The plan to permanently close Rikers in New York City and replace it with four borough facilities has hit roadblocks. Why is it so hard to close a jail? Joining Laura to discuss the local and national implications of this story are Journalist Nick Pinto, co-founder of the worker-owned news outlet Hell Gate, and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who helped pass the law to close the jail.

It's our May membership drive when we move the mic to you!  By becoming a member your voice of support amplifies our coverage of forward thinking movement movers and shakers.     Go to LauraFlanders.org/donate  Thank you for your continued support!

Jumaane Williams & Hell Gate on Rikers: Why is it So Hard to Close a Jail?

Award winning host, author and journalist Laura Flanders interviews forward-thinking people from the world of politics, business, culture and social movements. The show explores actionable models for creating a better world by reporting on the people and movements driving systemic change. We spotlight the solutions of tomorrow, today.  The show airs on PBS stations in over 200+  US markets, and airs on 50+ community radio stations, and is available on YouTube and here as a podcast. Online subscribers receive lots of video and audio web exclusives.  Recent specials include "Indigenous People's Power", "James Baldwin:  Lessons for the US", "Building Public Trust for Public Health", "Countering the Coup From the Grassroots Up". Recent special guests include Representative Karen Bass, environmental activist Jane Fonda, economist Robert Reich, author/activist Naomi Klein, agrarian reformer Shirley Sherrod, novelist Arundhati Roy, economist Michael Hudson and ’Next System” theorist Gar Alperovitz.

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In a time of division, how do we create a sense of collective freedom? It’s a question that peace activist, artist and poet Genesis Be grapples with in all her work. Genesis Be joins Laura Flanders and co-host Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, the Senior Minister for Public Theology and Transformation at Middle Church, to discuss how to reject stigmas and advance liberation.

Guests:
Genesis Be: Poet, Peace Activist, Artist; Author, People Not Things: Love Poems & Paintings for Humanity
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis (Co-host): Senior Minister of Public Theology & Transformation, Middle Church, NYC

This show is made possible by you! To become a sustaining member go to https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  Thank you for your continued support!

Genesis Be & Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis: Building Collective Freedom with a Poet & Preacher

It is a cliché to say that the richest corporate media operate inside a bubble of their own making, but it's largely true. Today’s guests are breathing new life into the world of journalism by covering people, places and perspectives beyond the conventional enclaves of power. How do we break media bubbles? Join us for that conversation.
“Movement journalism is journalism that is in service of liberation . . . We are very intentional about historically oppressed communities. Folks from those communities should be doing reporting on those communities and building relationships with community members and organizers on the ground.” - Neesha Powell-Ingabire

“. . . Look at the history of the Black press. We didn't have the luxury to report and somehow separate that from advocacy. When you have people reporting while slavery is still legal, all kinds of Black people are being targeted in various kinds of violence. We have a long tradition of advocacy journalism.” - Chenjerai Kumanyika

“Nothing has made me feel less optimistic about climate change and our ability to stop it, to mitigate it, to deal with it than the genocide and Gaza. If we cannot come together to say that is wrong and that should stop, then I have so little faith in our ability to stop ecocide.” - Mary Annaïse Heglar

Guests:
•. Mary Annaïse Heglar: Author, Troubled Waters; Podcaster, Spill
•. Chenjerai Kumanyika: Audio Journalist, Empire City, Uncivil & Seeing White; Assistant Professor Journalism, NYU
•. Neesha Powell-Ingabire: Author, COME BY HERE: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia’s Geechee Coast; Director Popular Education, Press On

We’re in the midst of our spring membership drive. We're asking you to join us in raising $25,000. Please contribute by making a one-time donation or make it monthly, goto https://lauraflanders.org/donate As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens." Please come together with us now! Thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support.

BIPOC Press for the People: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble

While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation.  This May, we're asking you to join us in raising $25,000.  You can contribute by making a one-time donation at https://lauraflanders.org/donate or by increasing your monthly Patreon subscription at https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends. As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens."  Please come together with us now!

These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters. 

 Description: With so many urgent crises tugging at our hearts, from war, to climate, to discontent and violence, people want to know: How do we set priorities and do the right thing, especially as that relates to building a better world, and to an election that seems both problematic and the most important of our time? If anyone can ground us thoughtfully in this moment, with all of its challenges and all its potential, it’s renowned professor, activist, scholar and writer Angela Davis. In her writing, lecturing and many decades of activism, Davis has shown a unique ability to pull competing struggles into a single story — a story of systems and power. In this special first episode of "Laura Flanders & Friends" (formerly, The Laura Flanders Show), Laura is joined by Angela Davis, a leading voice in the movement for abolition and feminism who has lots to share about her evolution and how decades of activism are coming together in this moment. From Palestine to elections, to our carceral state and collective liberation, this kickoff conversation is packed with Davis’ insight and the teachings from her latest book “Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1”. What has Davis learned in her 80 years as a freedom fighter? All that, plus a commentary from Laura on the words of the late poet and essayist June Jordan, who writes, “I was born a Black woman/and now/I am become a Palestinian.”

Guest:  Angela Y. Davis: Professor, Activist, Scholar & Writer; Author, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1.

Full Conversation- Angela Davis: A Revolutionary Roadmap for Building a Better Future

Domestic violence is a leading reason why women lose their housing. Organizations across California are coming together to address this issue, break down silos and bring survivors into decision-making. But their work is in danger because of a 45% budget cut. What can be done?


Guests:
• Krista Colón: Senior Director of Public Policy & Communications Strategies, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence 
• Teniecka Drake: Survivor Advocates Team, Rainbow Services
• Yenni Rivera Martinez: Family System CES Coordinator, LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority); Survivor Advocate, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

Correction: In the study referenced in the intro it is  17 percent of cis-women - and 8 percent of all individuals experiencing homelessness - not 35 percent - who reported also experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner violence. https://homelessness.ucsf.edu/sites/default/files/2024-01/IPV%20Report%202024.pdf

We’re in the midst of our May Day to Memorial Day membership drive.  We're asking you to join us in raising $25,000.  Please contribute by making a one-time donation or make it monthly, goto https://lauraflanders.org/donate   As Angela says, "when vast numbers of people come together . . . this is how change happens."  Please come together with us now!  Thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support.

Domestic Violence Survivor & Homeless Too? A CA Cohort Shows What Can Be Done

While our weekly shows are edited to time for broadcast, we offer to our members and podcast subscribers the full uncut conversation.  The following is from our episode Trust-Busting 2024: A Bipartisan Battle Against Monopoly Power where we look at the actions underway to tackle the problem of monopolies and the detrimental impact the concentration of power in this way can have on consumers, workers and the democratic project.  Laura’s guests are two experts who’ve been involved for decades in anti-trust action Stacy Mitchell, the Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance & Matt Stoller, Research Director for the American Economic Liberties Project.  These audio exclusives are made possible thanks to our member supporters.  Please consider becoming a monthly supporter for a few dollars a month… go to https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends

Guests:
•  Stacy Mitchell: Co-Executive Director, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
•  Matt Stoller: Research Director, American Economic Liberties Project; Publisher, BIG & Author, Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy

Full Episode Notes are accessible to all at https://Patreon.com/LauraFlandersandFriends

Jumaane Williams & Hell Gate on Rikers: Why is it So Hard to Close a Jail?

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