Justice For Two Days Or So

Has it felt weird this month? Have you felt that Philadelphia’s prisoners were doing maybe just a little better? Well, apparently, it’s Justice Month!

Indeedy, and just in time for the end of Justice Month, we’re having a kick-off party! Or at least the founders of Justice Month are finally getting a proclamation for their service. From the A-Space newsletter:

An exciting weekend is in store for the Philadelphia region and the Justice Community.

On Thursday, the 29th, Philadelphia City Council will present Larry Robin and Judith Trustone, co-founders of Justice Month, with a copy of Resolution No. 060651 declaring March as “Justice Month.” Room 400, City Hall, 10:00-12:00.

Then we can actually worry about prisoners… until April 1, where America’s citizens will return to their normal stance of “as long as it’s not me being fucked in the ass, I don’t care”/”they deserve to be tortured.” Sigh.

The full newsletter is after the jump.

An exciting weekend is in store for the Philadelphia region and the Justice Community.

• On Thursday, the 29th, Philadelphia City Council will present Larry Robin and Judith Trustone, co-founders of Justice Month, with a copy of Resolution No. 060651 declaring March as “Justice Month.” Room 400, City Hall, 10:00-12:00
• Friday night, March 30th at 7:00 pm features the Public Safety Initiative by L.I.F.E.R.S., Inc. at SCI Graterford opening the evening’s TOVA performance of “Holding Up: A New Prison Legacy” exploring the connections between fathers, sons and husbands locked up in prison and the children and women left behind to maintain family and community. At Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. Free.
• This is a premier event opening the conference the next day, March 31st, on alternatives to prison, “Locked Up: Keys To Prison Change” with a powerful list of presenters including Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents, civil rights activist, Angela Davis, author of Are Prisons Obsolete? And Abolition Democracy, Devon Brown, Director, DC Department of Corrections, and Kay Harris, Department of Criminology, Temple University. Moderator for that panel will be will be Reggie Bryant, Host, “In Pursuit of Truth” on WURD 900 AM radio. (Judith Trustone will be a guest on his show Wednesday afternoon, the 27th at 3:00 pm.)
• In addition to our stellar panelists, there will be music provided by Byard Lancaster, Ron Forrest, LA recording artist, Sheree Brown, and others, and Sonia Sanchez will honor with a special poem, three
  elders, Queen Mother Nana Ama Akofo and Annie D. Hyman of PASCEP, and Emily Rollins of Bridgeway, At Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. Registration at 8:30 am. Suggested donation: $25 which includes lunch. Awards at 2:00 pm.
• Hot off the press!!! The 2nd edition of the critically acclaimed Celling America’s Soul: torture & transformation in our prisons and why we should care by SageWriters Director, Judith Trustone, and seven prisoners. Available for $19.95 (checks and money orders only) from SageWriters, Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081 or charge at Infinity Publishing at www.buybooksontheweb.com or www.SageWriters.org or call 610-328-6101 for more information. Will also be available at the conference.
• Sunday, April 1st at noon, there will be a rally at the Liberty Bell to amend the 13th Amendment to remove the clause that maintains prisoners as slaves. This will be a national springboard for efforts to end slavery in America led by Tom Big Warrior of the Red Heart Warrior Society and Richard Tut Carter, of the Chester Human Rights Coalition.