WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.060 align:middle line:90% 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.460 align:middle line:84% Thank you everyone for being here this evening 00:00:05.460 --> 00:00:07.450 align:middle line:90% to share space with us. 00:00:07.450 --> 00:00:11.040 align:middle line:84% My name is Dr. Grace Gámez, and I'm the founder and coordinator 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:14.040 align:middle line:84% of the Reframing Justice Project at American Friends Service 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:15.300 align:middle line:90% Committee here in Tucson. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:18.630 align:middle line:84% And I thought it fitting to open our discussion tonight 00:00:18.630 --> 00:00:22.920 align:middle line:84% with a poem from Lucille Clifton, "Why Don't You 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:25.630 align:middle line:90% Celebrate With Me." 00:00:25.630 --> 00:00:28.110 align:middle line:84% "Won't you celebrate with me what I have 00:00:28.110 --> 00:00:30.720 align:middle line:90% shaped into a kind of life? 00:00:30.720 --> 00:00:32.610 align:middle line:90% I had no model. 00:00:32.610 --> 00:00:35.770 align:middle line:84% Born in Babylon, both non-white and woman, 00:00:35.770 --> 00:00:38.520 align:middle line:84% what did I see except to be myself? 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:39.930 align:middle line:90% And make it up. 00:00:39.930 --> 00:00:43.830 align:middle line:84% Here on this bridge, between star shine and clay, 00:00:43.830 --> 00:00:47.520 align:middle line:84% my one hand holding tight my other hand-- 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:52.170 align:middle line:84% come celebrate with me that every day something has tried 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:55.830 align:middle line:90% to kill me and has failed." 00:00:55.830 --> 00:00:59.220 align:middle line:84% The path from the punishment system to public leadership 00:00:59.220 --> 00:01:01.590 align:middle line:90% is neither easy nor direct. 00:01:01.590 --> 00:01:06.240 align:middle line:84% I'm from Tucson, which is a vibrant Latino community that's 00:01:06.240 --> 00:01:09.420 align:middle line:84% also under-resourced and hyper-surveilled. 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:12.720 align:middle line:84% I've observed the impact of the punishment system, 00:01:12.720 --> 00:01:16.410 align:middle line:84% and its practices as a community member. 00:01:16.410 --> 00:01:21.210 align:middle line:84% And I myself spent 13 years in Arizona's punishment system. 00:01:21.210 --> 00:01:23.880 align:middle line:84% Though I completed my term of supervision, though, 00:01:23.880 --> 00:01:27.180 align:middle line:84% I have earned advanced degrees, including a PhD in justice 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:31.080 align:middle line:84% studies, I know that the impact of a conviction history cannot 00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:33.120 align:middle line:90% be neutralized. 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.040 align:middle line:84% When we talk about collateral consequences, 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.260 align:middle line:84% we tend to do so in really narrow parameters. 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:42.120 align:middle line:84% However, for more than 70 million people in this country, 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:44.250 align:middle line:84% collateral consequences are not only 00:01:44.250 --> 00:01:48.450 align:middle line:84% those barriers to voting, housing, jobs, education, 00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:52.110 align:middle line:84% and other social services, collateral consequences 00:01:52.110 --> 00:01:57.720 align:middle line:84% mean we're never done doing time and neither are our families. 00:01:57.720 --> 00:02:00.120 align:middle line:84% I found that the true punishment lies in the way 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:03.660 align:middle line:84% that a conviction history distorts those unseen and more 00:02:03.660 --> 00:02:06.090 align:middle line:84% intimate and cherished parts of life, 00:02:06.090 --> 00:02:09.509 align:middle line:84% such as the parent-child relationship, friendships, 00:02:09.509 --> 00:02:12.150 align:middle line:84% and the way that we see ourselves. 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:15.810 align:middle line:84% I'll never forget the two women that I celled with in Estrella, 00:02:15.810 --> 00:02:18.330 align:middle line:90% Maricopa County Jail-- 00:02:18.330 --> 00:02:20.460 align:middle line:90% Rachel and Gina. 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:23.280 align:middle line:84% I learned a lot in my brief time with them, 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.010 align:middle line:84% particularly that the close quarters of a jail cell 00:02:26.010 --> 00:02:29.040 align:middle line:84% require that you live on top of one another, 00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:33.450 align:middle line:84% and that confined space held more than just our bodies. 00:02:33.450 --> 00:02:37.860 align:middle line:84% It captured the residue of lost hope and brokenness and pain, 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:41.040 align:middle line:84% and it also held our dreams of freedom and our practices 00:02:41.040 --> 00:02:42.780 align:middle line:84% for generating safety and community 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:45.840 align:middle line:90% in inhospitable terrain. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:48.390 align:middle line:84% Rachel and her boyfriend were pimps. 00:02:48.390 --> 00:02:50.310 align:middle line:84% Their relationship began when he turned her 00:02:50.310 --> 00:02:52.380 align:middle line:90% out when she was a teenager. 00:02:52.380 --> 00:02:55.080 align:middle line:84% And 20 years later, they became business partners 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.170 align:middle line:84% and she loved this rapper named Lil Jon. 00:02:58.170 --> 00:03:01.140 align:middle line:90% Anyone familiar? 00:03:01.140 --> 00:03:03.330 align:middle line:84% And her favorite song was "Get Low." 00:03:03.330 --> 00:03:05.640 align:middle line:84% And she would sing it literally from the time 00:03:05.640 --> 00:03:09.000 align:middle line:84% the lights turned all the way on till they went all the way off. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:11.340 align:middle line:84% And I can easily recall the sound of her voice 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:12.840 align:middle line:84% in her head nodding to the rhythm 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:16.470 align:middle line:84% as she sang, (SINGING) 3-6-9, standing real fine. 00:03:16.470 --> 00:03:20.730 align:middle line:84% Get low, get low, from the window to the wall. 00:03:20.730 --> 00:03:23.970 align:middle line:90% 00:03:23.970 --> 00:03:26.550 align:middle line:84% Gina was a former veterinary assistant, 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:28.980 align:middle line:84% and she was sweet, and generous, and loving. 00:03:28.980 --> 00:03:31.950 align:middle line:84% And she adored the Precious Moments characters. 00:03:31.950 --> 00:03:34.290 align:middle line:84% And after I got out, she mailed me pictures 00:03:34.290 --> 00:03:36.540 align:middle line:84% that she had drawn of them with a note that read, 00:03:36.540 --> 00:03:37.650 align:middle line:90% don't forget me. 00:03:37.650 --> 00:03:41.850 align:middle line:90% 00:03:41.850 --> 00:03:44.730 align:middle line:84% Gina, like Rachel, was a sex worker. 00:03:44.730 --> 00:03:46.410 align:middle line:84% And it was a road that she began down 00:03:46.410 --> 00:03:49.560 align:middle line:84% after becoming addicted to methamphetamines. 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.500 align:middle line:84% Both women had lost custody of their children. 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:55.800 align:middle line:90% Rachel had six, Gina had two. 00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:57.990 align:middle line:84% But despite the hard roads they traveled 00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:00.960 align:middle line:84% and the rough exteriors, talking about their children 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:04.020 align:middle line:84% softened them and brought light to their eyes 00:04:04.020 --> 00:04:06.960 align:middle line:84% as both assured me and really more themselves-- 00:04:06.960 --> 00:04:11.390 align:middle line:84% when I clean up, my babies will come home. 00:04:11.390 --> 00:04:13.190 align:middle line:84% The experience of the punishment system 00:04:13.190 --> 00:04:18.019 align:middle line:84% is felt. I felt what it was like to stop being recognized 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:21.649 align:middle line:84% as human, and I struggled to negotiate the stigma that's 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:24.050 align:middle line:84% attached to the labels that are defined or used 00:04:24.050 --> 00:04:26.930 align:middle line:90% to define who we are as people. 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:29.450 align:middle line:84% I struggled to find my place in the world. 00:04:29.450 --> 00:04:33.380 align:middle line:84% I struggled to create safety for myself and for my children. 00:04:33.380 --> 00:04:37.530 align:middle line:84% And ultimately, I decided that I would go to school, 00:04:37.530 --> 00:04:40.830 align:middle line:84% that education was going to be my way forward. 00:04:40.830 --> 00:04:44.480 align:middle line:84% And so I approached the doorstep of the academy carrying 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:49.010 align:middle line:84% all my hopes and dreams for rebuilding a way forward. 00:04:49.010 --> 00:04:52.100 align:middle line:84% I earned a master's degree in 2008. 00:04:52.100 --> 00:04:58.070 align:middle line:84% And in 2015, I graduated with my doctorate in justice studies. 00:04:58.070 --> 00:04:58.580 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:04:58.580 --> 00:05:01.989 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:05:01.989 --> 00:05:02.970 align:middle line:90% 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:05.100 align:middle line:84% And I know some people in the room will feel this, 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:10.530 align:middle line:84% I exited school with $150,000 worth of debt. 00:05:10.530 --> 00:05:14.670 align:middle line:84% And no way of paying it back, because no one in the academy 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:17.430 align:middle line:90% would hire me. 00:05:17.430 --> 00:05:20.730 align:middle line:84% I believe that this work is a vocation, 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:25.590 align:middle line:84% and I came into it not by coincidence but by consequence. 00:05:25.590 --> 00:05:27.090 align:middle line:84% I needed to create something that 00:05:27.090 --> 00:05:29.970 align:middle line:84% reflected my own experience in the punishment system. 00:05:29.970 --> 00:05:32.940 align:middle line:84% It really was the only way that I could feel free while living 00:05:32.940 --> 00:05:35.430 align:middle line:90% under conditions of unfreedom. 00:05:35.430 --> 00:05:38.010 align:middle line:84% And that imperative of creating something 00:05:38.010 --> 00:05:42.150 align:middle line:84% that reads hope and healing continues to resonate, 00:05:42.150 --> 00:05:46.930 align:middle line:84% because I made it in spite of the system, not because of it. 00:05:46.930 --> 00:05:49.770 align:middle line:84% And often the reason that people don't make it 00:05:49.770 --> 00:05:53.040 align:middle line:84% is that those intangible matters of the heart and soul 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:56.380 align:middle line:84% of healing are rarely addressed in a meaningful way 00:05:56.380 --> 00:06:00.360 align:middle line:84% should you happen to have access to re-entry programming, which 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.540 align:middle line:84% by and large tends to focus on developing some skill like how 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:07.650 align:middle line:84% to write a resume or dress for an interview, versus nourishing 00:06:07.650 --> 00:06:11.880 align:middle line:84% the heart and mind of a person, and holding them in community. 00:06:11.880 --> 00:06:16.660 align:middle line:84% We all need safety, dignity, and belonging. 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:18.840 align:middle line:84% These are human imperatives, and we 00:06:18.840 --> 00:06:21.000 align:middle line:84% exempt a large swath of our communities 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.520 align:middle line:90% from those basic necessities. 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:26.400 align:middle line:84% Successful reentry requires community, 00:06:26.400 --> 00:06:30.030 align:middle line:84% and that means that we all have a role to play in this work. 00:06:30.030 --> 00:06:32.850 align:middle line:84% Reframing justice is explicitly focused 00:06:32.850 --> 00:06:35.640 align:middle line:84% on pouring into the leadership capacity 00:06:35.640 --> 00:06:37.650 align:middle line:90% of directly impacted people-- 00:06:37.650 --> 00:06:39.570 align:middle line:84% people who are routinely excluded 00:06:39.570 --> 00:06:42.930 align:middle line:84% from meaningful opportunities to engage in policy and reform 00:06:42.930 --> 00:06:43.920 align:middle line:90% efforts. 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:46.530 align:middle line:84% And what I've learned in these years of research, 00:06:46.530 --> 00:06:50.550 align:middle line:84% the advocacy, and organizing is that those types of exclusions 00:06:50.550 --> 00:06:52.230 align:middle line:90% are myopic. 00:06:52.230 --> 00:06:54.450 align:middle line:84% People who have been system-involved 00:06:54.450 --> 00:06:57.600 align:middle line:84% are closest to the issue and are necessary to create 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:00.240 align:middle line:90% effective and meaningful change. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.430 align:middle line:84% If we consider successful movements 00:07:02.430 --> 00:07:05.880 align:middle line:84% for social political change currently or historically, 00:07:05.880 --> 00:07:08.430 align:middle line:84% people with direct experience are at the forefront 00:07:08.430 --> 00:07:10.110 align:middle line:90% in leadership roles. 00:07:10.110 --> 00:07:12.000 align:middle line:84% Can you imagine the Civil Rights movement 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.010 align:middle line:90% without people of color? 00:07:14.010 --> 00:07:18.180 align:middle line:84% Or reproductive justice movements without women? 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:20.340 align:middle line:84% Consider the power of those voices 00:07:20.340 --> 00:07:22.890 align:middle line:84% to not just raise awareness, but to affect 00:07:22.890 --> 00:07:25.890 align:middle line:84% meaningful and lasting change, and that same logic 00:07:25.890 --> 00:07:28.860 align:middle line:90% can be applied to this work. 00:07:28.860 --> 00:07:30.480 align:middle line:84% We all want a justice system that 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:34.080 align:middle line:84% produces safety and healing ideally, 00:07:34.080 --> 00:07:36.030 align:middle line:84% yet the strategies that are deployed time 00:07:36.030 --> 00:07:40.320 align:middle line:84% and again frequently do not get us to that mutual goal. 00:07:40.320 --> 00:07:42.780 align:middle line:84% Arizona is positioned as the lead incarcerator 00:07:42.780 --> 00:07:45.030 align:middle line:90% of the Western United States. 00:07:45.030 --> 00:07:48.780 align:middle line:84% We incarcerate women at twice the rate of other states. 00:07:48.780 --> 00:07:52.240 align:middle line:84% We have a recidivism rate that hovers at 50%. 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:54.330 align:middle line:84% And as these numbers grow, so does 00:07:54.330 --> 00:07:58.020 align:middle line:84% the rate of families impacted by incarceration. 00:07:58.020 --> 00:08:01.560 align:middle line:84% However, we can safely decarcerate in Arizona 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.510 align:middle line:84% by addressing policy and legislation, 00:08:04.510 --> 00:08:07.870 align:middle line:84% and by diversifying the leadership around these issues. 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:10.950 align:middle line:84% And this is the work of reframing justice. 00:08:10.950 --> 00:08:13.470 align:middle line:84% We are currently in the process of shepherding 00:08:13.470 --> 00:08:17.910 align:middle line:84% a bill through the legislative process, HB 2270. 00:08:17.910 --> 00:08:20.370 align:middle line:84% It's the earned credit release bill. 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:24.870 align:middle line:84% We know that longer prison sentences do not reduce crime. 00:08:24.870 --> 00:08:28.980 align:middle line:84% Yeah, Arizona is one of the last strongholds in the union that 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:32.760 align:middle line:84% require all people to serve 85% of their sentence 00:08:32.760 --> 00:08:37.409 align:middle line:84% regardless of offense or evidence of rehabilitation. 00:08:37.409 --> 00:08:41.700 align:middle line:84% HB 2270 would modernize this outdated sentencing law 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:45.270 align:middle line:84% and return people who have demonstrated change back 00:08:45.270 --> 00:08:47.770 align:middle line:84% to their families and communities. 00:08:47.770 --> 00:08:50.850 align:middle line:84% I'd like to now introduce Deb North 00:08:50.850 --> 00:08:53.250 align:middle line:84% and then later Nate McKowen will come up after her. 00:08:53.250 --> 00:08:55.890 align:middle line:84% These are two leaders in reframing justice, 00:08:55.890 --> 00:08:58.290 align:middle line:84% and each will talk about their experience with Arizona's 00:08:58.290 --> 00:09:01.230 align:middle line:84% punishment system and the impact of leadership 00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:03.820 align:middle line:84% in the hope of legislative change. 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:04.657 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:09:04.657 --> 00:09:08.066 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:09:08.066 --> 00:09:11.970 align:middle line:90% 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:14.700 align:middle line:90% She's amazing. 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:15.880 align:middle line:90% Can you hear me? 00:09:15.880 --> 00:09:16.800 align:middle line:90% There we go. 00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:19.110 align:middle line:90% Hello, my name is Deborah North. 00:09:19.110 --> 00:09:23.370 align:middle line:84% And I also want to thank you for being here, both for the poetry 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:27.390 align:middle line:84% and for listening to us talk a little bit about the justice 00:09:27.390 --> 00:09:30.250 align:middle line:84% system here in the state of Arizona. 00:09:30.250 --> 00:09:33.240 align:middle line:84% I am directly impacted because my husband is currently 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:37.050 align:middle line:84% serving five years in Kingman for a first time 00:09:37.050 --> 00:09:40.170 align:middle line:90% non-violent offense. 00:09:40.170 --> 00:09:42.900 align:middle line:84% And the only person that wanted him to go to prison 00:09:42.900 --> 00:09:45.540 align:middle line:84% or do any jail time was the prosecutor, 00:09:45.540 --> 00:09:48.960 align:middle line:84% and they are the only people with any power in this system-- 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:49.590 align:middle line:90% no one else. 00:09:49.590 --> 00:09:52.170 align:middle line:90% 00:09:52.170 --> 00:09:55.600 align:middle line:84% I married him in 1988, and the person that I thought I married 00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:01.200 align:middle line:84% had two degrees from MIT, was a hardworking engineer 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:02.730 align:middle line:90% in the Silicon Valley. 00:10:02.730 --> 00:10:06.900 align:middle line:84% But fast forward to 2015, and I was called home 00:10:06.900 --> 00:10:10.950 align:middle line:84% from a business meeting because he was being arrested. 00:10:10.950 --> 00:10:17.520 align:middle line:84% I got home to 30 police cars in my front yard and camera crews, 00:10:17.520 --> 00:10:19.920 align:middle line:84% because according to the Sheriff's Department who 00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:22.470 align:middle line:84% was holding a press conference in my front yard, 00:10:22.470 --> 00:10:24.776 align:middle line:84% bad people live in good neighborhoods. 00:10:24.776 --> 00:10:27.900 align:middle line:90% 00:10:27.900 --> 00:10:29.400 align:middle line:90% And that's how I came to this. 00:10:29.400 --> 00:10:32.340 align:middle line:84% I initially met Grace a couple of years 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:34.650 align:middle line:84% ago when I was really looking for community, 00:10:34.650 --> 00:10:37.680 align:middle line:84% because people don't really want to hear these stories. 00:10:37.680 --> 00:10:41.490 align:middle line:84% It's very hard to hear them, and we all have our own problems. 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:46.590 align:middle line:84% So I am blessed to have found this community of people 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:49.560 align:middle line:84% who are working to change the justice system. 00:10:49.560 --> 00:10:55.200 align:middle line:84% We have 5% of the population on the planet in this country. 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:59.850 align:middle line:84% And we have 25% of the prisoners incarcerated on the planet. 00:10:59.850 --> 00:11:01.890 align:middle line:90% The numbers are staggering. 00:11:01.890 --> 00:11:07.680 align:middle line:84% And we've built a business that needs more people all the time. 00:11:07.680 --> 00:11:09.600 align:middle line:84% So meeting these people, becoming 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:14.760 align:middle line:84% involved in the leadership for justice and social reform 00:11:14.760 --> 00:11:16.620 align:middle line:84% has really given me a community where 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:19.140 align:middle line:84% I can be open and fully honest with what's 00:11:19.140 --> 00:11:20.310 align:middle line:90% going on in my life. 00:11:20.310 --> 00:11:23.730 align:middle line:84% And I can tell you how important that is, because this 00:11:23.730 --> 00:11:25.920 align:middle line:90% is a very isolating experience. 00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:27.750 align:middle line:84% And for people coming out of prison, 00:11:27.750 --> 00:11:30.570 align:middle line:84% it remains an isolating experience. 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:34.800 align:middle line:84% HB 2270 is so important for all of us 00:11:34.800 --> 00:11:38.130 align:middle line:84% who are living with people who are on the inside. 00:11:38.130 --> 00:11:44.500 align:middle line:84% We need our husbands, wives, fathers, sons, daughters, 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:45.090 align:middle line:90% mothers. 00:11:45.090 --> 00:11:47.100 align:middle line:84% We need them back home because it 00:11:47.100 --> 00:11:50.620 align:middle line:84% will help us save money, reduce what we're spending on. 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:54.960 align:middle line:84% We spend $1.1 billion in Arizona State tax money 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:56.460 align:middle line:90% on the prisons every year. 00:11:56.460 --> 00:11:59.310 align:middle line:84% We could spend that money on education 00:11:59.310 --> 00:12:01.110 align:middle line:84% and on dealing with the root cause of why 00:12:01.110 --> 00:12:04.800 align:middle line:84% we have these behaviors that lead to incarceration, 00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:08.880 align:middle line:84% much more important than having people behind barbed wire. 00:12:08.880 --> 00:12:10.620 align:middle line:90% So thank you so much. 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:14.015 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:12:14.015 --> 00:12:18.390 align:middle line:90% 00:12:18.390 --> 00:12:21.570 align:middle line:90% Good evening, everyone. 00:12:21.570 --> 00:12:25.550 align:middle line:84% I just got out of prison two months ago, 00:12:25.550 --> 00:12:28.310 align:middle line:90% and prison is a different world. 00:12:28.310 --> 00:12:29.540 align:middle line:90% I'll tell you that. 00:12:29.540 --> 00:12:32.210 align:middle line:84% And I didn't really know if I was 00:12:32.210 --> 00:12:34.250 align:middle line:84% going to have a place in this world 00:12:34.250 --> 00:12:39.980 align:middle line:84% when I got out, because it's not like they prepare you 00:12:39.980 --> 00:12:42.830 align:middle line:90% for when you get out. 00:12:42.830 --> 00:12:48.200 align:middle line:84% Well, I met a guy named Joe and he introduced me to people 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:50.960 align:middle line:90% like Grace and the AFSC. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:58.310 align:middle line:84% And they held out their hand and they said, come with us. 00:12:58.310 --> 00:12:59.975 align:middle line:84% Stand up, we want you to be a leader. 00:12:59.975 --> 00:13:04.340 align:middle line:90% 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:06.750 align:middle line:84% They said, you can make a difference. 00:13:06.750 --> 00:13:09.620 align:middle line:84% You can be a voice for the voiceless. 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:11.660 align:middle line:90% And I said, OK. 00:13:11.660 --> 00:13:14.030 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:13:14.030 --> 00:13:19.250 align:middle line:84% So this opportunity has given me a chance 00:13:19.250 --> 00:13:21.080 align:middle line:90% to be a part of my community. 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:25.050 align:middle line:84% My community has opened their arms and welcomed me. 00:13:25.050 --> 00:13:32.460 align:middle line:84% And because of that, I am seeing success and it's awesome. 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:35.660 align:middle line:84% So I want to leave you with one thing. 00:13:35.660 --> 00:13:40.020 align:middle line:84% I got a piece published in The Sun right before I got out. 00:13:40.020 --> 00:13:45.470 align:middle line:84% And this just little window into my world in prison. 00:13:45.470 --> 00:13:49.250 align:middle line:90% 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:53.480 align:middle line:84% My first year in prison, I turned apathy into my armor. 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:57.230 align:middle line:84% I didn't need friendships or love or trust, 00:13:57.230 --> 00:14:00.440 align:middle line:84% all that soft shit was for the weak. 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.540 align:middle line:84% Prison was a hard place, and I needed 00:14:02.540 --> 00:14:05.000 align:middle line:90% to be hard to survive it. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:08.900 align:middle line:84% I fell asleep with a stomach ache every night. 00:14:08.900 --> 00:14:12.320 align:middle line:84% As I moved in to my second year, I made a friend. 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:14.420 align:middle line:84% We told each other stories of our old lives 00:14:14.420 --> 00:14:16.430 align:middle line:90% and we laughed a lot. 00:14:16.430 --> 00:14:19.400 align:middle line:84% One morning, the guards found him dead in his cell overdosed 00:14:19.400 --> 00:14:21.830 align:middle line:90% on heroin and pills. 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:25.700 align:middle line:84% I cried that night, not sure if my tears were more 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:28.790 align:middle line:90% for him or for me. 00:14:28.790 --> 00:14:31.580 align:middle line:84% In my third year, I watched a man get his face stomped in, 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:36.200 align:middle line:90% the whole unit did, in silence. 00:14:36.200 --> 00:14:38.720 align:middle line:84% Later, when we heard the man had died, 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:41.960 align:middle line:90% someone said, welcome to prison. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:46.730 align:middle line:84% I laughed a little too loudly for a little too long. 00:14:46.730 --> 00:14:50.210 align:middle line:84% Every song, TV show, and movie taunted me 00:14:50.210 --> 00:14:53.930 align:middle line:84% with stories of intimacy and romance. 00:14:53.930 --> 00:14:55.730 align:middle line:84% In the privacy of the shower stall, 00:14:55.730 --> 00:14:59.930 align:middle line:84% I masturbated to fading memories of ex-girlfriends. 00:14:59.930 --> 00:15:02.690 align:middle line:84% Then during my fourth year, I started 00:15:02.690 --> 00:15:04.370 align:middle line:84% writing one of my ex-girlfriends, 00:15:04.370 --> 00:15:06.530 align:middle line:90% telling her she was my soulmate. 00:15:06.530 --> 00:15:08.240 align:middle line:90% She said I was hers. 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:11.120 align:middle line:84% We made plans for when I would get out. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:14.600 align:middle line:84% In year 5, she stopped writing me back. 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.900 align:middle line:84% I became a Buddhist in my sixth year. 00:15:17.900 --> 00:15:20.630 align:middle line:84% The monks who had renounced all worldly desires 00:15:20.630 --> 00:15:22.740 align:middle line:90% became my role models. 00:15:22.740 --> 00:15:26.030 align:middle line:84% But when I meditated, I felt no unity 00:15:26.030 --> 00:15:31.160 align:middle line:84% with the universe, only a clearer sense of isolation. 00:15:31.160 --> 00:15:33.590 align:middle line:84% In year 7, my neighbor got killed. 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:36.110 align:middle line:84% His homeboys came with smiles and handshakes, 00:15:36.110 --> 00:15:39.500 align:middle line:84% and they left him with purple lips and shit in his pants. 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:41.870 align:middle line:84% I took the chair out of his cell and put it in mine, 00:15:41.870 --> 00:15:43.880 align:middle line:90% so I'd have two. 00:15:43.880 --> 00:15:47.330 align:middle line:84% I figured he didn't need it anymore. 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:50.390 align:middle line:84% I'll be released in six months, and I'm more afraid now than 00:15:50.390 --> 00:15:51.920 align:middle line:90% when I came to prison. 00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:54.140 align:middle line:84% The world out there is alien to me. 00:15:54.140 --> 00:15:57.140 align:middle line:84% This place of violence, and death, and loneliness 00:15:57.140 --> 00:15:59.310 align:middle line:90% has become my home. 00:15:59.310 --> 00:16:01.040 align:middle line:84% What if I can't take off this armor 00:16:01.040 --> 00:16:04.000 align:middle line:90% that I've worn for so long? 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:04.616 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:16:04.616 --> 00:16:08.088 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:16:08.088 --> 00:16:15.550 align:middle line:90% 00:16:15.550 --> 00:16:18.010 align:middle line:84% Thank you, Nate McKowen by the way. 00:16:18.010 --> 00:16:19.791 align:middle line:90% That was Nate McKowen, folks. 00:16:19.791 --> 00:16:22.557 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:16:22.557 --> 00:16:24.870 align:middle line:90% 00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:26.240 align:middle line:90% My name is Joe Watson. 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:29.060 align:middle line:84% I work for American Friends Service Committee 00:16:29.060 --> 00:16:33.620 align:middle line:84% Arizona with Grace and with some amazing people, 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:37.400 align:middle line:90% with folks like Nate and Deb. 00:16:37.400 --> 00:16:41.330 align:middle line:84% The images you've been seeing behind you, a lot of them 00:16:41.330 --> 00:16:43.710 align:middle line:84% came from a little over two weeks ago. 00:16:43.710 --> 00:16:45.830 align:middle line:84% We had an event at the State Capitol 00:16:45.830 --> 00:16:48.620 align:middle line:90% called Reframing Justice Day. 00:16:48.620 --> 00:16:53.150 align:middle line:84% We had over 100 directly impacted folks at the Capitol 00:16:53.150 --> 00:16:55.100 align:middle line:84% advocating for sentencing reform. 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:57.080 align:middle line:84% What is a directly impacted person? 00:16:57.080 --> 00:16:59.150 align:middle line:84% It's somebody who is formerly incarcerated, 00:16:59.150 --> 00:17:00.950 align:middle line:84% somebody who has a conviction history, 00:17:00.950 --> 00:17:07.220 align:middle line:84% and also the loved ones of those who are inside or have been. 00:17:07.220 --> 00:17:10.490 align:middle line:84% These folks went there to tell their personal stories, 00:17:10.490 --> 00:17:12.859 align:middle line:84% because as Grace pointed out, it's 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:15.829 align:middle line:84% these personal stories that have so much power 00:17:15.829 --> 00:17:18.109 align:middle line:90% to change the system. 00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:22.369 align:middle line:84% Folks like Deb and Nate sharing their personal stories, 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:25.490 align:middle line:84% being brave, that day was so full 00:17:25.490 --> 00:17:29.630 align:middle line:90% of heroes, people like them. 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:31.750 align:middle line:90% I just want to salute them. 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:34.250 align:middle line:84% So if you could clap for them one more time, I'd appreciate. 00:17:34.250 --> 00:17:38.114 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:17:38.114 --> 00:17:41.020 align:middle line:90% 00:17:41.020 --> 00:17:46.330 align:middle line:84% Please do all you can to inform yourself about HB 2270. 00:17:46.330 --> 00:17:50.410 align:middle line:84% It would restore fairness and proportionality 00:17:50.410 --> 00:17:51.970 align:middle line:90% in our sentencing guidelines. 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:54.130 align:middle line:84% More importantly, it would restore hope 00:17:54.130 --> 00:17:57.290 align:middle line:84% to people who are incarcerated throughout the state. 00:17:57.290 --> 00:18:01.270 align:middle line:84% And we believe that hope is a catalyst for change, 00:18:01.270 --> 00:18:06.580 align:middle line:84% not just folks on the inside, but the system, our communities 00:18:06.580 --> 00:18:08.300 align:middle line:90% as a whole. 00:18:08.300 --> 00:18:09.610 align:middle line:90% So please check it out. 00:18:09.610 --> 00:18:13.210 align:middle line:84% We need folks to call their elected representatives 00:18:13.210 --> 00:18:15.490 align:middle line:90% at the state legislature. 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:19.240 align:middle line:84% This bill has broad bipartisan support, 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:23.020 align:middle line:84% but we cannot get it heard in committee. 00:18:23.020 --> 00:18:26.170 align:middle line:84% We have one person holding it up and unfortunately, they 00:18:26.170 --> 00:18:27.400 align:middle line:90% have all the power. 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:31.450 align:middle line:84% So please educate yourself, contact these folks, and demand 00:18:31.450 --> 00:18:34.210 align:middle line:84% that they at least give this bill a hearing-- 00:18:34.210 --> 00:18:36.490 align:middle line:84% just a hearing, that's all we need-- 00:18:36.490 --> 00:18:40.260 align:middle line:84% so that we can restore some sanity to this system. 00:18:40.260 --> 00:18:41.620 align:middle line:90% I just want to say thank you. 00:18:41.620 --> 00:18:42.310 align:middle line:90% Appreciate it. 00:18:42.310 --> 00:18:45.360 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE]