaming big, and trying to stay out of the loop.

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  1. The Loop Ep. 1: The Five Rules of Drama Club

    EPISODE 1

    The Loop Ep. 1: The Five Rules of Drama Club

    In the first episode of Ear Hustle’s all-new, all-New-York series, Nigel and Earlonne head to Brooklyn to hang out with incarcerated kids and staff at the Crossroads Juvenile Center.  For Earlonne, it’s a trip down memory lane. For Nigel, it’s a crash course in interviewing teenagers. For listeners, it’s a window into the world of incarcerated young people and an innovative program called Drama Club.  This is the first episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank: Joanne Smith-Darden, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professor in Children's Services, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; Heather McCauley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; and Adam Brown, Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York, for their tremendous support of this project.  Big thanks, too, to the Drama Club team — including Josie Whittlesey, Cesar Rosado, Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz, Abby Pierce, Sophie Jones, and Ashley Adams. You can find out more about their work here.  And thanks to Nancy Ginsberg, Aylese Kanze, and Commissioner Danhauser at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for saying “yes” to this project.  As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    1h 2m
  2. The Loop Ep. 2: Who What Where

    EPISODE 2

    The Loop Ep. 2: Who What Where

    Nigel and Earlonne get a peek inside one of Crossroad’s residential halls, and hear from kids and staff about what it’s like to live and work here. Along the way, they cause some drama of their own.  This is the second episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank: Joanne Smith-Darden, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professor in Children's Services, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; Heather McCauley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; and Adam Brown, Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York, for their tremendous support of this project.  Big thanks, too, to the Drama Club team — including Josie Whittlesey, Cesar Rosado, Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz, Abby Pierce, Sophie Jones, and Ashley Adams. You can find out more about their work here.  And thanks to Nancy Ginsberg, Aylese Kanze, and Commissioner Danhauser at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for saying “yes” to this project.  As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    49 min
  3. The Loop Ep. 3: No Violence

    EPISODE 3

    The Loop Ep. 3: No Violence

    At Crossroads, just three little letters — SMD — can spark some very big drama. This episode is all about conflict: watching it, responding to it, and getting it started. Keys fly, milk is thrown, and insults are hurled, while adults and kids figure out how to deal with it and keep the peace. This is the third episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank: Joanne Smith-Darden, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professor in Children's Services, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; Heather McCauley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; and Adam Brown, Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York, for their tremendous support of this project.  Big thanks, too, to the Drama Club team — including Josie Whittlesey, Cesar Rosado, Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz, Abby Pierce, Sophie Jones, and Ashley Adams. You can find out more about their work here. And thanks to Nancy Ginsberg, Aylese Kanze, and Commissioner Danhauser at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for saying “yes” to this project. As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    47 min
  4. The Loop Ep. 4: Where’s the Conflict?

    EPISODE 4

    The Loop Ep. 4: Where’s the Conflict?

    Boys at Crossroads outnumber girls 10 to one, but if you ask staff about who’s harder to work with, it’s the girls, hands down. To find out for ourselves and learn more about life on the girls’ hall, we follow two sisters who have cycled in and out of New York’s juvenile justice system.  This is the fourth episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank: Joanne Smith-Darden, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professor in Children's Services, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; Heather McCauley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; and Adam Brown, Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York, for their tremendous support of this project.  Big thanks, too, to the Drama Club team — including Josie Whittlesey, Cesar Rosado, Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz, Abby Pierce, Sophie Jones, and Ashley Adams. You can find out more about their work here. And thanks to Nancy Ginsberg, Aylese Kanze, and Commissioner Danhauser at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for saying “yes” to this project. As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    47 min
  5. The Loop Ep. 5: Yes, And ...

    EPISODE 5

    The Loop Ep. 5: Yes, And ...

    Kaysha is in her early 20s: low on resources, but big on dreams. Sometimes, those dreams feel tantalizingly close to reality; other times, she's pulled back into a life she badly wants to leave behind. We follow Kaysha for a year and a half as she tries to break out of the loop.  This is the fifth episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank: Joanne Smith-Darden, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professor in Children's Services, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; Heather McCauley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Michigan State University and Co-Director, SPARK Lab; and Adam Brown, Associate Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York, for their tremendous support of this project.  Big thanks, too, to the Drama Club team — including Josie Whittlesey, Cesar Rosado, Tiffany “Tiny” Cruz, Abby Pierce, Sophie Jones, and Ashley Adams. You can find out more about their work here. And thanks to Nancy Ginsberg, Aylese Kanze, and Commissioner Danhauser at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for saying “yes” to this project. As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work. Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    22 min
  6. The Loop Ep. 6: Make Your Partner Look Good

    EPISODE 6

    The Loop Ep. 6: Make Your Partner Look Good

    For the final episode of our all-NYC series, we take the train uptown to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, where a group of incarcerated dads from Rikers Island are playing games, eating lunch, and doing arts and crafts with their kids.  This is the sixth episode of “The Loop,” Ear Hustle’s six-part series about kids in New York City who are caught up, one way or another, in the criminal justice system.  Ear Hustle would like to thank Leslie Bushara, Chief Program Officer; and Dava Schub, Chief Executive Officer and Museum Director at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan; as well as the following people at New York City Department of Correction: Patrick Gallahue, Deputy Commissioner of Public Information; Annais Morales, Press Secretary; Latima Johnson, Press Officer; Anne Penson, Executive Director of Reintegration Services; Douglas Shore, Director of Reintegration Services; Jessica Medard, Executive Director of Facility Programs (RNDC); and Betty Melecio, Executive Director of Facility Programs (OBCC).  As always, thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institution for Women; and Warden De La Cruz and Lt. Williams at the Central California Women’s Facility for their support of our work. Tickets are now on sale for our upcoming live shows in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles! Get them before they're gone, at earhustlesq.com/tour.  Support our team and get even more Ear Hustle by subscribing to Ear Hustle Plus today. Sign up at earhustlesq.com/plus or directly in Apple Podcasts.  Ear Hustle is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX.

    59 min
See All Season 16 (6)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

In this all-New York season, Ear Hustle embeds with two innovative programs aimed at kids and young people caught up in the criminal justice system. In the first five episodes of the season, we bring listeners into the Crossroads Youth Detention Facility in Brooklyn, where a program called Drama Club teaches improvisational theater techniques as a way to build connection and conflict-resolution skills. Nigel and Earlonne spent a year at Crossroads, following a cohort of Drama Club participants and graduates. For the final episode of the season, we take the train uptown to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Twice a month, the museum closes its doors to the public, and opens them to a select group of parents and their children. Moms and dads, bussed over from Riker’s Island in chains, are uncuffed upon arrival at the museum. Wearing regular, non-prison clothes, they’re reunited with their kids for a rare, emotional, and often bittersweet visit outside prison walls. Join us this fall as Ear Hustle takes on its first project outside the world of adult incarceration, chronicling the lives of young people involved, one way or another, in New York’s criminal justice system as they navigate growing up, dreaming big, and trying to stay out of the loop.

Information

  • Creator
    Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
  • Episodes
    7
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Loop

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