WEBVTT
00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:11.359
What I really knew is I wanted to change a narrative and make it not everything so prosecution heavy.
00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.400
We don't need to just have a villain in every single story.
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:21.359
It is much easier for most people to live their every single day lives thinking the police do good.
00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.839
If you're accused of a crime, it's because you did it and there's something bad about you.
00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:31.440
On social media, you can cancel a life now with the stroke of a key.
00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:39.920
The more sort of process you shroud everything in, the more you're masking and making invisible the injustice and the unfairness of what's happening.
00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:52.320
We have a system that wants to focus on punishment and somehow has convinced society that punishment is the same as accountability, that punishment is the same as justice.
00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.799
One of my friends who was a mitigation worker said, You think sex is intimate?
00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.200
Start talking to somebody they're gonna kill in three days.
00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:08.640
The 1-800 lawyers came out and they came out in full swing talking about the thousands of people that were assaulted at quote unquote ditty parties, and everyone believed it.
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:14.560
There should not be hollowness to the presumption of innocence and due process.
00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:24.239
In my mind, a human being being on the wrong side of a border should not result in many, many, many months in federal prison.
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:30.239
One of my clients who I was ready to go to trial with on a murder case sent me a card.
00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.947
And in the card he said, Ms.
00:01:31.947 --> 00:01:39.120
JoEllyn, I just want you to know that I didn't choose to take a play, not because I didn't trust you or I didn't believe in you.
00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:40.640
I didn't believe in a system.
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:50.879
It is difficult to be in a cinder block room with someone for hours on end and to prepare for the fight of their life, and you have to do it in a compassionate way.
00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:52.879
You're part therapist, part lawyer.
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:54.400
You don't have to overthink this.
00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.200
The sky's blue, grass is green, the death penalty is wrong.
00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.159
It does nothing for victims or survivors.
00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.120
It's not justice, it's vengeance and cruelty.
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:03.920
100%.
00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:12.800
17 and a half years of Clarence's life was spent paying the price for being somebody that nobody would miss.
00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:15.120
I can think that the sentence is inappropriate.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.560
I can think you're innocent.
00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.639
I can think that they went about the policing and the law enforcement wrong.
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:25.919
It doesn't mean that because I stand next to you and represent you, I condone the alleged behavior.
00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:31.120
The first client I had who was very, very, I was very close to who was executed.
00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:38.159
The night of his execution, he sort of reached through the bars and he said, I know you're gonna want to stop, but please don't stop doing this work.
00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:39.680
Please keep doing this work.
00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:45.520
Every single human being in the universe is loved by someone and loves someone.
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:51.599
Everyone has hopes and dreams and visions and goals and regrets and all of these things.
00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:57.599
And you see all of that and you feel all of that constantly when people are taken away from their families by the criminal legal system.
00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:11.359
What I really knew is I wanted to change a narrative and make it not everything so prosecution heavy.
00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:14.400
We don't need to just have a villain in every single story.
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:21.359
It is much easier for most people to live their every single day lives thinking the police do good.
00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:25.839
If you're accused of a crime, it's because you did it and there's something bad about you.
00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:31.440
On social media, you can cancel a life now with the stroke of a key.
00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:39.920
The more sort of process you shroud everything in, the more you're masking and making invisible the injustice and the unfairness of what's happening.
00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:52.320
We have a system that wants to focus on punishment and somehow has convinced society that punishment is the same as accountability, that punishment is the same as justice.
00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.799
One of my friends who was a mitigation worker said, You think sex is intimate?
00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.200
Start talking to somebody they're gonna kill in three days.
00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:08.640
The 1-800 lawyers came out and they came out in full swing talking about the thousands of people that were assaulted at quote unquote ditty parties, and everyone believed it.
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:14.560
There should not be hollowness to the presumption of innocence and due process.
00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:24.239
In my mind, a human being being on the wrong side of a border should not result in many, many, many months in federal prison.
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:30.239
One of my clients who I was ready to go to trial with on a murder case sent me a card.
00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.947
And in the card he said, Ms.
00:01:31.947 --> 00:01:39.120
JoEllyn, I just want you to know that I didn't choose to take a play, not because I didn't trust you or I didn't believe in you.
00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:40.640
I didn't believe in a system.
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:50.879
It is difficult to be in a cinder block room with someone for hours on end and to prepare for the fight of their life, and you have to do it in a compassionate way.
00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:52.879
You're part therapist, part lawyer.
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:54.400
You don't have to overthink this.
00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.200
The sky's blue, grass is green, the death penalty is wrong.
00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:00.159
It does nothing for victims or survivors.
00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.120
It's not justice, it's vengeance and cruelty.
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:03.920
100%.
00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:12.800
17 and a half years of Clarence's life was spent paying the price for being somebody that nobody would miss.
00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:15.120
I can think that the sentence is inappropriate.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:16.560
I can think you're innocent.
00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:20.639
I can think that they went about the policing and the law enforcement wrong.
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:25.919
It doesn't mean that because I stand next to you and represent you, I condone the alleged behavior.
00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:31.120
The first client I had who was very, very, I was very close to who was executed.
00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:38.159
The night of his execution, he sort of reached through the bars and he said, I know you're gonna want to stop, but please don't stop doing this work.
00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:39.680
Please keep doing this work.
00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:45.520
Every single human being in the universe is loved by someone and loves someone.
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:51.599
Everyone has hopes and dreams and visions and goals and regrets and all of these things.
00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:57.599
And you see all of that and you feel all of that constantly when people are taken away from their families by the criminal legal system.
