Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · 2d

"The system didn’t care about our humanity. It only cared about our compliance. And yet, even in the belly of the beast, we refused to be broken. We sang, we prayed, we dreamed of freedom."

Starling Thomas in a powerful essay for @truthout.org

truthout.org/articles/mam...

Mama, They Got Me Too: My Family Has Survived Incarceration Over Generations

The system has a way of reaching through generations, branding us as criminals when all we’re trying to do is survive.

truthout.org

3

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · 2d

Philly fam: AI is being used ON us, not by us. We deserve a say in how tech and AI are used in our communities, and you'll have that opportunity at the City Council hearing on Wednesday, October 15. Join us at 10 AM at Philly Cam, 699 Ranstead St.

Register below and join us!

People's Tech @peoplestechproject.bsky.social · 10d

We know the “child welfare”/family regulation system is racist. Algorithms & AI are making it worse.

Right now there’s no way to know if or how Philly is using this tech, reproducing racist outcomes & tearing families apart.

Help us get answers at our 10/15 hearing: phillytechjustice.org/hearing

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · 5d

Real community safety is rooted in relationships. That’s why we’re launching neighborhood-based community groups!

Join us tomorrow at West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship (123 S 51st St., Philadelphia, PA) from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Food will be provided!

RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/west-...

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · 5d

This is shameful and utterly cruel: After spending 40 years locked up in a PA prison, all charges against Subramanyam Vedam were dropped. But instead of coming home to his family on Friday, he was transferred directly into ICE custody.

www.inquirer.com/news/subu-fr...

He served over 40 years in prison until his case was dropped. Then, ICE detained him.

Murder charges against Subramanyam Vedam were dropped after he served decades in the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon.

www.inquirer.com

2 1

Reposted by Amistad Law Project

People's Tech @peoplestechproject.bsky.social · 5d

Billionaires market tech as innovation & disruption but the truth is AI—& the data centers that power it—are replicating old systems of harm and exploitation.

Show up on 10/15 and demand that people, not billionaire, drive how Philly uses tech: phillytechjustice.org/hearing

3 1

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · 27d

Tomorrow night the Free Our People Coalition will meet virtually at 6:00 PM for a special update on HB 150 and state legislation to offer medical parole for folks inside.

Register here to join:
secure.everyaction.com/HXx4hq8xOEq1...

Let's Decarcerate PA Together!

Come and Join Us every Third Tuesday of the Month at 6:00pm as we continue the freedom fight in Pennsylvania. Together we can increase our power to push Harrisburg to pass meaningful legislation.

secure.everyaction.com

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 10

"The people said, “Hey, you are in red. What crime did you commit?” I said, “I’m just a university teacher.”

Dr. Badar Khan Suri on his experience being kidnapped by ICE and detained for two months because of his support for Palestine.

lux-magazine.com/lux-for-life...

Lux for Life #54: Badar Khan Suri, the Georgetown Researcher Abducted by ICE Speaks Out - Lux Magazine

Badar Khan Suri, at home in Virginia, June 17, 2025. Kholood Eid for Hammer & Hope, Acacia and Lux throughout. Dr. Badar Khan Suri was returning home from a campus iftar on March 17 when masked Immigr...

lux-magazine.com

2

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 9

Please do not call the cops when someone is having a mental health crisis. They escalate the crisis and put people in more danger.

In Philly, you can call 988 to get in touch with non-police mobile crisis teams.

Thank you @leximcmenamin.com for reporting on this for @teenvogue.com.

Lex McMenamin (they/them) @leximcmenamin.com · Sep 9

Lil Nas X faces felony charges of "battery" against an officer from an arrest during a mental health crisis in late August. I wrote about my family member's experience with police being sent during mental health episodes—still common for wellness checks—and how it ruined their life.
@teenvogue.com

Why Lil Nas X's Arrest Is More Proof Police Have No Business Treating the Mentally Ill

"Police generally aren’t trained or qualified to respond to mental health crises."

www.teenvogue.com

5 160 370

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 4

This Saturday! Join us for Amistad Family Brunch catered by Chef Kurt Evans! We'll be on the 51st street side of Malcolm X Park with hot food ready to serve at 10:00 AM.

We'll also have a free yoga class, reki, coloring, and more. Bring all the friends and fam!

amistadlaw.org/news/join-us...

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 4

A big win for Termaine Hicks, who will receive $3M after cops shot him in the back and framed him for rape to cover it up.

$3M is the bare minimum after losing 19 years of his life to prison. AND it's worth noting taxpayers foot the bill when cops lie.

www.inquirer.com/crime/termai...

A federal jury found that Philly police built a faulty rape case against a man an officer had shot in the back

The panel awarded Termaine Hicks $3 million, finding that he hadn't committed the rape police had accused him of in 2001.

www.inquirer.com

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 3

"Part of the experiment was to see what happens when tenants are allowed to make their own decisions about how to meet their financial needs," Mulbry said. "We know that they’re using the cash for housing because they’re staying housed.”

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Sep 3

For the past three years, the city has been giving cash to some struggling renters, no strings attached.

The first-in-the-nation experiment has been even more successful than researchers studying its impact expected.

Philly’s first-in-the-nation experiment giving cash to struggling renters is working, researchers say

Families that got cash rental assistance were less likely to be evicted, experience homelessness, and report having serious problems with their homes, according to a study of the PHLHousing+ program.

www.inquirer.com

1

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 3

Tonight! Join us and @abolitionistlawcenter.org at 6:00 PM for a virtual event on commutation in PA!

Register here to join and you'll get a Zoom link an hour before the event: give.alcenter.org/a/09-03-25-c...

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Sep 2

Sandra Delvalle is a young PA mom who's facing decades in prison for defending herself against her abusive partner.

Can you chip in to support her legal team’s push to free Sandra and reunite her with her children?

gogetfunding.com/legal-suppor...

Legal Support Fund for Sandra Delvalle

Sandra Delvalle is a young PA mother who was faced with the choice between defending herself from her abusive partner or risking her life at his hands. She chose to defend herself. Now she’s facing de...

gogetfunding.com

1

Reposted by Amistad Law Project

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · Aug 29

You have to organize. I don't know what else to tell people. And organizing is not sexy and it is difficult and it matters that you be persistent. We need long-distance runners right now.

20 590 2K

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 28

The @sentencingproject.bsky.social is always on top of the progress advocates are making to reduce extreme sentences at the state level.

Despite the federal hellscape, incarcerated people continue to organize and win big freedom victories.

www.sentencingproject.org/press-releas...

New Report: States Lead on Sentencing Reform Despite Federal Pushback – The Sentencing Project

www.sentencingproject.org

1

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 27

We love to see our friends at @yeahphilly.bsky.social highlighted in @theconversation.com for their work helping Philly youth thrive.

Even when young people get caught up, they deserve to be met with care, not cages.

theconversation.com/data-driven-...

Data-driven early intervention strategies could revolutionize Philly’s approach to crime prevention

Juvenile incarceration creates worse outcomes for young people and costs more than community-based treatment. So why does Philadelphia spend so much on it?

theconversation.com

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 27

“The conditions that created the need for Black August––racist policing, unjust sentencing, brutal prison conditions, and the use of solitary as torture—persist today, which means our obligation to remember and resist persists as well." Kwaneta Harris for @truthout.org

truthout.org/articles/in-...

In Black August, We Turn Destructive Spaces Into Laboratories for Liberation

This is not just a month of mourning — it's a time for mobilization and recommitment to prison abolition.

truthout.org

2 2

Reposted by Amistad Law Project

Andrea Ritchie @dreanyc123.bsky.social · Aug 26

beyondcourts.org/en/act/votin...

2 130 240

Reposted by Amistad Law Project

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · Aug 26

The young people who would have been most likely to lead the domestic anti-fascist fight in 2025 were repeatedly arrested, beat, jailed, mocked by elites and non-elites over the past 5 years. This was bipartisan. I find it interesting whenever some people ask 'where the young people are' now.

27 1.3K 4.2K

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 25

Mark your calendars for September 6! Movement Chef Kurt Evans will be serving up hot food at Malcolm X Park at 10 AM for Amistad Family Brunch.

Bring your kids, friends, and neighbors! Register here so we have enough food: amistadlaw.org/news/join-us...

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 20

We can't wait to share this film with you! Please join us next Wednesday, August 27 at 6 PM at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

We'll have a panel after the screening to share updates on the fight to end Death By Incarceration in PA. Bring friends!

FAMM Foundation @famm.org · Aug 20

"When Francisco Mojica was sentenced to Death By Incarceration, his wife vowed to wait for him. 30 years later, he came home. Join @amistadlaw.bsky.social for their premiere of "The Man Who Came Home" on Aug 27 at 6 PM at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Register: amistadlaw.org/news/join-us...

Join Us for the Premiere of THE MAN WHO CAME HOME | Amistad Law Project

When Francisco Mojica was sentenced to Death By Incarceration, his wife made him a promise: she would wait for him as long as it took.

amistadlaw.org

1 1

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 19

What exactly are democrats complicit in?

The United States quickly descending into a police state.

@radleybalko.bsky.social

radleybalko.substack.com/p/trumps-tri...

Trump's trial run at a police state

Normalizing military intervention for domestic policing is the beginning of the end of American democracy

radleybalko.substack.com

1

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 19

Democrats are complicit in Trump's takeover of DC.

At the federal and local level, Dems have ramped up policing and supported locking up drug users, houseless people, and more. It's time for them to take responsibility + fight back.
@alexvitale.bsky.social

www.currentaffairs.org/news/democra...

Democrats Aren’t Fighting Trump’s D.C. Takeover Because They’ve Embraced “Law and Order” Politics

Trump’s actions in D.C. are authoritarian, but Democrats’ response has been feeble at best. That's because they don’t fundamentally disagree with police crackdowns.

www.currentaffairs.org

2 9 11

Reposted by Amistad Law Project

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · Aug 17

"It is very hard to wall off data collected from lawful government use. The simple truth of digital surveillance is that if you build it, it will be used, and likely used against those with the least amount of political power.”

Bolts @boltsmag.org · Aug 16

This spring, the New Orleans Police Department was found to have worked with a private organization to run live facial recognition technology. Now, the city is moving to legalize its use.

New Orleans May Hand Its Police Live Facial Recognition Tech. Critics Warn It’ll Help ICE.

The city says it won’t lend this tool to ICE for surveillance. But a state law requires that local officials assist ICE, and New Orleans also wants to end a court order restricting compliance.

boltsmag.org

1 31 81

Amistad Law Project @amistadlaw.bsky.social · Aug 18

This should not be controversial: Poor people and disabled people deserve to live in homes! Not institutions.

We need to invest in housing first, without preconditions like sobriety, says Candice Player of @projecthome.bsky.social

www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Trump’s executive order on homelessness and mental illness discards what works | Opinion

The president’s order trades on worn-out myths about the relationship between mental illness and violence, while leaning into the familiar politics of disorder, danger, and urban decay.

www.inquirer.com

1