I was grateful to interview Rachel Herzing & Justin Piché, PhD about their fantastic book, How to Abolish Prisons (@haymarketbooks), for Truthout and Inquest. I learned so much from the book’s concrete, wide-ranging stories of abolitionist campaigns.

truthout.org/articles/aboli…

In this conversation with Maya Schenwar of Truthout, Rachel Herzing and Justin Piché, PhD explore their hopeful, practical book, 'How to Abolish Prisons,' out now from Haymarket Books, which shows how abolitionist organizers today are building the world anew. inquest.org/abolition-as-h…

Back to Appalachia - Katie Myers - Inquest//They were incarcerated in Eastern Kentucky, far from home. Now they’re free and back, hoping the region won’t build a new prison there.
inquest.org/back-to-appala…

Alim Braxton, who has spent decades on death row, lives and breathes hip hop. But his commitment to spitting bars is about more than just music.

His rhymes aim to preserve the legacy of Black people, what’s been done to them, how they've fought back. inquest.org/hip-hop-is-my-…

Back to Appalachia - Katie Myers - Inquest inquest.org/back-to-appala…

Building Community~ For many years, Kentuckians have been fighting the construction of a federal #prison . They’ve been winning, but their fight isn’t over. By Sylvia Ryerson inquest.org/building-commu…

Today is the last day of the public-comment period for members of the public to weigh in on whether a new federal prison should be built in Eastern Kentucky.

In this essay, Katie Myers shows why the stakes of this fight extends far beyond Appalachia. inquest.org/back-to-appala…

“As the meeting passed its halfway mark, the balance began to tip, as those who’d come to speak in opposition to the prison finally had their turn. Joshua Boyer, who had carpooled with Muhammed from D.C., seemed to recognize the true theatrics of the public comment session…

Today is the last day you can watch Sylvia Reyerson's award-winning documentary 'Calls From Home' for free on Inquest as part of the ongoing campaign to say #NoNewLetcherPrison and #BuildCommunityNotPrisons
Follow Building Community Not Prisons for updates
inquest.org/stop-fci-letch…

This new article gives an amazing overview on why we're committed to stopping this prison, from the united voices of former prisoners and local residents. 👇🏽👇🏾
inquest.org/back-to-appala…

Incarcerated people experience the same losses as everyone else, often learning about loved ones' deaths from a place of isolation. Their grief is the same, but their mourning may be forced to look different.

inquest.org/closed-doors/

Prisoners and prison communities often share contaminated water, air, and systemic poverty. In Letcher County, Ky, a renewed push for a federal prison has brought formerly incarcerated people back to the region, in solidarity, to stop it. for Inquest:

inquest.org/back-to-appala…

“I am arguing for a queer politics that shifts away from its focus on arguing for the value of minoritized social groups (L, G, B, or T) and instead toward opposing the state’s use of sex to govern.” inquest.org/sticking-with-…

This is a brave and provocative article and a must read for abolition-inclined thinkers grappling with the 'what about rape' question.

Learning to Live

'For incarcerated people, prison education programs can offer not only knowledge but also hope that a different future is possible.'
inquest.org/learning-to-li…

'For many years, Kentuckians have been fighting the construction of a federal prison. They’ve been winning, but their fight isn’t over.' inquest.org/building-commu…

“DARE’s use of police officers as teachers coopted the educative function of schools to advance the police mission.” —Max Felker-Kantor

might ending rape law help … end rape? Some preliminary provocations to be fleshed out in a longer article with the fabulous kb. Thanks to Aya Gruber for the alley-oop & Adam McGee, editor extraordinaire. inquest.org/sticking-with-…