Ujamaa. Ujamaa. This is Dontie S. Mitchell, better known as Mfalme Sikivu, reporting to you from Great Meadow Correctional Facility, in Comstock New York. Word on the street is Meek Mills and Jay Z have put up $50 million to start an organization called Reform Alliance to push for criminal justice reform focusing on unfair parole and bail policies. CNN journalist, Van Jones, has been tapped to be the CEO of this new organization.
Here’s my problem. Criminal justice reform is a lot bigger than these single issue campaigns and initiatives that arise every now and then when some sensational event or story attracts media attention, like Khalil Browder’s story, or how Meek Mills was unjustly treated while on probation. But there are countless Khalil Browders and Meek Mills’ whose stories aren’t being told. What about us? Just the other day, guards here at this facility beat a prisoners so bad, it’s rumored he died. And maybe he did. It’s happened before. When I first got here, this fourth time around, guards were brutalizing prisoners almost on a daily basis, until they had to wear body cams.
One notable example is Herman Bell, a 70 year old man guards brutally beat for no reason at all. Or what about this Raise the Age bill signed into law in 2017 that doesn’t go far enough? The original intent behind this bill was to raise the age of adult criminal prosecution, so as to prevent young people, particularly poor, working class youth of color, from being ensnared by the criminal justice system when they can be reformed and rehabilitated. The bill ended up being watered down. It makes an unfair distinction between nonviolent and violent youth offenders. It doesn’t address the reform and rehabilitation of youthful offenders who end up in adult prisons, and it doesn’t give amnesty to the many thousands of prisoners, both young and old, who were juveniles at the time of their crimes but were prosecuted as adults before the Raise the Age bill was enacted and comes into effect.
Look Meek. Look Jay. I respect what you two are trying to do. In a time when Kim Kardashian is the leading face of criminal justice reform, and she doesn’t come from where we come from, nor has faced what we faced, I’m happy you two stepped up. But to only focus on parole and bail issues is a slap in the face to those of us behind these walls being brutalized, corrupted, and held in hell unjustly. The movement for criminal justice reform is already filled with many opportunists who are eating off our struggle but give no aid or support to guys like me who are in on the front line behind these walls, fighting for justice.
I respectfully urge you to expand the reform Alliance’s mission and to include guys like me who deserve a platform to push for justice. We’re the ones directly impacted by the system, plus my work from behind these walls qualify me. Tune in again next time. Follow me on Facebook at Free Dontie Mitchell. Share your questions and comments. Everyone that’s listening — please do me a favor. Tag Meek Mills, Jay Z and Van Jones so they can listen to this. They need to hear what I’m saying. And if any of you are interested in helping me, holla at me. I need an administrative assistant, social media manager, and a fundraiser. Thank you for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
