NYT w/ in-depth look at how people—they call them “inmates”—hurt each other in Alabama’s prisons bc of cellphones. Make only passing reference to conditions that lead to desperation. Give corrections the floor to suggest answer is *vastly more money to prisons & officer salary.*
Less than 2 months ago, the NYT wrote on a scathing report from *Trump’s DOJ* about horrific “atrocities” in Alabama’s prisons overseen by the same corrections head the NYT let spin tonight on the need for greater investment in “rehabilitation.” nytimes.com/2020/07/24/us/…
A man “who died had intracranial bleeding, nose & eye socket fractures & six teeth knocked out. Corrections officers who had brutalized him said he fell from a bunk bed.” But tonight the NYT gives Alamaba prisons space to sell the need for higher salaries for officers.
A man in Alabama prison “defecated on himself after a guard struck him 19 times with a baton, even though he was handcuffed.” But tonight the NYT gives Alamaba prisons space in their article to sell the need for higher salaries for those same officers.
A man caged in Alabama prison “begged for a corrections officer to kill him after he was beaten with a baton while handcuffed.” But tonight the NYT spends thousands of words making those caged in these cruel & brutal houses of terror out to be the monsters.
As Danielle Sered has taught: The primary characteristics of prison—shame, isolation, economic deprivation, & violence—are the same primary drivers of violence. The NYT piece focused on cellphones. But cellphones aren’t the problem. PRISON is.
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This may be the most important post you read today.
As ICE invades American cities & commits brutal acts of violence, below is a shareable film series written *by immigrants for immigrants* on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do to help. Read on:
Protect your neighbors from ICE. Share:
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
As a public defender in Brooklyn, I spent years in courtrooms watching lives decided in minutes—with no one watching, listening, or caring. So many voices went unheard.
Trump announced today he's ending “cashless bail” in DC & threatening cities across the country. It’s all based on fear—not facts. I was a public defender for a decade. I work with orgs across the country.
Here’s what’s really true about bail, crime, & safety. 🧵
Everywhere that’s reduced pretrial jailing—even modestly—has seen the same outcome: more safety, more freedom, and massive cost savings. That’s not spin.
We know why pretrial freedom works: when people are free, they keep jobs, care for families, get meds, access housing, go to treatment. Pretrial incarceration doesn’t solve problems—it creates them.
This may be the most important post you read today.
As we see ICE escalating violence against immigrants & citizens alike, below is a shareable film series by immigration lawyers on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do. Read on:
The Constitution protects us from ICE.
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
In 2019, Governor Cuomo hired *500 more cops* to exact violence & mayhem on the subways. Here’s just one example as maskless NYPD cops pushing a man out of the subway after asking them to wear masks at the beginning of COVID.