The Film

It’s been over a year since the President has been in office, and we are asking him to address what is happening in the prisons and on our inner city streets because for the people on the bottom there is no “agenda.” He has to answer this because 6.7 MILLION of us are under “correctional supervision” and we are losing our communities.

This video is an excerpt of a letter written to Obama; see actual full letter here.

“Mr. President”

What It’s About:

1. Alienation

By ignoring the problem, we create refugees among our own people. Inmates return to society without a positive sense of community. They have lost the meaning of “we the people.”

2. Family

Unreasonable prison policies and a socially oppressive culture divide families and communities. Why doesn’t our system support fathers, husbands, and sons after they have already taken responsibility?

3.  Transparency

There is no accountability in Massachusetts’ Department of Correction (DOC) when the media is barred from facilities and independent oversight does not exist.  Why isn’t media allowed in? If the DOC claims to be open about abuse and mismanagement, why is the press constantly denied access?

4.   Leadership

We are in need of a shift in focus. How can our President visit Guantanamo Bay but fail to closely monitor our domestic prisons where 2.3 million Americans are held?

5. Accountability

Every prison system is different. Who is responsible for maintaining consistency? In coordination with the president, each state must be held accountable for rehablitation efforts. As citizens of Massachusetts, we must hold ourselves accountable for voicing our concerns on a local level.