Kite Line Radio

120 | Naming Disability

Today, we are sharing the next part of an interview with Talila Lewis and Dustin Gibson, two organizers and researchers addressing the intersection of disability and incarceration.  You heard their interview about the impact of prison on the Deaf community, and the organization they work with, HEARD- Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the…

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119 | Being Heard: Prison and the Deaf Community

Today, we are sharing an interview with Talila Lewis and Dustin Gibson, two organizers and researchers addressing the intersection of disability and incarceration.  After TL describes the high stakes of being deaf in prison, they move on to sketch out the ways that children of color are disabled across society and pushed towards feeling inept…

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118 | The Long History of Black Resistance and Mass Incarceration

In this interview, Elizabeth Hinton sketches the relationship between the civil rights movement, urban uprisings and the beginning of the “War on Crime,” with a focus on the Harlem Riot of 1964, and the 1965 Watts Rebellion, which was triggered by police brutality and became a key law-and-order talking point.  She then moves through a…

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117 | Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated, Part Three

This week, we share the final story from the Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated panel that took place during the Fight Toxic Prisons conference in Pittsburgh. After we hear updates on Kevin Rashid Johnson and Keith Malik Washington, we close with anecdotes from Wendell Caldwell. Caldwell speaks on his time inside, its impact on his…

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116 | Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated, Part Two: Angola Prison’s Racist History

This week, we hear from Curtis Ray Davis II, who talks about the racist history of Angola Prison- the Louisiana State Penitentiary. After we read a statement from hunger striking prisoners in Orange County, we then hear a moving account from Davis. He talks about Louisiana’s non-unanimous verdict, which essentially nullifies the votes of non-white…

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115 | Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated, Part One

This week, we hear the stories of three men who share their experiences from years being on the inside. Khalid Raheem discusses his experiences with the Black Panther Party, solitary confinement, and educational options in prison. Carrington Keys talks with us about the Dallas Six case, and how racist prison guards not only failed to…

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114 | The Prisoners’ Movement in the Heartland

This week’s episode covers the situation in the Midwest. We hear from Ben and Aaron, who work on supporting prisoners in Ohio and Indiana, respectively. Ben informs about Ohio prisoners who are still facing repercussions from the 1993 Lucasville uprising. We’ve introduced Lucasville in previous episodes of Kite Line, including an early episode focusing on…

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113 | We Know What We Need to Do: Words in the Face of Repression

Across the country, thousands of prisoners are facing consequences for their participation in the national prison strike.  Some are being denied contact with the outside world, others have lost access to hot food.  Others have faced violence.  For many, outside solidarity has meant the difference, like the prisoners at an Indiana prison facility who were…

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112 | Reasons to Fight: Life Inside South Carolina Prisons

This week, we are sharing the words from a prisoner who contacted us from inside the South Carolina prison system. In addition to his thoughts on the recent National Prison Strike, of which news still continues to trickle in, he talks about what prisoners are experiencing every day.  From severe medical neglect, inedible food, and…

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111 | The Attica Liberation Faction

This week we are honoring the anniversary of the Attica Prison Uprising of 1971. The current National Prison Strike began on August 21st, the anniversary of George Jackson’s assassination, and is slated to end in two days, on September 9th. We have updates on the prison facilities across the country and their participation in the…

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