And now part two of our two part conversation with the President and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation, Candace C. Jones, where we'll be discussing over policing, environmental racism, and community investment. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast, and I am your host Rams' job. I may lose you and I know that you know there's a good number of our listeners of this show who would disagree with me on what I'm about to say. But why I was and am still a fan of the idea behind maybe not the marketing, maybe not the positioning, but the idea behind defunding the police is because it affects theoretically and in practice. Indeed, in practice there are some notable examples of it working in practice on a short timeline you and seeing positive results. But it affects many of the things that you're mentioning right now. And whether or not the money comes from the police, it's the investment in these other areas that improves the really the socioeconomic status of these impoverished communities that shapes the criminal justice system and the outcomes of that system drastically. Add to that that there are problems bona fide problems within the criminal justice system. You know, and again in my estimation, you know, cash, the cash bell system comes to mind, where again that's something that disproportionately affects black and brown people and in turn has a ripple effect on black and brown communities. The over policing. You know, you put all the police in the north side. Guess where one hundred percent of the crime is going to be found on the north side, right, And just you know, you have to go a little bit further with that analogy, but you know, you put all the police in some areas and that's where it's going to get, resulting the most number of crimes. More police, more arrests, doesn't necessarily impact crime rates. Police is a responsive agent. It's not a preventative agent. Reactive. That's what I'm looking for.

And now part two of our two part conversation with the President and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation, Candace C. Jones, where we'll be discussing over policing, environmental racism, and community investment. This is the Black Information Network Daily Podcast, and I am your host Rams' job. I may lose you and I know that you know there's a good number of our listeners of this show who would disagree with me on what I'm about to say. But why I was and am still a fan of the idea behind maybe not the marketing, maybe not the positioning, but the idea behind defunding the police is because it affects theoretically and in practice. Indeed, in practice there are some notable examples of it working in practice on a short timeline you and seeing positive results. But it affects many of the things that you're mentioning right now. And whether or not the money comes from the police, it's the investment in these other areas that improves the really the socioeconomic status of these impoverished communities that shapes the criminal justice system and the outcomes of that system drastically. Add to that that there are problems bona fide problems within the criminal justice system. You know, and again in my estimation, you know, cash, the cash bell system comes to mind, where again that's something that disproportionately affects black and brown people and in turn has a ripple effect on black and brown communities. The over policing. You know, you put all the police in the north side. Guess where one hundred percent of the crime is going to be found on the north side, right, And just you know, you have to go a little bit further with that analogy, but you know, you put all the police in some areas and that's where it's going to get, resulting the most number of crimes. More police, more arrests, doesn't necessarily impact crime rates. Police is a responsive agent. It's not a preventative agent. Reactive. That's what I'm looking for.

Interesting, So I will say, so I ran a youth prison system, and I think that that is important for me. I have advocated in my career. I have done direct representation in my career. I have been a system's leader, and I ran a correctional system, a parent military pair of militaristic system. And the reason I note that for folks sometimes when I'm speaking is because I have no illusions about what it looks like on the other side of those walls. And the question I would engage in in that role with folks is, if we're really trying to achieve community safety, what's the story we're telling ourselves about what's happening here? Your question? This frame about investment, I always think is so interesting because the thing I will always say is that in an affluent community in America, right and I want to throw out a community, but it all depends on where you are. Right in Sedona, in Arizona on the Gold Coast, in Chicago, in Upper Northwest, in DC. Wherever you are, you can envision that community. There's no zero sum game about infesting in the affluent communities, nobody's like for our businesses to thrive and for us to have an economic development strategy for this community. You gotta do X for our schools to be a one for our kids, you gotta do X for our lights to all be working, for our parks to be beautiful, and right that image of a park behind you, that community is not like you you gotta take from here to get No. No, they're just demanding more. It's like you got to invest in this place, it's going to be beautiful, it's going to be thriving, it's gonna be well lived. It right, people are going to feel there's gonna be the you know what I mean. We all know safety is a feeling. You have never had a paramilitaristic force charging.

Interesting, So I will say, so I ran a youth prison system, and I think that that is important for me. I have advocated in my career. I have done direct representation in my career. I have been a system's leader, and I ran a correctional system, a parent military pair of militaristic system. And the reason I note that for folks sometimes when I'm speaking is because I have no illusions about what it looks like on the other side of those walls. And the question I would engage in in that role with folks is, if we're really trying to achieve community safety, what's the story we're telling ourselves about what's happening here? Your question? This frame about investment, I always think is so interesting because the thing I will always say is that in an affluent community in America, right and I want to throw out a community, but it all depends on where you are. Right in Sedona, in Arizona on the Gold Coast, in Chicago, in Upper Northwest, in DC. Wherever you are, you can envision that community. There's no zero sum game about infesting in the affluent communities, nobody's like for our businesses to thrive and for us to have an economic development strategy for this community. You gotta do X for our schools to be a one for our kids, you gotta do X for our lights to all be working, for our parks to be beautiful, and right that image of a park behind you, that community is not like you you gotta take from here to get No. No, they're just demanding more. It's like you got to invest in this place, it's going to be beautiful, it's going to be thriving, it's gonna be well lived. It right, people are going to feel there's gonna be the you know what I mean. We all know safety is a feeling. You have never had a paramilitaristic force charging.

Towards you in the path made me feel safe?

Towards you in the path made me feel safe?

Yeah, right, We know at a basic level that that is not the feeling that achieves safety. The things that make you feel safe are all the evidence of thriving communities. And the tension we have in this country is that for communities of color, for low income, for poor communities, we don't want to give them an investment to thrive in the richest nation in the world. Right, And so it's so important for us in this work to be unpacking, just like you're doing here, these dichotomies about what really achieves safety, so that then we all can demand more when we're like actually, like you was like, oh wait a minute, you just plailed with me a little bit later situation where you know, I was being charged that you know, and felt safe. Like when you get to that point as you are noting about reaction, something has already gone really wrong.

Yeah, right, We know at a basic level that that is not the feeling that achieves safety. The things that make you feel safe are all the evidence of thriving communities. And the tension we have in this country is that for communities of color, for low income, for poor communities, we don't want to give them an investment to thrive in the richest nation in the world. Right, And so it's so important for us in this work to be unpacking, just like you're doing here, these dichotomies about what really achieves safety, so that then we all can demand more when we're like actually, like you was like, oh wait a minute, you just plailed with me a little bit later situation where you know, I was being charged that you know, and felt safe. Like when you get to that point as you are noting about reaction, something has already gone really wrong.

And I think that that's that's kind of an interesting take on even the concept of defunding the police, because I think the ready assumption for the architects of that that moment, the ready assumption is that folks were going to ask, how are we going to pay for it? And so I think the again, the ready assumption is that, well, this money has to come from somewhere, and this is the cancerous agent in our community. But you know, as you mentioned, you know there's like a zero sum game, uh or or in more affluent communities, they're not pulling from these other places in order to make an investment they figure out how to do it.

And I think that that's that's kind of an interesting take on even the concept of defunding the police, because I think the ready assumption for the architects of that that moment, the ready assumption is that folks were going to ask, how are we going to pay for it? And so I think the again, the ready assumption is that, well, this money has to come from somewhere, and this is the cancerous agent in our community. But you know, as you mentioned, you know there's like a zero sum game, uh or or in more affluent communities, they're not pulling from these other places in order to make an investment they figure out how to do it.

They don't and that's they don't care like you figure out how to do it. But you make sure our community has.

They don't and that's they don't care like you figure out how to do it. But you make sure our community has.

What is there? You go there and we need.

What is there? You go there and we need.

That kind of uh righteous you know that like righteous entitlement when it comes to community.

That kind of uh righteous you know that like righteous entitlement when it comes to community.

Sure. And I think that what this illustrates this how how different communities are are treated, is that you know, for one community, more of what makes them happy and feel safe and and all those things, those are always on the menu. And for another community, as you mentioned, the only solution is, you know, uh, increased incarceration, get the thugs and the gangs and the drugs off the streets, which I mean they sound good and they appeal to people's sensibilities, but uh, it's almost like coded language or like dog whistle politics. In other words, we're going to have an increased police force or an increase in the militarization of the police.

Sure. And I think that what this illustrates this how how different communities are are treated, is that you know, for one community, more of what makes them happy and feel safe and and all those things, those are always on the menu. And for another community, as you mentioned, the only solution is, you know, uh, increased incarceration, get the thugs and the gangs and the drugs off the streets, which I mean they sound good and they appeal to people's sensibilities, but uh, it's almost like coded language or like dog whistle politics. In other words, we're going to have an increased police force or an increase in the militarization of the police.

I mean, I cat it right. The metaphor right is sort of like less is enough for you.

I mean, I cat it right. The metaphor right is sort of like less is enough for you.

Think about health out right.

Think about health out right.

One community, you got trees, you know, you get your photosynthesis it has been a while your photosynthesis. You got your sunlights, you got your clean air, you got your grocery stores with fresh produce, healthy products. You know what I mean. You're clean water because the LD pipes that come in from the street have been updated, so the water's cleaned. So that means your kids their academic outcomes, camera fly like you have all the things that signal long term health. And then you read this report about health indicators, and you know that community lives seven, ten, fifteen years. Different community as opposed to the other community right where it's like, you don't got the healthy food and we put all the plants by you, so your air is not as clean, and we know that we haven't gotten the infrastructure updates to get those layup pipes out of your community yet. And when folks in that community get sick because we know the health indicators are lower, we're just gonna put you on insulin or we're going to put you on you know, a beta blockers. It's like we're just responding, right, We're just pumping into you the things that sick when we know it's like the indicators of health are all these investments you make much earlier on to get that extra seven, ten to fifteen years of life. And it's like that's the metaphor for sort of how we think about these justice systems.

One community, you got trees, you know, you get your photosynthesis it has been a while your photosynthesis. You got your sunlights, you got your clean air, you got your grocery stores with fresh produce, healthy products. You know what I mean. You're clean water because the LD pipes that come in from the street have been updated, so the water's cleaned. So that means your kids their academic outcomes, camera fly like you have all the things that signal long term health. And then you read this report about health indicators, and you know that community lives seven, ten, fifteen years. Different community as opposed to the other community right where it's like, you don't got the healthy food and we put all the plants by you, so your air is not as clean, and we know that we haven't gotten the infrastructure updates to get those layup pipes out of your community yet. And when folks in that community get sick because we know the health indicators are lower, we're just gonna put you on insulin or we're going to put you on you know, a beta blockers. It's like we're just responding, right, We're just pumping into you the things that sick when we know it's like the indicators of health are all these investments you make much earlier on to get that extra seven, ten to fifteen years of life. And it's like that's the metaphor for sort of how we think about these justice systems.

It's so funny that you're talking about this because you know, often on this show and on my other show, Civic Scipher, we do discuss the intersectionality of or how white supremacy intersection at many in many areas of our lives. And one such area is as you just mentioned, we refer to that as environmental racism and so again, and the intersection of academic outcomes, you know, uh, police corruption, police injustice, police brutality, police killings, incarceration rates, healthcare outcomes, et cetera that all overlaps in that same area. And that's not the complete list. You know, we're not even talking about the health of business or community business exactly. And so an interesting thing to add here is that, you know, for for me, I live in Arizona, and to just kind of bring your example to life for our listeners in Arizona, famously, it gets very hot in the summers. It's it's very dangerous. Triple digitsple easily easily, it'll it'll they'll be like one hundred days of triple digits, you know what I mean. So it's it starts to get really scary when it's like one fifteen, one eighteen. Then when it gets up to one twenty two, it's like it's really it's tough, right, And there is a part of town where there are more trees, more grass, and then there's a part of town where there are decidedly less trees, less parks, less nature, less grass, and everything's paved. And so you have a temperature difference of up to seven degrees. Yeah, and you know, the cooling costs to survive increase, and so now it's affecting the economics of the poor people and so forth, and then obviously healthcare outcomes, so forth, and so on. And I want to add to that. Another thing that is kind of a real life example, at least in my immediate reality, is when you're talking about getting to grocery stores where there's healthy food. There's a story that I believe is true. Don't hold me to it, but there's a family out here that had a grocery store. I know the name of the family. I'm not going to say their name just in case I'm wrong, but there's a family and they own grocery stores here in Arizona, and way back in the day, that's the way the story was told to me. Again, I'm not entirely sure if it's friend, never had to research it before, and it's just coming out now. This family what they would do is they would get fresh produce into their store and they would rotate out the old produce into horror neighborhoods. And there was a magazine out here or a newspaper called The Arizona Informant still exists, and they investigated this how the food was getting cycled out as it aged, it was going getting transferred to black communities and brown communities here into their other stores, and that ended up resulting in what we now see on the date of all of our food, can see when it goes bad, and everybody gets the same. So that ended up getting escalated all the way up. And the results of that back and forth was that now every manufacturer has to put the data on the food in order for it to be sold, you know, something something like this. And now I'd heard this when I was a teenager, so you know that. But in any event, I just I think that those are some some real world examples, or at least if this latter isn't a real world example, it certainly does give insight into some practices that were common. And indeed, one practice that you know maybe maybe it's just kind of the runaway effective of white supremacy. So I appreciate the insight. Let's shift gears here for a second. Let's talk about because I came across this term alternative justice. So talk to our listeners a bit about what that means.

It's so funny that you're talking about this because you know, often on this show and on my other show, Civic Scipher, we do discuss the intersectionality of or how white supremacy intersection at many in many areas of our lives. And one such area is as you just mentioned, we refer to that as environmental racism and so again, and the intersection of academic outcomes, you know, uh, police corruption, police injustice, police brutality, police killings, incarceration rates, healthcare outcomes, et cetera that all overlaps in that same area. And that's not the complete list. You know, we're not even talking about the health of business or community business exactly. And so an interesting thing to add here is that, you know, for for me, I live in Arizona, and to just kind of bring your example to life for our listeners in Arizona, famously, it gets very hot in the summers. It's it's very dangerous. Triple digitsple easily easily, it'll it'll they'll be like one hundred days of triple digits, you know what I mean. So it's it starts to get really scary when it's like one fifteen, one eighteen. Then when it gets up to one twenty two, it's like it's really it's tough, right, And there is a part of town where there are more trees, more grass, and then there's a part of town where there are decidedly less trees, less parks, less nature, less grass, and everything's paved. And so you have a temperature difference of up to seven degrees. Yeah, and you know, the cooling costs to survive increase, and so now it's affecting the economics of the poor people and so forth, and then obviously healthcare outcomes, so forth, and so on. And I want to add to that. Another thing that is kind of a real life example, at least in my immediate reality, is when you're talking about getting to grocery stores where there's healthy food. There's a story that I believe is true. Don't hold me to it, but there's a family out here that had a grocery store. I know the name of the family. I'm not going to say their name just in case I'm wrong, but there's a family and they own grocery stores here in Arizona, and way back in the day, that's the way the story was told to me. Again, I'm not entirely sure if it's friend, never had to research it before, and it's just coming out now. This family what they would do is they would get fresh produce into their store and they would rotate out the old produce into horror neighborhoods. And there was a magazine out here or a newspaper called The Arizona Informant still exists, and they investigated this how the food was getting cycled out as it aged, it was going getting transferred to black communities and brown communities here into their other stores, and that ended up resulting in what we now see on the date of all of our food, can see when it goes bad, and everybody gets the same. So that ended up getting escalated all the way up. And the results of that back and forth was that now every manufacturer has to put the data on the food in order for it to be sold, you know, something something like this. And now I'd heard this when I was a teenager, so you know that. But in any event, I just I think that those are some some real world examples, or at least if this latter isn't a real world example, it certainly does give insight into some practices that were common. And indeed, one practice that you know maybe maybe it's just kind of the runaway effective of white supremacy. So I appreciate the insight. Let's shift gears here for a second. Let's talk about because I came across this term alternative justice. So talk to our listeners a bit about what that means.

It's funny coming off this is a hard year to shift.

It's funny coming off this is a hard year to shift.

No. If you want to respond, please please don't no no, no.

No. If you want to respond, please please don't no no, no.

No no no. I So alternatives it's the idea that we talked about a little bit earlier that it's not enough to say this is bad, right, It's not enough to say this is what we don't want to see. It's very important to articulate what we want to see. Somebody needs to be responsible for saying what are the continuums that need to exist In addition to the long term story you know, storytelling, we're talking about what we want these communities to be invested in. But that's longer term work. So then in the short term we need to have some immediate things that can respond to harm. Community violence intervention programs, like programs that are staffed with individuals who credit messengers are from those communities, are giving a living wage to intervene on issues in communities, offering people they can refer them to jobs and serviances, cognitive behavioral therapies, all those kind of things in communities that could better address harm and actually there is a practice based an evidence base that supports it de escalates issues and can address risk at much less cost and have longer term, more positive outcomes. We need to have those types of things existing communities in the short term as we're building the better long term evidence that you and I are really talking about.

No no no. I So alternatives it's the idea that we talked about a little bit earlier that it's not enough to say this is bad, right, It's not enough to say this is what we don't want to see. It's very important to articulate what we want to see. Somebody needs to be responsible for saying what are the continuums that need to exist In addition to the long term story you know, storytelling, we're talking about what we want these communities to be invested in. But that's longer term work. So then in the short term we need to have some immediate things that can respond to harm. Community violence intervention programs, like programs that are staffed with individuals who credit messengers are from those communities, are giving a living wage to intervene on issues in communities, offering people they can refer them to jobs and serviances, cognitive behavioral therapies, all those kind of things in communities that could better address harm and actually there is a practice based an evidence base that supports it de escalates issues and can address risk at much less cost and have longer term, more positive outcomes. We need to have those types of things existing communities in the short term as we're building the better long term evidence that you and I are really talking about.

Okay, okay, we are here today with the President and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation, Candace See Joan. So here's something else that I wanted to well actually before I get there, And you know, I think you're kind of touching on it now, so it makes sense to touch on this right now. What does is what are the next steps for the PWF. I know that you're working toward and ideal criminal justice system and an ideal sort of like prison system and so forth, and and that's a long road. But just so that our listeners know kind of the direction that you're heading in the next big thing that you're addressing or the thing that's around the next corner, give us some insight about kind of the action steps that are following today's conversation. With respect to your organization.

Okay, okay, we are here today with the President and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation, Candace See Joan. So here's something else that I wanted to well actually before I get there, And you know, I think you're kind of touching on it now, so it makes sense to touch on this right now. What does is what are the next steps for the PWF. I know that you're working toward and ideal criminal justice system and an ideal sort of like prison system and so forth, and and that's a long road. But just so that our listeners know kind of the direction that you're heading in the next big thing that you're addressing or the thing that's around the next corner, give us some insight about kind of the action steps that are following today's conversation. With respect to your organization.

We're doubling down. I mean, the interesting thing about our work is you hit it on the heat. We are doing generational work, right. I have no illusions. I say this to the team all the time that the world that we are trying to create I'm going to enjoy. I'm trying to put in the work so that my nieces and nephews can enjoy that like we're trying to enjoy a world where that generation of children are really born free, right, you know, that's what We're just trying to run the ball down the court and gain some yards. So really we are hyper sensitive in this moment in history of public Welfare's work of not shifting. We have selected these sites and we want to deeply invest in them, knowing that we have to help them build that infrastructure to take on this issue and be really durable for the struggles ahead of them in this next near term. You know, we're going to keep deepening our work by focusing even in the space that we're doing this work more on issues of narrative, which are really having a backlash against these issues right now. So we're going to be investing in our sites and with our partners in some different outlets and campaigns on how we talk and think about these issues. And we're investing in harm reduction, doubling down on what you and I were talking about, how you support this notion of building a continuum of care, building out these alternative but all within the same frame of staying the course on the work that we're doing, because it's so important, particularly in this moment in history, that we signal to our partners on the ground that we're going to be with them because things have gotten tough. We go through this and you know, this is an act as you know, a capital, a activist at the moments in the work where it's like the wind is that your back and there all of a sudden it's in your face. You know, it's cold, ye, your face, right, And it's so important for funders, for individuals like those that work in organizations like mine, that when the wind gets back in the face of the work that we're trying to do, we don't retreat or sort of head off in a direction that we're standing right there. We're gonna catch that win with you.

We're doubling down. I mean, the interesting thing about our work is you hit it on the heat. We are doing generational work, right. I have no illusions. I say this to the team all the time that the world that we are trying to create I'm going to enjoy. I'm trying to put in the work so that my nieces and nephews can enjoy that like we're trying to enjoy a world where that generation of children are really born free, right, you know, that's what We're just trying to run the ball down the court and gain some yards. So really we are hyper sensitive in this moment in history of public Welfare's work of not shifting. We have selected these sites and we want to deeply invest in them, knowing that we have to help them build that infrastructure to take on this issue and be really durable for the struggles ahead of them in this next near term. You know, we're going to keep deepening our work by focusing even in the space that we're doing this work more on issues of narrative, which are really having a backlash against these issues right now. So we're going to be investing in our sites and with our partners in some different outlets and campaigns on how we talk and think about these issues. And we're investing in harm reduction, doubling down on what you and I were talking about, how you support this notion of building a continuum of care, building out these alternative but all within the same frame of staying the course on the work that we're doing, because it's so important, particularly in this moment in history, that we signal to our partners on the ground that we're going to be with them because things have gotten tough. We go through this and you know, this is an act as you know, a capital, a activist at the moments in the work where it's like the wind is that your back and there all of a sudden it's in your face. You know, it's cold, ye, your face, right, And it's so important for funders, for individuals like those that work in organizations like mine, that when the wind gets back in the face of the work that we're trying to do, we don't retreat or sort of head off in a direction that we're standing right there. We're gonna catch that win with you.

Okay, Okay, So this I'm glad you left me there because now I can go back to the original question I was going to ask. You mentioned when we first were on the call that you had, you know, there was a wealthy individual that just left some money behind so that you can, you know, do the work that you're doing. But let's say that there are individuals who are listening to our conversation today and maybe they've been affected by the prison system or the criminal justice system, and they are looking for some sort of machinery or some sort of organization or something to help them push back against that. How would a person on the ground be able to support the PWF. And before you answer, one of the things that we do. One of the things I learned in activism is that let's let's start with the money conversation first. So if people can donate money, let's make sure that they know that, and we want to have that, you know, available to them as well. And then other minutful ways on the ground, et cetera.

Okay, Okay, So this I'm glad you left me there because now I can go back to the original question I was going to ask. You mentioned when we first were on the call that you had, you know, there was a wealthy individual that just left some money behind so that you can, you know, do the work that you're doing. But let's say that there are individuals who are listening to our conversation today and maybe they've been affected by the prison system or the criminal justice system, and they are looking for some sort of machinery or some sort of organization or something to help them push back against that. How would a person on the ground be able to support the PWF. And before you answer, one of the things that we do. One of the things I learned in activism is that let's let's start with the money conversation first. So if people can donate money, let's make sure that they know that, and we want to have that, you know, available to them as well. And then other minutful ways on the ground, et cetera.

So folks should follow us at Public Welfare on all the things on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram.

So folks should follow us at Public Welfare on all the things on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram.

I'll do it now, follow.

I'll do it now, follow.

Us because one of the things we do we do this thing usually before Giving Tuesday. That is a give local campaign where we will specifically highlight organizations and sites that we work with and say, this is an incredible organization in Louisiana, in Oklahoma, in Colorado. Fund them. We'll talk a little bit about their story, their leadership, what they're trying to do on the ground, and we want to drive resources. And then throughout the year we're doing other educational campaigns. Last summer, we did a campaign where we were trying to educate people in the summer about youth justice. What happens in the summer. Kids are out of school in certain communities, kids are going to be planning for European vacations, for summer camp, for art classes and basketball camps, and other communities there'll be no resources to plan for kids, and policymakers will actually villainize those kids and say they're part of the problem if there is any crime spike. And we did a campaign, an educational campaign about youth justice, to talk about kids, to talk about the children that we throw away, throwing up some stats and talking about how communities and policymakers need to be ensuring that they're wrapping those kids with program supports and services in those summer months, not making them the villains to some story or punchline that they're trying to tell. And if people are following us, they'll get access to all our information, all our campaigns, when we're having events, and when we're fundraising for our organizations, they'll get access to that so that they can donate.

Us because one of the things we do we do this thing usually before Giving Tuesday. That is a give local campaign where we will specifically highlight organizations and sites that we work with and say, this is an incredible organization in Louisiana, in Oklahoma, in Colorado. Fund them. We'll talk a little bit about their story, their leadership, what they're trying to do on the ground, and we want to drive resources. And then throughout the year we're doing other educational campaigns. Last summer, we did a campaign where we were trying to educate people in the summer about youth justice. What happens in the summer. Kids are out of school in certain communities, kids are going to be planning for European vacations, for summer camp, for art classes and basketball camps, and other communities there'll be no resources to plan for kids, and policymakers will actually villainize those kids and say they're part of the problem if there is any crime spike. And we did a campaign, an educational campaign about youth justice, to talk about kids, to talk about the children that we throw away, throwing up some stats and talking about how communities and policymakers need to be ensuring that they're wrapping those kids with program supports and services in those summer months, not making them the villains to some story or punchline that they're trying to tell. And if people are following us, they'll get access to all our information, all our campaigns, when we're having events, and when we're fundraising for our organizations, they'll get access to that so that they can donate.

Okay, fantastic, So normally we end on that note, but you know, because we want to make sure that the connective tissue exists so that our listeners can tap in with your organization. And I do need like the website and all that stuff, so before we go, but I want to get your thoughts on this one just while we're here, because this conversation is more meaningful than most of the conversations that I'm able to have on this particular show. But it's also it can paint a very bleak picture if a person only takes certain parts of it, and some people do you know reminder of you know, for folks that don't work in this space, it's a reminder of while we are still fighting this, that that battlefront is still active and I hadn't thought about it in six eight years, you know, to those folks who you know, I have these people in my life, you know, to those folks who might worry about oblique future. What I often say to folks is, you know what, I wouldn't be doing the work that I'm doing if I didn't think it was possible to have a better tomorrow. And I don't think you'd be listening to the work that I do if you didn't think it was possible either. You would have skipped it and said, oh, that's not possible. This guy's crazy, and then moved on. You know, just some some some final thoughts, maybe for for our listeners who they don't get to interact with a person who has accomplished as you, who who's championing this amazing effort for the positive inspired future of black and brown communities around the country. Just some some final words of optimism for ours.

Okay, fantastic, So normally we end on that note, but you know, because we want to make sure that the connective tissue exists so that our listeners can tap in with your organization. And I do need like the website and all that stuff, so before we go, but I want to get your thoughts on this one just while we're here, because this conversation is more meaningful than most of the conversations that I'm able to have on this particular show. But it's also it can paint a very bleak picture if a person only takes certain parts of it, and some people do you know reminder of you know, for folks that don't work in this space, it's a reminder of while we are still fighting this, that that battlefront is still active and I hadn't thought about it in six eight years, you know, to those folks who you know, I have these people in my life, you know, to those folks who might worry about oblique future. What I often say to folks is, you know what, I wouldn't be doing the work that I'm doing if I didn't think it was possible to have a better tomorrow. And I don't think you'd be listening to the work that I do if you didn't think it was possible either. You would have skipped it and said, oh, that's not possible. This guy's crazy, and then moved on. You know, just some some some final thoughts, maybe for for our listeners who they don't get to interact with a person who has accomplished as you, who who's championing this amazing effort for the positive inspired future of black and brown communities around the country. Just some some final words of optimism for ours.

If I love that, I love I love that, you're going to leave us up, there's hope. Right. We just came back. I was in Louisiana last week. I'm DC based now. We were in Louisiana last week with our Justice Reform partners, listening to all the innovative things that they have done, the policies that they have advanced, the ideas that they're putting out there in the world. We went on a tour of this incredible organization called the First seventy two. They have set up right outside of the Orleans Parish Jail. And the reason they're called First seventy two is because the first seventy two hours after someone is released from incarceration, they're at the most risk of whether or not they're going to have a solid transition support and that will determine whether they succeed or fail. So literally, you can walk from the exit to this organization that will get you close food identification, snap benefits, and housing. We got to tour supportive housing that they have already built two locations right there, and they're building a village of tiny houses and it's all run by formerly incarcerated men who said, when I came out, these are the things that I encountered, and this is what I needed. And they came together and created this organization to offer support in jurisdictions all over the country. In the face of everything going on, there are innovative leaders on the ground who are resisting, who are responding, who are innovative, who are standing in the tide, and that gives me hope. You know, one of our partners said it best while we were down there. He was like, we gonna fight one day longer than the opposition, that we're gonna make it. And I just love that, right Like, I'm like, you know, if he's got the wherewithal to do that, I say, I'm with him.

If I love that, I love I love that, you're going to leave us up, there's hope. Right. We just came back. I was in Louisiana last week. I'm DC based now. We were in Louisiana last week with our Justice Reform partners, listening to all the innovative things that they have done, the policies that they have advanced, the ideas that they're putting out there in the world. We went on a tour of this incredible organization called the First seventy two. They have set up right outside of the Orleans Parish Jail. And the reason they're called First seventy two is because the first seventy two hours after someone is released from incarceration, they're at the most risk of whether or not they're going to have a solid transition support and that will determine whether they succeed or fail. So literally, you can walk from the exit to this organization that will get you close food identification, snap benefits, and housing. We got to tour supportive housing that they have already built two locations right there, and they're building a village of tiny houses and it's all run by formerly incarcerated men who said, when I came out, these are the things that I encountered, and this is what I needed. And they came together and created this organization to offer support in jurisdictions all over the country. In the face of everything going on, there are innovative leaders on the ground who are resisting, who are responding, who are innovative, who are standing in the tide, and that gives me hope. You know, one of our partners said it best while we were down there. He was like, we gonna fight one day longer than the opposition, that we're gonna make it. And I just love that, right Like, I'm like, you know, if he's got the wherewithal to do that, I say, I'm with him.

Yeah, I like that. I like that. Okay, So now I'm I'm glad. I asked the question too, because you know what, sometimes it gets a little a little cramped in the studio, you know what I mean, sometimes you feel a little alone in four while is kind of close in on you. So to be able to connect with someone who is as inspirational as you are, it's meaningful, you know, to me as well. So I appreciate your words. Please come back, you know, any time that you have something to offer, you know, I you know, I go to speak for both myself and and Chris Thompson, our producer, that conversations like these, they they matter, you know, they matter more than the vast majority of the conversations we could even conceivably have. And so I want you to always feel like you have a home here to to share whatever it is that you feel is important.

Yeah, I like that. I like that. Okay, So now I'm I'm glad. I asked the question too, because you know what, sometimes it gets a little a little cramped in the studio, you know what I mean, sometimes you feel a little alone in four while is kind of close in on you. So to be able to connect with someone who is as inspirational as you are, it's meaningful, you know, to me as well. So I appreciate your words. Please come back, you know, any time that you have something to offer, you know, I you know, I go to speak for both myself and and Chris Thompson, our producer, that conversations like these, they they matter, you know, they matter more than the vast majority of the conversations we could even conceivably have. And so I want you to always feel like you have a home here to to share whatever it is that you feel is important.

To you know, absolutely we out here.

To you know, absolutely we out here.

These we out here, a right. I like that. I like that, Well we're out here. Okay, I'll take it. Well again, you know, thank you very much for coming on and sharing your insight with us today and again for your your commitment to the successful, informed, inspired future of the black community. Once again. Today's guest is a president and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation Candice C. Jones, and you can hit their website at public Welfare dot org. This has been a production of the Black Information Network. Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host, ramses Jaw on all social media and join us tomorrow as we share our news with our voice from our perspective right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast

These we out here, a right. I like that. I like that, Well we're out here. Okay, I'll take it. Well again, you know, thank you very much for coming on and sharing your insight with us today and again for your your commitment to the successful, informed, inspired future of the black community. Once again. Today's guest is a president and CEO of the Public Welfare Foundation Candice C. Jones, and you can hit their website at public Welfare dot org. This has been a production of the Black Information Network. Today's show was produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts you'd like to share, use the red microphone talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe and download all of our episodes. I'm your host, ramses Jaw on all social media and join us tomorrow as we share our news with our voice from our perspective right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast