In this episode, we read a statement by Keith Lamar, also known as Bomani Shakur, who just had his execution date set. In his statement, Keith wrangles with the violent death the state of Ohio is seeking to inflict on him, but also with the vast challenges and ruptures that we as a whole face in the 21st century.
While the US government remains shutdown after four weeks, leading to widespread neglect of federal prisoners, France is approaching three months of an open insurgency. Hundreds of thousands of people have donned Yellow Vests and are blockading highways and roundabouts, as well as rioting in towns and cities across the country each Saturday, in order to resist the collapse of living standards and the shifting of costs onto the poor.
In order to get a first-hand perspective on the movement, we interviewed Chantal, an American arrested during a demonstration in Paris last month. In addition to touching on aspects of the Yellow Vest movement, she tells the story of her time in an immigrant detention center there, echoing stories of abuse at US detention centers, which are themselves being shaken by overcrowding and collective struggles.