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STAFF PICK: The Evolution of Surveillance, from Black Codes to Social Media
Introducing the last episode in our summer “Staff Picks” series! Last fall, Carl sat down with Nicole Triplett, Envision Freedom's consultant on criminal legal strategy, to dive deep into the history and evolution of surveillance — from convict leasing and…
STAFF PICK: Let Black Kids Be Kids
While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week, our Communications Manager, Julie Mente, shares…
How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration
We interrupt our summer #StaffPick series for a special conversation with Jocelyn Simonson, professor of law, former public defender and author of the new book Radical Acts of Justice: How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration. Carl and Jocelyn explore…
STAFF PICK: Why Jailing Will Never Solve a Mental Health Crisis
While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week our Research & Advocacy, Zoë Adel…
STAFF PICK: How to Talk to Your Family & Friends About Bail Reform
While Dismantling Injustice is taking a brief summer break, the Envision Freedom staff is curating a “Staff Picks” series, where we are sharing some of our favorite episodes from this past season. This week our Director of Development, Donny Repsher,…
STAFF PICK: Dismantling the Immigration System, One Federal Budget at a Time
Hello dear listeners, we hope you are having a restful and revolutionary summer! We are coming to you with some exciting news. While we're taking a little summer hiatus before the next season starts in the fall, we will be…
STAFF PICK: Finding Your Role in the Social Change Ecosystem
Hello dear listeners, we hope you are having a restful and revolutionary summer! We are coming to you with some exciting news. While we're taking a little summer hiatus before the next season starts in the fall, we will be…
From the Stage to the Streets: Drag as Art and Activism
In our final episode for Pride, Carl is joined by Marti Gould Cummings, an acclaimed NYC drag artist, political activist, former NYC Council candidate and one of New York State's most influential LGBTQIA+ people (City & State). Together, they discuss…
Investing in Black Trans Joy for Collective Liberation
In this episode of the Dismantling Injustice podcast, Carl sits down with Gabrielle Inès Souza, the executive director of the Okra Project, to discuss the needs of Black trans New Yorkers and the profound significance of mutual aid in bridging…
Building Black, Queer, Migrant Power
Carl is joined by Rose Berry, Co-Director of the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP), to discuss the intersection of Blackness, queerness, and migration. Rose shares the importance of centering and building power within this community to create a world where all…
Why Pride Needs Abolition
We kick off our series for Pride Month with a captivating conversation with Kenyon Farrow, a writer, editor, strategist, activist and the Policy VP at Point Source Youth. Carl and Kenyon go BIG in this episode – tackling everything from…
Erase the Database: How the NYPD Gang Database Harms NY Youth
On this eye-opening episode of Dismantling Injustice, we dive into the impact of the NYPD gang database on the youth of NYC. Our special guest, Anthony Posada, Supervising Attorney at the Legal Aid Society's Community Justice Unit, reveals the inherent…
Amplifying Youth Voices in the Fight for Justice
This week on Dismantling Injustice, we talk to Aaliyah and Mike from Youth Represent, which uses a youth-driven approach to advocacy and peer education in addition to providing legal services. Prioritizing the voices of young people who have experience with…
Let Black Kids Be Kids: Confronting the Criminalization of Black Youth
We kick off our series on youth justice with Professor Kristin Henning, activist, youth defender and author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. Professor Henning explains how and why America manufactured fear of Black children, how that fear feeds…
NY State Budget: Backwards on Bail, Safety, Progress
On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, we are joined again by Zoë Adel, research & advocacy manager at Envision Freedom Fund, to update us on how New York state leaders passed a budget that includes a third round of changes to…
Budgeting to Build the City We Want
Envisionaries, we have a treat for you today! Carl sits down with NYC's Comptroller, Brad Lander, to discuss all things NYC budget. Comptroller Lander explains why providing migrants with resources helps all New Yorkers, how we get to the root…
What’s Going On with New York Bail Reform?
The New York State budget is already a week late and there's one thing holding it up – Governor Hochul's dangerous proposal to rollback bail reform for a third time. Envision Freedom's research & advocacy manager, Zoë Adel, joins the podcast…
Dismantling the Immigration System, One Federal Budget at a Time
On this week's episode of Dismantling Injustice, Envision Freedom's communication manager, Julie Mente, steps in for Carl to continue unraveling the mystery of government budgets. Julie is joined by Gabriela Viera, senior advocacy manager at Detention Watch Network. They discuss the federal…
Making Sense of Dollars & Cents
Do you hear the words “government budget” and feel lost, confused or disinterested? Marissa Martin, executive director of The Advocacy Institute, is here to help. She joins the podcast for the first episode in our series about the New York…
Finding Your Role in the Fight for Social Change
Everyone has a role to play in the fight for social change. But how can you find the role that best uses your strengths and meets the needs of the movement? Carl and author, activist and trainer Deepa Iyer discuss…
Ending the War on Drugs Ends a War on Black People
Concluding our series on Black Futures, Carl sits down with Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, to discussone of the most destructive forces in our history: the so-called War on Drugs. Kassandra explains how the “War on…
Weathering 400 Years of Racism
On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl speaks with Tosca Davis and Cedrick Smith, founders and co-CEOs of TO BE US Productions – a Black-owned production company with a mission to elevate Black stories. They discuss the physical impact of…
What Do Black Communities Envision for the Future?
During this #BlackFuturesMonth, Carl speaks to Kristin Powell-Harris, deputy director of Black Futures Lab. Kristin shares a behind-the-scenes look into the Lab’s Black Census Project — the largest survey of Black people in the U.S. in 157 years. They discuss…
This is Policing: The Murder of Tyre Nichols
While this is not what we hoped to highlight for our first episode of #BlackHistoryMonth, the death of Tyre Nichols and police violence are tragically part of Black history in America. As guest Nicole Triplett says,”This is not an aberration…
Beyond Self-Care: Collective Care to Sustain Movements
We are wrapping up our series on mental health with a conversation with Cara Page – a Black, Queer Feminist cultural memory worker, author & organizer. For the past 30+ years, she has organized at the intersections of racial, gender…
The Mental Health Needs of Migrant New Yorkers
A conversation between Carl Hamad-Lipscombe and Vianey Romero-Mendez, director of programs at Mixteca, about the need for mental health resources in immigrant communities.Vianey explains the term “immigration stress,” why mental health services are so critical for immigrant New Yorkers and…
Why Jailing will Never Solve a Mental Health Crisis
TW: Mention of suicide Access to effective and affordable mental healthcare has long been an issue in New York, recently rising to a higher profile in the wake of the pandemic and, most recently, Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed plan to…
How to Talk to your Family and Friends about Bail Reform This Holiday Season
You’re gathered around the dinner table for the holidays when a relative makes a comment about bail, jail, or public safety that doesn’t mesh with what you know. We’ve all been there. Envision Freedom is here to help! In our…
A Look Back on 2022: Wins, Losses and What Inspires Us to Keep Fighting
On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl gives us an end-of-year wrap up on 2022. This year, we fought for liberation and WON with the passage of the Stop Immigration Bond Abuse Act! Carl shares more about this exciting news…
We Take Care of Us: Mutual Aid Support for Unhoused Asylum Seekers
To wrap up our series on homelessess, Carl talks withAriadna Phillips, founder of South Bronx Mutual Aid, about supporting asylum seekers in New York. Ariadna walks us through the origins of the mutual aid group during the height of the…
Envisioning Wakanda
🚨SPOILERS AHEAD🚨 In a special episode of the Dismantling Injustice Podcast, members of the Envision Freedom team sit down to discuss Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever. We break down the movie through an abolitionist lens – from the role of…
5: A Jail(house) Is Not a Home
VOCAL-NY’s Keli Young, a civil rights campaign coordinator, and Celina Trowell, a homeless union organizer, talk with Envision Freedom about the connections between bail reform, pretrial detention, and homelessness. The cycleof destabilization created by pretrial detention and the cash bail…
A Crime to be Homeless in a Housing Crisis
Carl sits down with Jacquelyn Simone, policy director at Coalition for the Homeless, to discuss the predicted perfect storm for New York’s current housing crisis. From trespassing and loitering laws to encampment sweeps, NYC has a long history of criminalizing…
From Black Codes to Social Media: The Evolution of Surveillance
On this episode of Dismantling Injustice, Carl sits down with Nicole Triplett, senior advocacy & litigation specialist at Envision Freedom. From convict leasing and FBI watch lists to data scraping of our social media profiles, she walks us from the…
3: History & Future of Racialized Surveillance
From a growing culture of deputized surveillance, to shows like “Ring Nation,” surveillance is evolving with us. Carl speaks to Rumsha Sajid and Danny Cendejas, two deeply experienced organizers working at MediaJustice, about the historic roots of present day surveillance—colonialism…
2: Reproductive Surveillance in a Post-Roe World
Rafa Kidvai, the Repro Legal Defense Fund Director at If/When/How (and former legal fellow for Court Watch NYC!) joins Carl to talk about the intersection between reproductive justice, surveillance and criminalization. While we should be wary of new technology that…
1: The Tools and Tactics of Reproductive Surveillance
Carl and Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of STOP (Surveillance Technology Oversight Project) discuss mass surveillance, —particularly of pregnant people or people who can become pregnant— and new technology that is being leveraged to surveil more people with less…
1: Envisioning Black Life with the Envision Freedom Team
Carl is joined by Envision Freedom Fund’s Zoe Adel, Angel Parker, Nicole Triplett, and Salih Israil to discuss the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, the recent outbreak of white supremacist terrorism, and the current state of the social justice movement…
Coming Soon – Season Two of “Dismantling Injustice”
Carl provides a sneak peek at what’s to come in Season Two of “Dismantling Injustice.”
Pretrial Detention in New York
Download ReportEXECUTIVE SUMMARY Two years of bail reform in New York State has allowed thousands of people to remain at home while awaiting trial, able to keep their jobs, their housing, and access to life-affirming services such as medical and...
46: Just the Facts: Using Immigration Data To Effect Change
Carl is joined by Austin Kocher,a researcher with the Transactional Research Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), an institute at Syracuse University that uses Freedom of Information Act requests to study the federal government.They discuss TRAC’s work on federal immigration data, barriers in…
45: ICYMI: E-carceration & Surveillance – Expanding the Detention Walls
In case you missed it, here’s an IGLive conversation between Envision Freedom’s Mustafa Jamale and Freedom to Thrive’sAje Amaechi that aired last year. Mustafa and Ajediscuss the Break the Shackles campaign, the need to pass the Stop Immigration Bond Abuse…
44: ICYMI: We Want Dignity Not Detention for Immigrants
Envision Freedom’sTania Mattos andMustafa Jumale break down the Dignity Not Detention Act – a bill to end immigration detention in NYS. They discuss the momentum built in NewJersey for the movement, the power and sacrifice of hunger strikes, and what…
43: ICYMI: New York Can Break the Shackles
Envision Freedom’s Mustafa Jumale is joined byAmaha Kassa, Executive Director and Founder ofAfrican Communities Together. They discuss the ways private immigration bond companies harm immigrant New Yorkers and how New York State can lead the way forward through the Break…
42: ICYMI: We Want Community Safety
Envision Freedom’s Zoe Adel and Angel Parker discuss the major failings of NYC Mayor Adams’ “blueprint” for community safety and explore what solutions could make a difference.
41: NY’s State of Mind on Immigration with Tania Mattos
Carl is joined again by Tania Mattos, Envision Freedom’s Director of Advocacy & Policy to continue their conversation about immigration with a focus on what is happening locally in the NY area.
40: Biden’s Immigration Report Card with Tania Mattos
Carl is joined by Envision Freedom’s Director of Advocacy & Policy Tania Mattos to talk about where things stand with immigration on the federal level
47: Incarceration Won’t Make Us Safer with Zoe Adel
Carl and joined by Zoe Adel, Envision Freedom’s criminal legal advocacy manager to discuss NYC’s Mayor Adams public safety strategy, which is aimed at increased punishment.
38: Envisioning Freedom for 2022
Carl and Salih share which of Envision Freedom’s 2022 goals and initiatives they are most looking forward to seeing implemented in the coming months.
37: Directly Impacted Perspectives on Immigration Detention Vol. 3
A directly impacted Envision Freedom Fund Community Member sits down with an Envision Freedom Fund Freedom Fellow to discuss the real consequences of the U.S.’s unjust immigration policies and provide a deeper look into the horrible nature and impact of…
36: Directly Impacted Perspectives on Immigration Detention Vol. 2
A directly impacted Envision Freedom Fund Community Member sits down with an Envision Freedom Fund Freedom Fellow to discuss the real consequences of the U.S.’s unjust immigration policies and provide a deeper look into the horrible nature and impact of…
35: Directly Impacted Perspectives on Immigration Detention Vol. 1
A directly impacted Envision Freedom Fund Community Member sits down with an Envision Freedom Fund Freedom Fellow to discuss the real consequences of the U.S.’s unjust immigration policies and provide a deeper look into the horrible nature and impact of…
34: Seeking Asylum at U.S. Border Effectively Suspended
Carl is joined by Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG) to discuss the border crisis and the current status of the U.S.’s asylum process.
33: Families for Freedom and the Fight for Immigration Rights
Janay Cauthen, the Executive Director of Families for Freedom, joins Carl to share her personal journey as a directly impacted activist for immigration rights.
32: Freedom Fellowships & Community Engagement
Salih is joined by Envision Freedom Fund’s Community Engagement Coordinator, Anacristina Fonseca to discuss Envision Freedom’s newly established Freedom Fellowship and a series of initiatives aimed at preparing interested directly impacted community members to participate in advocacy and activism efforts.
31: Envisioning Freedom Past, Present, & Future with BCBF’s founder Peter Goldberg
Carl and Salih are joined by BCBF’s Founder, former Executive Director, and current Senior Advisor, Peter Goldberg to discuss the trajectory from BCBF’s origins to the expansion of it’s mission, theory of change, and it’s rebranding to Envision Freedom Fund.
30: Court Watch NYC Returns
Salih is joined by Envision Freedom’s Court Watch NYC Program Coordinator, Angel Parker to discuss the purpose, goals, and impact of court watching and Court Watch NYC’s return to in-person court watching.
Conditions at Rikers (convo between SI & CHL)
Salih and Carl discuss the state of affairs at Rikers’ Island, theories behind what’s driving all of the attention, and what advocates get wrong about the fight to improve conditions.
Fighting for Dignity, Not Detention with Tania Mattos, Envision Freedom’s Director of Advocacy & Policy
Tania Mattos of Envision Freedom discusses how she got into movement work and provides updates on detention closures and the Dignity Not Detention campaign.
27: A Special Announcement
Carl makes a special announcement about the future of Brooklyn Community Bail Fund.
26: The Haitian Migrant Crisis
BCBF offers a primer for listeners on the crisis facing Haitian migrants at the U.S./Mexico border and what you can do to support them.
25: Changing the Narrative Around Pretrial Detention with Julie Mente
Julie Mente, BCBF’s Communications Manager joins the podcast to discuss the current discourse around violence and “safety,” how it criminalizes our communities, and how we can push back against these problematic narratives.
24: Parole Justice Redux
Salih and Carl discuss parole reform, why it still hasn’t passed despite promising movement this year, and Salih’s experience with parole.
23: Prison Conditions vs Abolition
Salih & Carl discuss conditions at Rikers and prisons in NYS, why we should fight to improveconditions, and how such reforms help or hurt the abolitionist cause. For more info: https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/8/1/22605140/rikers-island-horrible-conditions-jail-deaths
22: The Moremi Initiative’s Quest for Decarceration
Salih talks with Senora Bolarinwa, Founder/Director of the Moremi Initiative, about her decarceration work and commitment to liberating those with convictions based solely on the testimony of “junk science” expert witnesses and her quest to reduce the harmful effects of…
21: A New Vision for BCBF
Salih and Carl, BCBF’s newly appointed Executive Director, discuss Carl’s vision for the organization and hint at more changes looming on the horizon.
20: Reflections on BCBF’s 2020 Regrant Project to Support Black-Led Social Change
Carl and Salih reflect on BCBF’s $2.3 million regrant initiative to support Black-Led Social Change, which was launched during the uprisings and protests in response to George Floyd’s murder.
19: Looking back at Bail Reform with Michael Rempel, Director of Jail Reform at Center for Court Innovation
Carl is joined by Michael Rempel, Director of Jail Reform at Center for Court Innovation, to discuss the impact of the bail reform laws passed in 2019.
18: Immigration Policy Updates with Mustafa Jumale, BCBF’s Immigration Policy Manager
Carl is joined by Mustafa Jumale, BCBF’s Immigration Policy Manager, for an update on the implementation and impact of the Biden Administration’s immigration policies.
617: Pride Month Spotlight 6: Tonya Noel and Chris Walker Co-Founders of Flower City Noir Collective
Salih is joined by Tonya Noel and Chis Walker, Co-Founder/Program Director and Co-Founder/Executive Director of Flower City Noir Collective to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle…
17: Pride Month Spotlight 5: Jennifer Love Williams, Abolitionist and Activist with Black and Pink NYC
Salih is joined by Jennifer Love Williams, Abolitionist and Activist with Black and Pink NYC, to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle for Black Lives in…
17: Pride Month Spotlight 4: Bugz Gutta, Founder/Executive Director of The Pynk Institute
Salih is joined by Bugz Gutta, Founder/Executive Director of The Pynk Institute, to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle for Black Lives in the wake of…
17: Pride Month Spotlight 3: Legacee, Founder/Executive Director of Black Leaders on Our Mission (B.L.O.O.M.)
Salih is joined by Legacee, Founder/Executive Director of Black Leaders on Our Mission (B.L.O.O.M.), to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle for Black Lives in the…
17: Pride Month Spotlight 2: SX Noir, President of Women of Sex Tech
Salih is joined by SX Noir, President of Women of Sex Tech, to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle for Black Lives in the wake of…
17: Pride Month Spotlight 1: Mother LaTravious, co-founder/Executive Director of Brooklyn Ghost Project Inc.
Salih is joined by Mother LaTravious, co-founder/Executive Director of Brooklyn Ghost Project Inc., to discuss the impact/presence of Black voices within the fight for justice and equality for the LGBTQ+ and the broader struggle for Black Lives in the wake…
17: What Role Should Corporations Play Supporting Social Justice Movement?
Carl and Salih discuss the role corporations should play supporting the social justice movement.
16: Reclaiming the Mantle with Kenia, BCBF Community Member
Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, BCBF’s Director of Advocacy & Policy, is joined by BCBF’s Post Release Manager, Emily Shechtman, and directly impacted BCBF community member Kenia, who shares her experience migrating to the U.S
15: Winning a People’s Stimulus in NY with Anu Joshi, New York Immigration Coalition
We have a conversation with Anu Joshi, Vice President of Policy at New York Immigration Coalition, about New York State’s $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund, which provides cash assistance to workers ineligible for unemployment assistance or Federal COVID-related income relief.
14: COVID-19 and its Aftermath with Salih and Carl
Carl and Salih discuss the impact of COVID-19 and its aftermath with a focus on the conditions it has created for incarcerated people.
13: The Power of the Prosecutor with Zoe Adel, Brooklyn Community Bail Fund
With NYC’s Manhattan DA election quickly approaching, BCBF’S Carl Hamad-Lipscombe and Zoë Adel discuss the power of the Manhattan DA and highlight some of the issues and policies hinging on the upcoming election.
12: Breaking the Shackles with Amaha Kassa
We interview Amaha Kassa, Executive Director of African Communities Together (ACT) about New York’s Break the Shackles Campaign, the problem with predatory immigration bond companies and ACT’s work to uplift working class African immigrant communities nationwide.
11: Revolution in the Air? Not So Fast
Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, BCBF’s director of advocacy & policy, and Salih Israil, BCBF’s director of special initiatives, discuss the potential impact of several bills passed recently in N.Y., including the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, the Decriminalization of Marijuana, and the failure…
10: Police, Violence & Black Lives
Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, BCBF’s director of advocacy & policy, and Salih Israil, BCBF’s director of special initiatives, discuss the murder of Daunte Wright, Derek Chauvin’s trial, and the state of Black Lives.
9: So You Wanna Be An Organizer with Carlene Pinto of NYC Action Lab
Learn more about NYC Action Lab at www.nycactionlab.com.
8: Abolition 101 with BCBF’s Angel Parker
People do not belong in cages. BCBF’s belief that freedom is a human right has always been a guiding principle for our work. But what is abolition exactly and how do we get there? Angel Parker, coordinator of BCBF’s Court…
7: The Movement for Parole Justice with Jose Saldaña of RAPP
Every year the New York State Parole Board denies freedom to thousands of people caged in prisons, punishing them, their families and communities for years and decades beyond their minimum sentence. Jose Saldaña, the director of Release Aging People in…
6: A New Way Forward with Benita Jain of the Immigrant Defense Project
Congress is considering a group of immigration bills right now, but will they deliver a fair and just immigration system? Podcast guest Benita Jain, a supervising attorney from Immigrant Defense Project (IDP), and BCBF’s Carl Hamad-Lipscombe discuss the ways these…
5: The Invisible Victims of Immigration Enforcement with Nana Gyamfi of BAJI
Who gets left out and left behind when the racist, unjust immigration system gets reformed instead of dismantled? BCBF’s Carl Hamad-Lipscombe and Nana Gyamfi, the executive director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), discuss the deportations of hundreds of…
4: The Roadmap to Justice with Katie Schaffer of Center for Community Alternatives
The Justice Roadmap is a bold legislative agenda that can help deliver community safety for New York State and restore freedom and dignity for New Yorkers who are unjustly terrorized and targeted by the criminal legal and immigration systems. Katie…
3: Breaking Down Biden’s Immigration Agenda
A fast and furious recap of the Biden administration’s actions on immigration legislation, enforcement, and deportation. BCBF Director of Advocacy & Policy Carl Hamad-Lipscombe explains the implications for the people most vulnerable to the criminal legal and immigration systems. Learn…
2: The State of Immigrants in Detention with Rosa Santana of BCBF
Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, BCBF’s director of advocacy & policy is joined by the director of BCBF’s immigration bond program, Rosa Santana, to take a look at immigration detention from the perspective of those currently in detention.
1: Manhattan DA’s Race and the Role of Prosecutors
The Brooklyn Community Bail Fund’sdirector of advocacy & policy, Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, is joined by Zoë Adel, BCBF’s advocacy manager, and Salih Israil, BCBF’s director of special initiatives, to discuss the importanceof the upcomingManhattan DA election and the role/impact of prosecutors…