Ep. 55: Understanding Gentrification, Displacement, & Mass Incarceration

In this episode, we’re lucky to have interview two guests. Tonya Wilson, Tacoma native--born & raised on the Hilltop, considers herself a voice of the community. She is pursuing her Bachelors in Education at the Evergreen State College. June Nho Ivers is the producer of the documentary “Since I’ve Been Down.” She shares her experiences as producer and her takeaways from this project.

Discussion Highlights:

• How Tacoma and Hilltop has changed (from pariah to darling)

• How the housing crisis is an ever-present concern 

• The role of the prison-industrial complex in shaping and defining communities

• A discussion of the documentary “Since I Been Down”

• Why we need to create space for the voices that disrupt the common narrative

• Democratization of film-making

Learn More:

• How criminalization swept away an entire generation

• “Since I Been Down” Trailer & Doc intro

• Tonya’s story here WCCW Freedom Education Project Valedictorian and The IF Project

• Black Prisoners’ Caucus

• Interview with Dr. Gilda Sheppard “The US is a Prison State” on Nerd Farm Podcast

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Hope: Watch Tonya’s Tedx Talk - "Cracked Sidewalks"

• Annie: Look into and support the work of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute. 

• Tonya: Vote for the people who are closest to you

• June: When They See Us; go to Black Prisoners Caucus