felony inc podcast

Arriving from Ethiopia with his parents to the US to make a better life, Five Mualimm-ak's parents found that being black meant a struggle. So they joined community groups for survival and provided services in the Bronx including day care and other necessary services to the neighbors. His mother joined a group that provided assistance to women who had just been released from prison and has since passed. Five grew up outside the "compound" and travelled extensively with his father, who also taught martial arts and self-defense to men and women. Five grew up in service, always taking care of others' needs. As he grew older, he joined a street military organization, and participated in barter programs, where people could trade services for food. He then wanted to get into real estate and that is where his incarceration started. His time in isolation and incarceration is what gave him the impetus to start the organization and advocate for those who have suffered torture as part of correction.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Return guest, Marcus Bullock of Flikshop, in state prison starting at age 15, has a great story. He doesn't make any bones about it, he enjoys what he does. Flikshop connects those incarcerated with their family through a myriad of social media. As he says, "My Tik Tok is talkin'". His company helps share the joy and fun a family is having with their incarcerated loved one by taking photos or stills from video, then printing them on a postcard and sending them. To any person, any prison, anywhere in the country. Phone calls cost a lot, so do pads and laptops. The Flikshop postcards are very affordable to allow more families to connect with their incarcerated. Marcus knows that getting mail is the highlight of the day in prison, and human interaction of a postcard is only surpassed by the in-person visit. And that isn't even happening in this COVID environment.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A black-owned, contemporary soul food restaurant located in Portland, Oregon, Chef James Bradley has brought fame to the restaurant even in these lockdown times, no easy task. Growing up in rural North Carolina with a preacher father, James has retained his love for the south and all his family there. However, his father wanted the family to experience life, and so moved them rather frequently. However, moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania turned out to be a shock. After experiencing a culture of respect and manners in the south, James was abhorrent exposed to an angry and dirty black culture in Harrisburg. He had to learned to fight brutally at the age of 12. He began to rebel in more and more violent ways, as that was the right way to act, not reading a book or doing something relaxing. In a very bad fight, he beat a man savagely and started his felony record. Having a preacher for a father got James a break to go to college after serving a limited time. There was more drama, but James has kept his love for all people, friend or enemy.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

With an "outlandish" resume', Wendy Jason is transforming the world and the justice system with her Justice Arts Coalition, which highlights felons and ex-felons who are artists. With 25 years in social services, Wendy wanted people who grew up thinking they weren't wanted that they were wanted. It's been about bringing voice to those who have been marginalized. Later in life, she began to see how art could be the medium for helping people feel self-worth. Coupling that with her drive to serve, her experience in grad school, including teaching a creative writing class for a prison group, she realized people could share their stories in a trusting way and that brought a lot of people out of their shell. Her first experience was answering the question, "Why are you here?!?". Being a no-bullshit person, Wendy answered forthrightly, gaining both respect and trust, and solidified her belief that this is what she was meant to do.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Thanks for being our guest again and bringing your inspirational story to us, Eugene Brown! Author of the book, "From Pawns to Kings" and portrayed in the movie, "Life of a King", Eugene spent 18 years in prison for participating in a bank robbery at 20. The game of chess in prison taught him much more than a game, or to think, or to compete. It taught him the moves you make in life will make you a pawn or a King - the choice is yours. He has been making great moves since then and the biggest one is to pass that lesson along to others, especially the young people. Having an end-game is the most important thing to know before you make your first move. Eugene stresses that ignorance is the biggest impediment to everyone's enlightenment and the more we can shine light in a dark corner, the better society gets.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Justice Arts Coalition member, Carole Alden, is currently dodging the fires in Utah. Born in France as part of a military family, Carole moved back to the US as a baby, moved around the western states plus a stint in New Zealand, getting married and settling in Utah. With an artists' bent "from birth", Carole was constantly scanning for all the elements to make something; rocks, sticks, clay. A high school teacher encouraged her to feel she could make a living as an artists and that was the catalyst. "Aggravation is the mother of Invention" became her motto and adversity was her partner in prison, pushing her to learn to create. A self-proclaimed idiot savant when it comes to crochet, Carole's first notoriety as an artist came with creating a salamander while in prison and sending it off; the big start. Married to a man who pretended to be kind and loving, he turned out to be a con artist to marry and defraud his string of wives. When he realized Carole was not a goldmine, he became abusive and tried to kill her. Not getting police protection and cornered by him one night, Carole shot him and he died. Politically, the environment was against her and she had to take a plea bargain and gave up. She received her sentence and served partly in prison and county jail, which was much more restrictive than prison. But she overcame and now shares her talent to help heal.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Danny Wilson and Tracy Schlapp, musicians, were inspired by Johnny Cash's prison concerts and became determined to bring music and other art forms into Oregon's prison system. And their determination was tested, as a rigid system is not easy to get through. But an ally inside the system helped them navigate the "nos" and solve the security issues. Tracy is a visual artist and was also passionate about seeing the effect of involving inmates in creating art and delving into individual expression and discovery. From the music performance point of view, it's been very rewarding for Danny, as the audiences are very appreciative of the volunteer effort of the band. And no cell phones going off during the show! The audience talk after the performance was even more rewarding for the couple, as engaging with the appreciative audience was enlightening. So many of them wanted to share their story and how they were using their incarceration to prepare for a better life after release.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Another alumni of FPP, Ashley Dorety was struggling with alcohol and an abusive relationship, was a Mom and going to school, ALL at the same time. It came to a head when she was in a drunk driving accident where her passenger was injured and that led to four years of incarceration, because of the laws surrounding the accident. Her two-year-old daughter also was in the car so that complicated even more. The daughter was considered a victim of the crime and Ashley didn't see her for nine months because of the bureaucracy between DHS and DOC. But she joined made herself be busy in prison and wound up meeting Jessica Katz of FPP who helped her work with DHS and get to see her daughter. The rules and regulations of prison weren't known by DHS and thought Ashley wasn't communicating when in fact she couldn't. But Jessica kept helping and eventually Ashley got to be guardian while in prison and help heal the trauma and get set for a transition after release. And coming to grips with being an alcoholic who can be sober was the big breakthrough and life is bright and good.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast very Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

A graduate, advocate and outreach volunteer for the Family Preservation Project, Nova Sweet was born in a tepee in Ashland, Oregon, eldest of four children of a single Mom. But she led a dual life. At school, she was a great student, liked by everyone, but in private she like to raise cane. She was tall, six-foot four and was an athlete who played basketball at Louisville; impressive. She continued to put on the straight laced face in school but smoked pot and ran with the fast crowd behind the scenes. But she graduated and received a degree in criminal justice. Paradox here? Her relationships with men were twisted as she looked for a father figure to fill the void left by her father and stepfather who were always drunk or absent. She moved back to Oregon and had a very bad relationship that led to more drinking, drugs, and incarceration. That couldn't stop Nova, however. After release, she received her second Masters' Degree in Social Work. Now with a value system that is her rock, Nova can take her story to others and use it to get them through their difficulties and not hide her past.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Our recurring guest who always has something new, Sean Beers, founder of Portland Product Werks, is an avid fly fisherman, in addition to a Bonzi skier. And now he's taken the lemons from COVID-19 and made a gallon of lemonade. The "secret" is planning ahead, which Sean did indirectly years before. He realized owning a brand three years ago was key and started doing that. With no knowledge of COVID beforehand, when it hit Portland Product Werks had alternatives. That meant putting their marketing dollars into direct-to-consumer sales, since many of their retail bricks and mortar were shut down. And cutting every expense possible including rent but NOT cutting personnel. Happy to be doing well when most of the working world is not, Sean stays humble and grateful for what they have and also keeps his team aware that what goes up can go back down.

Felony Inc Podcast with your hosts Dick Hennessy and Meg Thibodeaux

We record the Felony Inc Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Felony Inc Podcast supports City Central Concern at centralcityconcern.org

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

Listen to the Felony Inc Podcast live on-air every Friday at 10:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com