This week, we are highlighting two experiences of outside solidarity with prisoners.  First, we share audio from last week’s rally in Indianapolis for clemency, including a recorded statement by Leon Benson, a longtime imprisoned organizer, as well as a speech by his son, Leon Bluitt, about the impact of growing up with an incarcerated parent.

After that, we feature an interview with Danielle Chanzes, one of three people arrested on felony charges after a solidarity demo outside Florida State Prison last December.  The protest was responding to prisoners demanding improved COVID safety measures amid miserable conditions and was also a memorial for Karen Smith, a dynamic abolitionist organizer and previous Kite Line contributor who passed away last year.  Danielle took her charges to trial and won last week, and today she explains the importance of her fight in the context of a generalized drive to repress protest in Florida and across the US.

You can find our interviews with Karen Smith, along with our coverage of Leon Benson by searching for them on our new website: kitelineradio.org