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Welcome home, Rob!
Our team was beyond proud to welcome our client Rob home after more than 30 years behind bars. Rob and his attorney Emma worked hard to show the parole board he was ready to come home, and Emma met Rob at the gate alongside his family! |
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Building national momentum
Our team was honored to be part of the Second Look Network's first-ever conference in Washington DC this past September! |
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| Executive Director Keith Wattley and former client Curtis "Wall Street" Carroll delivered an inspiring keynote address on what it means for legal advocates to trust a client's instincts as part of a genuine partnership. Keith also sat on a panel about creative parole litigation with advocates from ACLU Maryland and Parole Prep NY. |
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| Our team also joined the National Parole Transformation Project for a virtual teach-in on key challenges and opportunities for reform in California's parole system. |
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| We were thrilled to see over a hundred people tune in - including many advocates from outside California! - and to be joined by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights' James King, as well as UnCommon Law Board Chair and former client Carletha Sterling. |
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Welcome home, Anthony!
Legal Fellow-turned Staff Attorney Serena Witherspoon also had the honor of meeting her client Anthony and his family at the gate to celebrate his much awaited release from prison after 32 long years. |
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Celebrating our community
On October 21st, hundreds of UnCommon Law supporters and former clients joined us for our annual UnCommon Heroes celebration! |
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| UnCommon Heroes presents a special opportunity for our growing community to come together and say "welcome home" to former clients, loved ones, and others who have recently returned from prison. The event also provides us with a platform to celebrate folks in our community doing the hard, often unrecognized work of making these reunions outside prison walls possible. |
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| This year, we heard from former clients Raymond and Michelle, who shared the impact of UnCommon Law's work. In addition to honoring our UnCommon Hero Award recipients James Cavitt and Colby Lenz, we also celebrated Senior Policy Manager Su Kim as this year's recipient of the surprise "Unbreakable Spirit" staff award (established in honor of the late Michael Satris) and invited guests to write postcards from the event to our current clients. |
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| Click below to learn more about the event and our Awardees, and to see more photos from the celebration! |
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Learning from our clients
With so many new hires this year, we invited a few of our recently-released clients to our office to discuss their experiences navigating the parole process with UnCommon Law. |
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| "It's hard to describe the life I had before I had self-worth. Knowing I wasn't who the judge, the courts, all wanted me to be. Knowing I wasn't an animal. It makes a difference being treated like a human being. It changed my life." |
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| It was a powerful opportunity for new staff to learn more about what it means to be a true client advocate - directly from the folks we work with! |
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Growing our network
In September, our team partnered with filmmaker Christine Yoo and SURJ Marin to host a sold-out screening of the award-winning documentary 262 to Life on the film's opening weekend! It was a great chance to meet new friends across the Bay and hear from the filmmaker, coaches, runners, and the film's formerly-incarcerated composer in a powerful post-screening panel.
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Policy Moves
Despite passing both legislative chambers, SB 81 - a parole reform bill our coalition supported - was vetoed by the Governor in early October. |
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| Our team remains committed to fighting for a fair and transparent parole process for all Californians, and we're not giving up. To learn more about our coalition work and community organizing efforts with the California Alliance for Parole Reform, visit caparole.com |
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| SB 81 wasn't the only bill our team supported this year! We also hit the ground in Sacramento to fiercely advocate for SB 474, the Basics Act, which passed last month! |
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"Instead of punishing the most vulnerable communities in our state with predatory financial practices, we should be investing in their health and economic stability."
- Su Kim, Senior Policy Manager
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| Last month, our advocacy teams also spent a day and a half together mapping out comprehensive advocacy strategies - including legislative advocacy, impact litigation, and strategic communications - for parole reform. |
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ICYMI
Keith was featured on an episode of Public Defenseless in October. Tune in to his conversation about the critical issues in California's parole process!
LISTEN HERE.
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Our mailing address is:
318 Harrison Street, Suite 103, Oakland CA 94607
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