>> and now, liza jesse peterson passes her year teaching incarcerated youth that riker's island. the program contains language some may find offensive. [inaudible conversations] >> all right, welcome to bring my book circuit and jessica, one of the owners of the sort we are honored to be hosting the liza jesse peterson to present her new book. you can give her a round of applause now. clap back her new book is "all day" a year of love and survival teaching incarcerated kids that riker's island and she is

speaking tonight with flores forbes. you are in for a treat. maybe another round of applause your detroit red wings overcome a couple of housekeeping things. we have a cell phone or something that might take place in the now is the time to turn an often silent day. we have the book for sale at the register and we will be signing writer afterwards. we also have flyers for upcoming events so we hope you can check us out here to love our event in may. when you buy a book come you not only get a great book a great out there but you support your local independent bookstore in the last big event like this one. we appreciate that. thank you. our interviewer for this evening is flores forbes can associate vice president for strategic policy and program implementation at columbia university. he was a leader in the black panther party insert fighters in prison before receiving a masters degree in urban planning from new york university.

he's the author of two books, will you die with me: my life in the black panther party and most recently, invisible man i'm a contemporary slave narrative in the area of mass incarceration. he will be speaking tonight with their featured author, liza jesse peterson pitches are in in various capacities for 18 years as she appeared on two seasons of hbo's death poetry was featured in the critically acclaimed film 13. her one-woman speech plays a peculiar patriot tour of an over 35 penitentiaries across the country and the full production is scheduled to premiere in new york in the fall of this year. her new book "all day" can see her in classroom in island academy of them high school for inmates to tainted new york city's riker's island. her narrative captures records with its prisoner hierarchy under current violent and constant threat of potential rupture among the inmates and their keepers. despite the relentless fervor and antics that students and in

part because ofa, peterson becomes a fierce advocate working not only to educate them but in so them with a sense of self-worth from their lives. the book has been praised by critics, authors and activists including jamal joseph, russell simmons and jacklin with an who writes these are jesse peterson fall day is a must read for anyone who's ever cared about young people and all people. peterson brings love and laughter to the devastating fate of her juvenile justice system and are able to get to are able in gifted hands we meet young people who will not soon forget and she had been so glad this book is in the world. we feel the same when we're glad she's here with us tonight. rating from the the book first and then join on her conversations and a chance to ask questions after that. welcome to this stage liza jesse peterson. [applause] >> high. thank you all for coming out. i'm happy to be here.

i'm going to jump right in. i'm not going to give too much of an introduction because i was a lovely introduction are to give in. i'm going to read two short excerpts from the boat. just to put it in context, this was one year under the 18 years and this is one specific year that i was a full-time schoolteacher, which is very different than the other capacities that i worked in. i'm going to jump right in to read two short excerpts. this is my first rodeo, so i'm a little nervous. christopher is a light skinned kid with pink lips blooming on his cheeks like cherry blossoms. the acne on his youth, holding space for a year does not quite ready to grow.

if it weren't for the missing bottom tooth in the front of his growth, he would have this big smile with perfectly straight milky way teeth. he's built like a gladiator, tall and muscular with broad shoulders and arms, chiseled for the god. he walks with the bodybuilders swagger and an arrogance that takes up too much space. this boy irks me. he never does work in talks all day, barely moving his lips, he makes this strange guttural noise with his wrote that sounds like a mangled swamp frog. it is an aggravating game he likes to play with his toys, and a weirdo this kid. christopher, please stop making that noise. it is very annoying and sternly demand. i got you, ms. t. respond. three minutes later i hear him

making that ugly sound just to greet diners in beside me. nasty girl taught me all building go while mama plays bingo, rides mandingo. all the kids are singing i'll cool jay is new song. they keep repeating the word, mandingo, proud that they have learned a new word for dick, proud that they can sit in front of me think and i have no idea what it means. the third time i hear it i say i know what it means into acid tabs and outward in front of me out of respect. telling them not to do something is of course registering in their rug rat brains to do it. christopher keep saying men being held over and over again and now we are go frog voice while pleading with the guys to tell him what it actually means.

they get a kick out of him saying a word he doesn't know the meaning of him making me mad for saying that. what is that word mean? why are you tripping over that word christopher innocently asks. i hand him a dictionary and have him look at a period that word is in the dictionary? i thought it was slang he says, quickly flipped the dictionary to lead his defense. the guys are cracking up as he spells the word aloud and searches the dictionary. man, it didn't go. how do you spell mandingo? they run the floor, tears rolling down her face from laughing. it's not that funny, guys. he asked a legitimate question that is how you learn. i say in mayberry feature like voice. i have to be extra critical with this slippery slope of dick

jokes. i continue, that word as an historical meeting and metaphorical meaning someone's christopher finds the literal meaning, i will tell you the slang meaning. i've christopher read aloud the dictionary definition. a member of any of the number of people forming an extensive linguistic group in western africa inhabiting a large area of the upper river valley. then i tell him how it's used as slang to imply a man's large-size anatomy. i may as well have sent dick the way they are bickering and carrying on as if they are 10 years old. so now that you know what it means and how it's been years, please don't use that word around me again. okay, i got you, ms. p. he said nodding its head in agreement just to get me out of his face. two seconds later when i turn my

back i hear mandingo and that frog voice i hate again. he is testing me to see what i'll do. he's challenging me to a duel. he's calling for mama out for a fair one. he's rubbing the genie and my lamp. i stirring. christopher, i asked you not to say that. do not use that word around me. it is bulk or investors that fall. stop it right now. stop doing that thing with your voice. it is creepy. he shakes his head in a dismissive chin up not that reads like you've missed. my chest rises and falls slowly with the long measure breath i take to keep my pressure from spiking. i turn my back to write on the board and i hear of mandingo. i swing around in slow motion

and the full body work with my neck being the last thing to snap into alignment. it's a knee-jerk reflex that flings my mama jeannie and two full octave all up in your face crazy woman purple fury. i am full throttle extremely loud, intense and temporarily unhinged. i am sick and tired of your disrespect. i asked you five times and i am not having this in my class. you haven't done any work since a patent to that class to you just run your mouth, making an annoying word and now you are being totally disrespectful. you think you are slight, but don't get it twisted. i don't play games with kids. you have to get up out of here. proof, proof, get him out of here. i am screaming like a wild we achieve standing over him like a

giant possessed mother. he towers in his seat amid stunned by my piece. he's the incredible shrinking club. i am spraying him with electric shocks like a theatrical magician doing a magic trick, third invisible talcum powder with both of my hands. next are runs into my room to assist him when he sees me standing over christopher with a wild look of homicide in my eye, he posits to momentarily watch me deliver before swiftly removing christopher out of my class and from the jaws of her. another approach is me. he asks me if i need to take a minute, go to the bathroom and called down. no i don't mean to go to the bathroom. i am still in my crazy for mama trends. the shocked look on his face reels me back into my body as i dial it back quick.

excuse me for that, officer appeared in good commit thank you yet nobody's out of my class and good. he took it too far in a snap. i'm okay honestly and truly. thank you. in slightly out of breath but deliver my response honey toned with steve still sleeping on my nostrils. and without skipping a beat i continue teaching the class like nothing happened. idea 100-degree 80 change of tone and go right into my speech. now, open your books to page 47. a verb is your member shows action or state of being. i'm speaking just as calmly as can be, but my vibe is layered with hot ice. i walked the aisles making sure everyone is on task if they want passed, i notice he's not on the correct page. certainly, i demand through clenched teeth. turn to page 47.

everyone should be on page 47. that is why we are here for. quickly, take one turns to page 47 as he shakes his head with a perplexed look on his face and says ms. p., i.e. never seen you cap like that. your eyes got real big and crazy looking. ain't messing with you. then he turns to his buddy, william and turns to page 47. i'm turning to page 47, you heard. ms. p. is calling nk. a few remarks. she turned about. without looking or raising my voice, i addressed him in a slow, low monotone growl. there are no niggas in my class, thank you.

maybe some fools, but no niggas. i am still carrying the thug mama veneer. my bad, ms. p. he says that the fifth straight, like an obedient soldier. i laughed to myself because that's exactly what it was and that's exactly my point, to go overboard and get crazy in the eyes. i'm a little method will flip on day passes. even his poof couldn't be matched by the one i just served. today will go down in the legend. they showed last a good few months god willing. i can write on this show until the end of the semester and keep mama jeannie tucked away in the

lamp. [applause] just going to have a quick thing of water and then when mark asked sir and we can talk. okay, danny. are you all right? okay, all right. thought for today. to have one set of criminal is no disgrace. to remain a criminal is disgrace. malcolm x. every morning i read a top or the day on the corner of the board. i asked the students to give their thoughts on a daily inspirational quote. some mornings it's a price that elicits a hearty discussion. most mornings they grumble, grantor ignored me. too early for critical thinking. i get it. until this morning i wasn't sure

if the consciousness that is attempting to plan for even registering. i forgot to put the thought for the day on the board, which gerald inquired dude who is easily overlooked quickly was good. he forgot a thought for the day. i smiled as his request affirmed that they are in fact watching. they are taking again and i just might be reaching them after all. you are so right. i got you a reply and i write a new thought for the day in the corner of the board as he diligently copied me into his notebook and grinned. look at what you've been through and what you survived. you are walking, talking miracle. you are so much more than you've been told, ms. p. the first week is totally about getting to know that dramatic range of characters who is working at all day every day all year. for some odd reason, the often

males have decided to sit in the front row right up in my face. normally where the cool kids say, reserved for shit talking it the most comfortable and the cuts were real conversations and 11 top takes place. later i would figure out that the leader of this alpha male crew has a crush on me, hence the front row spot by positioning. they call themselves the bosses. not because they smiled but because they have stank attitude is always getting on minors. they are fly boys, spies one can be in jail. new sneakers as they sure wouldn't be caught dead eating pumpkin seeds. they think this jailhouse vocals are heard. they get time at a rate to their bases and clearly have ranked in power back in their housing area. they walk like kings with an air

of confidence and subtle intimidation and a constant flow of salutation and fist pumps and handshakes like little hoodlums. me and my crew back in high school we were the shit, too. knowing the pecking order in this place is important. who's the og, whose adult, knowing whose blood, his his blood, his crib in hua hsu is critical information to stay ahead of potential explosions might arrive. most important is having peripheral vision which is essential for classroom management. the bosses in the same seat every same seat every day, immediately declaring their territory. they claim the front row seat on the left-hand side next to the door in the window that looks out into the hallway. guys who were on their team which include their dummies that close behind them. the guys who saved themselves

set in the far back row. those are generally up for grabs since no one has a strong hold on that section. the harlem crew has claimed or back row seats to the far right next to the filthy windows that face another at the jail's brick wall. nothing to see except that the dissenters mattered on the window. on the board i write students will be able to discuss the eye of the malcolm x and compare and contrast his evolution into their own. then i write, do now. write a five paragraph essay reflect upon and answering the following questions. what is your government name? name your mother gave you? were you in the street, your nickname and why. who are you in jail come your jailhouse nickname and why. finally, look into the future. what type of man you see

yourselves evolving into. who knows the five names of malcolm x. what are you talking about? one of my more attentive but hyperactive students lurks out then he had a name he was called when malcolm x was a hustler. yeah, niggas he did time in prison. the leader interjects looking for approval. watch that word, no niggas, but he did do time in prison and when he was in prison he was called something else. then he would change it again to something else. so malcolm x had five names. what was his first name? what was discovered that legal name? what did his mama named him i asked challenging them.

i should know this seaside. spike lee plays malcolm and i my head to the side to correct himself, after a moment, i don't know. tyrone gives that. i felt the suspense long enough. so i tell them, he was born malcolm little and i read the first name on the board. okay, when he was getting paper, what was the street name he went by i continue? sentiment about the macs had a dark path industry. he asks, he sold drugs for real. he did a little bit of everything. gambling, hustling, he was in this tree, just like you. while this is hustler name i asked again.

looking at shrugging shoulders, tried to give him a little help. part of his name describe the color of his hair and the other part was the name of the city where he was proud. harland yelled tyrone confident that he was right. the two highlights in the back of the class. our love got the most niches from across the room. he shoots back, not as many as proclaimed by meets mitch land. i don't give a fuck about brooklyn because i am from brooklyn. knowing his comment would get a rise from his buddy tyrone is clearly from brooklyn. watch your mouth, son. falling right into the trap by any means necessary. but kai, another one of the boston to sit near tyrone chuckles like a muppet.

i have to make this shit in the bud. being called a snitch is a dense, like the mob calling you a rat. they immediately reengaged tyrone. malcolm did eventually wind did eventually find a pass on an island, but he was not originally from harlem. tyrone shakes his head in defeat. he was detoured red for his reddish brown hair. i would've never guessed that. well, now you know. that is how you learn i reassure him. true, true. it seems to corral most of the class. loves black history and make sure to let me know. i like learning shit like this he said on the sheet of paper. he nods his head and shoot me a friendly slightly flirty smile.

while this and he is porcelain white teeth that shine like brand-new piano keys. he's determined to be a disruption and pain in my ass and the bane of my existence. he is back at his feet. please take your seat i politely asked. ms. p., i don't care about no malcolm x. what did he ever do for me? fuck that nigga. i want to slap the taste out of his mouth for disrespect my hero. this raggedy pipsqueak, this ignorant little chicken bone twerp is throwing dirt on my sacred gladiator of lack of a whose life was spent to remember our greatness? watch your mouth. don't you dare disrespect to

malcolm x like that. as a matter of fact, you've got to go. i'm not dealing with you today. was my lot arm outstretched i gestured to the door for him to get out. while i'm in the hallway miss pete told me i could take a walk and it will be more on you than me, you heard he quipped into a slightly crooked candy corn colored kid. he's not a bad looking kid he just needs to see the dentist and the wizard for a new attitude. [applause] >> so i guess you want to have a quick conversation, open the floor.

>> anyway, i want to say i really enjoyed the book. having been in prison, i never thought about somebody having another day of it for one, it was so funny in terms of the horror of confinement. anyway, could you talk a little bit about how you got to this place, the work you are doing. i know a lot of the performance artist in that sort of thing, kind of expand on that and how you actually, you know, develop the documentation. >> so, my source introduction to riker's island was in 97 in 98, so about 18 years ago.

i was hired as a teaching artist to do poetry workshops for the adolescents and it was my first time ever breakers, my first time in jail, my first introduction to what we now refer to as massacres duration. and i was supposed to do three weeks and then the nonprofit organization i worked for sent me to another school where i do another rotation and all the teachers at riker's island kept requesting me, so i wound up being a poet of residence for three years because they kept recycling over and over again in the same school. that was my first introduction to the population and i had a really great connection with the kids and throughout the years i worked in reentry, so i worked with organizations that helped young people once they return for riker still do not receipt of a backend.

i would do recruiting and counseling, so i work as so many capacities. one year, the principal at the school needed a substitute for this summer. he asked me what a substitute for a couple weeks and i said sure, it was the way to make a steady income instead of constantly hustling with different jigs. from the summer, he asked me to stay on for the fall semester for this one teacher. i needed the cash. i took it on, not having a clue of what i was really getting myself into. when i was at riker's doing this. 2008-2009, i never thought of a book. i wasn't thinking this would be a great vote.

all i could do when i came home with just download what had happened during that day. .. i kept turning the pages of my journal and saying all my god, i realized they had chronicled my journey at rikers. >> okay, you know you use a

lot of black history, other types of i guess you know, signage in terms of the black panther party. and you know, you were talking about being on a different team but the same page with people. i mean, in the joints but the administrators, the guards. can you tell me about how do you feel about it now after you've written about it and go back, do you still go back? >> yes. last weekend i was in port advocacy independently so i'm not working with any organization right now. >> you had any me in the chapter on king is down and things kind of change.

it was a big disruption like a mini riot, that sort of thing and obviously that did something to you so could you talk about how you feel about that today, what kind of work you are looking to do in regard to that class yes, so what really pushed me out was not the kids. the kids kept me there longer than i probably would have been, i probably would have left a lot sooner but i had grown so attached to them and i felt so sort of a sense of responsibility and i kind of have this mother there, protective thing with the kids in the class. but it was the administration and actually the education department of education that kind of created this straitjacket and i talked about it in the book that took away any creativity that i could bring to the classroom and i can't teach

in this environment. i had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to leave at 5:30 to kid get the kids up so it was a two hour commute. and i'm an artist so i need to create, i need to have that creative blood flowing and it was just, it was constricting that so that's really what led to me going. it really wasn't the jail environment because even after that in2009 i came back . i got a job working for a nonprofit so they sent me back in and i left there and work for another nonprofit so they sent me back in and i worked for the department of corrections and program counselors, those who worked in the system so i was working with them every day from 12 until 8 pm in the cells and in another capacity so i just left in october so even though i left as a full-time schoolteacher, i was still consistently re-engaging with the

population. >> you know there's a lot of talk now, i guess an advisory came out that said to close rikers island behind the campaign of leadership and others and cuomo said today, he's going to speed that up and make it three years. you know, obviously the biggest issue i think is reentry. there is no attention paid to reentry at all. billions of dollars on deficits, you couldn't find it so you see your self ever a reentry person, black liberator, what kind of landing space you think you would want to say, carve out for young people who are in prison and then to get out that would help them to basically reintegrate back into society? >> i was fortunate enough to work for some pretty dynamic

and successful what they call reentry organizations that were specifically working with adolescents coming home. and the allen academy were to that i worked for and creating, providing educational services to help them get their ged, providing counseling but i think an important component that needs to be supported is there needs to be a connection with the, what they call the og's who come home having some kind of connection with the youth because there's this you know, this romanticized idea of being a gangster, having streak read and these guys spend a lot of time coming back home and so these young guys, they're looking up to them so there needs to be a dialogue and some men touring so that the guys who spent

significant time of state can come and mentor them and kind of steer them from that destiny that is not a badge of honor. >> it's interesting because when i was growing up, none of us really knew that much about prison. but we did know about other people coming here, and that sort of thing. and they promoted the fact that prison is regardless of the 13th amendment, mass incarceration was created in 1865 so i'm wondering in terms of education, the concept, the program, what kind of program you see other than the mentoring piece. what kind of education skills maybe the kind of network they would need in order to help them remove the external stigma of incarceration?

>> what kind of programs. >> in terms of what you do as a performance artist, the way you combine black literature and music and the lyrics, the last poets and that sort of thing, what kind of program would you see being developed that would educate young people in terms of their journey on the side. >> combining that because you did it outside so how would you do it when they're outside? >> instead of reinventing the wheel i would probably when my support to organizations that are already up and running and i always, because i'm an artist i always have a cocreative component. i'm always going to be the artistic component because i think self-expression and creativity is a major key for

youth development and it helps them develop, helps them have their voice, help them validate they are and self-expression, helps them validate each other so we need that creative peace with the writing or the music, the visual arts. that is a key component and there's, you know, there's some organizations that do that i think lonnie davis, she had an organization where they do performance and that's a great way to help kids develop so they need to be supported, we don't know about them. it's like operating in obscurity. they're struggling for funding. they're struggling but the larger picture is also to to reimagine what society looks

like without mass incarceration. what would new york look like without rikers island? how do we address the bail system? how do we address a speedy trial?how do we support and take some of the weight off oflegal aid so that they don't have 50 cases ? you can't get anything accomplished significant. with that kind of workload so i think that closing rikers will now draw attention to these other tentacles that support what we know as rikers island and mass incarceration because we think we see all these other components and how we can dismantle them and rebuild the community that supports young people and adults who have been entrapped in that system. >> i want to ask you about which character do you really enjoywriting about ? >> and then there's one young man named charles who wrote

an essay on the miseducation of black people and you felt like he had promised, can you talk about shaq, charles, you thought he was going to make it because i think he was going up state. so can you tell me, have you heard anything about him?>> know, i did round into them. >> on the outside? >> he got transferred to the adult facility at rikers island and i was doing work a couple years later and i just cleaned out his first and last name and the whole government and we laughed, had a moment in the hallway but he is home now. but he was my, any educators in here, you know they got one student who makes you earn your teacher strikes the cause they give you hell. they make it hard and that was chante.

any teachers in your who are in indicator you know there's one you wake up before you walk out the door and you're like oh my god, i've got to deal with this kid. i know he's going to come for me today and you're always processing it so he was that kid. when i open up my journal, he's the one that makes me laugh. >> what effects do you hope that your book is going to have on other people who follow the same path in terms of prison writing programs and programs? >> humanizing children. these are children. children. and humanize, humanize black and latino adolescents. as we see them or society sees them as adults, as older then their youth and their children and we all, science has proven that their

prefrontal cortex is still developing so they are going to be reckless. they are going to be obnoxious. they're going to be narcissistic, loud, get on your nerves and they will down and test authority every other adolescent whether your white, asian, that is a natural state of development. like the terrible twos which is, they call that separation individuation. when the two-year-old is trying to establish their independence and walking away from money and having tantrums. the second stage of that development is when they are teenagers so terrible twos, they hit the terrible twos so we can wrap our minds around this, this is a natural state of temporary insanity and that's a development that they will grow out of. maybewe can humanize them instead of criminalize them . >>. [applause] i should have done this in the beginning, right on. could you tell us where you came from, how you got here ?

what do you see in the future? >> i was born and raised in philly, living in new york for a long time and you know, i just want to, 18 david rockefeller grant for my one woman show. [applause] which addresses mass incarceration and it's being produced and premiering in september so look out for that and i'm just really, the book was released last week so i'm enjoying what this new lane is. i'm performing and now i'm an author, okay, what is this? i'm kind of getting used to it. >> your new onstage. >> yeah, and i have another book that's rumbling in me and gnawing at me so i don't know. >> what is that going to be about? >> i don't know.

>> okay. okay. >> the kids though, the kids. the children. >> this was probably the last question i will ask you. you know there is i guess some of the work i'm doing at columbia university where developing a campaign to amend the punishment clause of the 13th amendment, basically it makes you a slave when you go to prison. hopefully that will begin the conversation to really look at real reentry because there's no real reentry into society. when i got out of prison in california i got $200 and a bus ticket if i needed it. here in new york i think they give you $40. and they spend 60, $70,000 keeping you in prison and plus you're doing slave labor .

getting $.50 an hour to work in the furniture factory so when you, thinking about the campaign that highlights not just mass incarceration but reentry because the recidivism rate is 70 percent so at 30 percent that make it out here, nobody ever really hears about. some of them. i mean, i've been in prison 30 years. >> god bless. so i mean, can you talk about i guess in the theater form, what kind of campaign would you see if you were performing a piece on stage? how would you frame that because i saw you do a visiting room. >> that's the play that's being produced. >> i saw you do visiting room at the citizens .

the citizens event. so briefly kind of talk about how you might get something like that out with regards to highlighting mass incarceration, reentry, 70 percent recidivism rate, 30 percent that don't go back. >> you know, what really is important for me is again, getting back to the humanity of the people who are behind the walls because we see the headlines or we see the numbers and we see the statistics so we see the numbers but we don't see the people. we don't connect the numbers to actual human beings. a mother, a father, a son, a sister, uncle, grandfather. we don't connect those two tactics to people so the art is i try and my intention is to humanize those statistics because if you can, these people, if you can read

people's hearts through art, then you can begin to change people'sperspective . and you know, there's no one single answer.there's so many layers. jobs, counseling. you have post traumatic stress for soldiers, you have this thing with people coming home from post traumatic present situation or slave syndrome so there needs to be a whole rethinking or reimagining of how we can be more feeling in our approach to dealing with this diabolical system that is chewing up families and communities and children.>> all right. let's give her a round of applause. [applause] and i guess will open it up to questions.>>.

[inaudible] what are some of the elements or skills that maybe you took from that and were able to harness and really helped you in the classroom? >> my theater voice. so like that thing with christopher, i came from my diet plan but it was like six walls so i was like okay. and that was something i used and also use creative writing and poetry as a way to really get them engaged and with each other, one of the things i love to do is take some of their writing and i would read it anonymously and because i'm a performer, i knew how to make it sound

really fly, you know? so then the kids would go whose that, that was dope. they were affirming each other and the kids the next day would go i wrote that so now you have them affirming each other and i'm like okay, this is a thing so i would use my poetry skills, the poetry sounds super fly. >>. [inaudible] do you know if any of these students have readership and are giving feedback west and mark is there anyway you plan to get the book to them? >> yes, i have a couple people, a couple of the kids coming out and letting them know, their names have all changed in the book but yes, i'm getting that 123 so they're getting out. >> great.

>> once a week you try to create writing workshops and what i want to ask you is under the circumstances of where i'm going, what you think is the best art outcome there i suggest. it's in an area, called second chance. it might be embracing, solitary. yeah. so there's lots of stuff in the day room and lots of stuff going on there and there's a certain amount of turnover. it's like every day is a new day. there's always some thing i got reintroduced myself so i've done teaching in the board, not a lot of years so a lot of artists will have

stuff. and i can't even really give them a book to write. i give them individual pieces of looseleaf so there's no, nothing like getting the ball rolling in a big way. people are engaged to express themselves and i feel good. two different ways, one is one young man and two sides and there were like six of the other but what do you think, when you're in that situation when you're writing about it?>> i was in that situation most recently working in the day room for a program in that environment and what happened in legislation because there's high turnover and a lot of distraction. once you i couldn't get to write i would go home and type up their poems. just typing it up and putting it on a piece of paper, they

can look official and reengage. they got the piece of paper and showing the ceos, not just a piece of paper, now they have it typedup. something as small as that makes it official . why don't we try that? >> i had to say i've worked many times and phenomenal, i'm excited. it's phenomenal to my colleagues. talking in the work we talked about our reentry especially black and brown people, their reentry into private service as white kids, how about reentry ? working the kids that i see, we talk about what they don't let them in the situation. what you think in working with many ofthe kids , what do they say about the environment there arranged in? >> their environment, is fast money, wanting to be cool and

i think reentry is a great thing to think about is like, their organizations like what are they called? giantsteps . and they are acts of offenders and gang leaders and bikers, their name is sos so i'm having them go to the school and talk to the kids who are you know, flirting with gangs or even in gangs and having that interaction, that dialogue before they do something that will land them behind the wall. so yes. >> we have some prominent figures that have some investments big-time,

corporate interests. what's the plan of action to fight that says that the divorce in the future? >> their evil. >> is that what this is? [laughter] their people. so instead of focusing on them we have to focus on the community. because if we focus on them, how can we focus on our community and do what we do in our community and we invest in our community, i'm not suggesting it's going to be a snake but the devil operates like the devil operates, i want to focus on my community, the children, the kids and that's where i'm going to focus my energy in building that because that will be i think, that's white

supremacy so if we focus on our community, focus on others, that becomes the inoculation for the disease that is racism and white supremacy. we're doing more and not getting from it. >> fold disclosure, i'm a prosecutor. being here tonight specifically so i want to hear what your experience was because it's difficult both as a woman of color and as a prosecutor to see children and like you said, you want to humanize the children, that's something i'm mindful of. a lot of my descendents are 15, 16, 17. and my question to you is you talk about this system that we now have in place, what would you say to somebody who's in law enforcement gets that side because it starts, it's one thing to be defense,

it's another space for you to have the power to say i'm in the middle of this program, what would you say to somebody to get that dismantling started? >> you know, i don't know what i would say. i just know that there are some things that are placed that are working. like there's this thing called community justice, where it's like a restorative justice. it's restorative justice so this is where the person who committed the crime, the person who was the victim of the crime, they get together . of course monitored and this is, there's this healing process and so there's ways to gain. i don't have the answer. i don't have the answer but i know that you being here and just you having that

consciousness is a way that you're working with the kids or you're in the way but i hard but i had a conversation last week with an assistant district attorney. i was able to get an audience for my kids and i talk to her. she wanted to build a book and get it in the years and it was insane, you got the numbers up, get good tweets so i get that but i understand why and in that conversation, she was able to , i was able to humanize him because i knew him and had a relationship with him. and she softened a little bit so neil moved a little bit. she said i'm open to a second chance. " no cigar. so i don't know. i don't know what could be

said. i just know the conversations need to start and thank you for coming. yeah, thank you. that's huge. >> couple more, this gentleman here. >> there are programs for college education and that kind of thing but in jail i'm guessing there's a lot more turnover in the way that there's hearings and breast so does that affect the situation in the classroom? somebody could be here today and be gone tomorrow. >> yes, it's definitely being in the jail environment is transient so you get a lot of turnover.so it's hard. it was a challenge. you do your best every day. new kid comes in, you might be there for a day or week or three months. so sometimes we peek but

repetition is good for that. i did a lesson, a few weeks later and the kids who had the first time, it's safe since then because they got it again. >> absolutely. >> one. >>

>> god bless you. [applause] >> so they see they are loved. they made into a book, their lives, their stories, you know, rugrats cells. a question in the back. and then you. i'm sorry. i'm bad at this. >> i want to reaffirm, i see how important speaking about like how important it is that young people are part of the conversation. i'm part of a social justice hip-hop company i my brother

just got home from rikers on march 3. wasn't told when he is going to leave. i guess i just want to affirm i am doing a play next week on the stories that we collected from my family. so i wanted i guess to put out there, what do you think about, because i hear you saying you have to find then people who were in relationship to the book. so what do you feel like you want to tell them about this, how do you think you can transition and say i shared your story and how do you feel? i shared your story and this is what it want to leave you with. if they might not read this book. >> i ran into tae kwon do, about two months ago on fourth street. the book wasn't out yet. it was being published but it wasn't physically out.

i told him i said i wrote a book and you're are one of the main characters. he just laughed, you know. so i would just tell them their stories, they have a voice and i wrote the book, they can write a book. i always encourage my kids and to write a book. you have a voice. the whole hip-hop industry is based on their voice. it doesn't have to be a wrap, it can be a story. i had someone started writing a book, and i write about in the book. >> i recently -- [inaudible] much appreciate your book and learned a lot. thank you much. but my question is, the plan to close rikers island proposes cutting the jail population in half in the next ten years. at also calls for cutting the co

population at about half. and increasing the ratio of civilian staff, including programs. i guess i'm wondering if you have thoughts on kind of what the program looks like. i think we had this idea that programs, civilian staff, need to be a more important part of jail culture. i guess give any thought to what that looks like? what is an effective program going to be to engage these kids? >> i'm so glad you asked that because there's a program that just came out working for the department of corrections as a program counsel. they got rid of solitary confinement for all 16 and 17-year-olds. [inaudible] >> that was for the first year, then the second phase was 18-21, the young adult. when they get rid of solitary confinement they didn't have anything of place. so in comes me and 20 of my coworkers like parachuted in

with like ball pens and paper and programs to do something, something different. so i have a lot to say about that. that's probably my second book. [laughing] [applause] >> you won't realize for a while the impact you are having. as someone who did crimes and was saved because -- a similar scope of what you are doing at rikers, you said someone wrote a book, obviously, boom. later on you realize as a kid what you doing was crazy and you look back and realize people like yourself. one of the big takeaways from the book, do you plant like maintaining, how do you plan to maintain relationships? that could be a lot. the upside, working with the

youth. how much to be attached and how to make sure i keep myself intact? it can be so involved. you can lose yourself. i know i got lucky the cause my family was of his like we're going to get you out of this and put you in this. how do you plan on maintaining your self while still trying to maintain others? >> i don't know. it is important, very important. i had that realization today because this morning i was in court, supreme court advocating for another kid. then had to type up a letter for another kid and i e-mailed it to the lawyer but i wasn't sure the lawyer would bring to court so i made sure i printed out a copy and met his mother to give his mother a copy. and now i'm here. i haven't figured out the balance. i just know that my spirit has

to say connected to the kids in some way. it's a spiritual kind of thing, you know, whether it's one or two or five or ten. i don't know how to balance it. i haven't figured that out yet. i would like to be able to create some kind of, you know, let's say my book becomes a tv show, that i would like to see some work for my kids to be involved in the industry. i like to bring them along with me. say come on with me. don't steal nothing. [laughing] >> to you want to it up there? >> okay. y'all have been great. [applause]

>> books are up at the front register. [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> on sunday june 4, author and journalist matt taibbi will be our guest on in-depth. >> if you grew up look at thousands and thousands of faces until one day you see the one face that you feel was put on earth just for you and that instantly that you fall in love in that moment, you know, for me troubles like that except it was the opposite. when i first saw it on the campaign trail i thought this is a person who is unique, horrible and amazing, terrible characteristics were put on earth specifically for me to appreciate, or not appreciate or whatever the verb is. because i had really been

spending a lot of the last ten to 12 years without knowing it, preparing for donald trump to happen. >> he is a contributor to rolling stone magazine and is the author of several books including smells like that elephants, the great derangeme derangement, and his most recent book "insane clown president," dispatches from the 2016 circus. during our life through our conversation will take your calls, tweets and facebook questions on his literary career. watch matt taibbi live from noon to 3 p.m. eastern sunday june 4. >> this morning i want to begin by introducing you to somebody

from our book and that is kim powers bridges. she owns and operates bridges funeral home in tennessee. but she's not from tennessee. kim is actually from oklahoma. she started her first business there, a funeral business, but she had to leave oklahoma when she ran afoul of the law. it turns out that kim was engaged in a very dangerous practice of selling caskets without a funeral directors license. before that in the early 1980s kim was on the executive fasttrack. she grew up in the family of hard-working entrepreneurs. she learned the relationship between hard work and success. after she left college she enjoyed a lot of success in a number of different businesses. eventually she ended up at one of the nations largest funeral companies, and there she sold preneed funeral services.

she saw this as a way to combine her drive in business with our desire to help people through her work. and as before she was very successful in that business. but after a few years to begin to notice that there was a need, and niche to be filled, classic entrepreneur. and that way she saw that in the funeral industry the merchandise that was sold was marked up a significant amount, caskets, for instance, will be marked up anywhere from 250-600%. 250-600%. she began to think how could i put together a business model that would enable me to sell the same merchandise but at a much lower cost? so she eventually left this funeral business. she joined up with dennis bridges who would left the same company and they spent a uniform and what became memorial concepts online. and as the name implies, their business plan was to sell

everything, all of the merchandise, particularly caskets, over the internet and it would take advantage of drop shipping drachma -- drop shipping for manufacturers which enabled them to keep their costs very low and then they passed on those savings to the consumers. they thought they had a winning business plan, and they did. but they ran into a problem. the problem was oklahoma state law says that if you want to sell a casket to consumers in oklahoma and you are an oklahoma-based company, you must be licensed as a funeral director. and kim was not. she could've gone back to earn this license but it would require her to go to school for two years. she would have to complete an internship at which time she would embalm 25 bodies. then she would have to have a brick-and-mortar business in which she would have a selection room, a preparation room, a viewing room and she would have to have inventory on hand.

none of which they were interested in. as if the were not irrational enough to require a funeral directors license to sell a box, because athletic casket is, and if the box, the law also created circumstance where an oklahoma-based company had to be a licensed funeral director to sell to consumers in oklahoma. but companies outside of the state who sold to consumers in oklahoma did not have to have a funeral directors license. so kim could have taken our business, which was essentially computer servers, she could've taken her servers and moved across the state line to kansas and there she could've sold caskets to consumers in oklahoma all day long. but she didn't want to do that. she wanted to stay no coma. she wanted to raise her family in her hometown of ponca city. she thought the law was wrong. and not only wrong but

injurious. because it enabled funeral directors to mark up their merchandise and take advantage of people who were at it difficult or vulnerable time in their lives. so she stayed in oklahoma and she fought the law. she wasn't the only one who it thought this law was wrong. some legislators did so as well. beginning in 1999 they began introducing a series of bills every year to remove the licensing requirement for casket sales. kim testified on behalf of several of these bills, and every year they lost. they lost for one reason and one reason alone, and that was the licensed funeral directors, the industry, which go to the legislature and they would lobby aggressively to protect their license. and every year they succeeded. so today in oklahoma if you want to sell a casket and you are an oklahoma-based company, you must have a funeral directors

license. what kim and the legislators ran into is what we call in our book the bottleneck is. bottleneck or is some advocates for the creation or perpetuation of a government regulation, particularly and occupational license to restrict the free flow of workers into an occupation in order to enjoy an economic benefit as a result. >> you can watch this and other programs online at booktv.org. >> [inaudible conversations]