116 in July 2010. Seuss book. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez and journalist Maria Hinojosa about their podcast Suave by Futuro Media. Instead of an evolving standard of decency on the Eighth Amendment, our Supreme Court has a devolving standard rooted in cruelty and blindness to institutional racism. And he imagines this is what his life will be like until he dies. What takes four years out here, might take 16 years in there because they come in once a year.Thats why it took so long to get a bachelors degree. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? I heard in Pennsylvania prisons, if youre a lifer, they aint trying to let you go to college, right? On 22-4-1987 David Luiz (nickname: The Sheriff) was born in Diadema, Brasil. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Even the worst day that I have is good. He would spend the rest of his life . Maria learns more about Suaves childhood in the south Bronx and the sudden move that led him to the Badlands of north Philadelphia as a teenager. And then I started believing that maybe there's a possibility because I started seeing different cases happening across the United States dealing with juveniles. CHANG: David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the focus of the new podcast "Suave." I spent seven years there and in them seven years, another gentleman showed me how to read and write. Things in Suaves life took a completely unexpected turn when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 in the case of Miller v Alabama that for juveniles, mandatory life without parole sentences violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. You do not need permission to get an education or to educate yourself. Shes been invited to discuss her reporting on WBEZs Morning Shift, WAMUs 1A and NPRs Up First podcast. On Monday, Hinojosa and her team of producers and editors at Futuro Media won the Pulitzer Prize in audio recording for a seven-part podcast series called "Suave." The show is about a man. And it was just the most unbelievable thing, truly. Maggie Freleng is an investigative journalist, producer and the host/producer of Unjust & Unsolved, a podcast about wrongful convictions and the crimes that are consequently left unsolved. I asked the teacher, What the heck is going on in there, a Klan meeting? She was like Nah, its a college program.. What starts as a brief conversation leads to decades of communication between the two, walking the boundary between a journalist-source relationship and true friendship. So winning that prize means that our issues are in the frontline right next. 5850 Labath Ave. Rohnert Park, CA 94928 Telephone: Copyright (c) 2020 norcalpublicmedia.org. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. I will say this, that when you do give one of us a chance to shine, this is what you get. In this episode, we follow Suave in his first year of freedom as he experiences countless firsts: leaving the halfway house for his first solo apartment, adopting a pet, finding a job and the start of a promising relationship with someone from his past. Suave also reckons with complicated emotions, wavering between the unparalleled joy of his upcoming release and the guilt of leaving behind the men hes considered his brothers for nearly three decades. Maggie was also a TV documentary host for VICE and Oxygens The Disappearance of Maura Murray. Reach out and listen to someones story before you make judgement or worry about canceling a Fr. Thats what education doesall it takes is one cool motherfucker to walk down that school building for everybody else to think that its cool to enroll. The Jones decision is an undeniably major setback in the movement to end juvenile life without parole. I could not help but think about Suave and other Suaves when I heard about the new U.S. Supreme Court decision in Jones v Montgomery. More at hsfoundation.org. Can you talk about - what does that mean to you? Can you just talk a little bit about that? Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. You had gone to prison when you were a teenager. Im serious, bro, who wouldve thought that a juvenile lifer [who] learned how to read and write in prison, went to prison with an IQ of 56, would one day win the Pulitzer Award and the IDA award, which is like the Oscar of podcasts? When I say we, Im talking about lifers. Each week, , hosts David "Suave" Gonzalez (Suave podcast/released lifer) and Kevin McCracken (Adulting Well podcast) will be joined by law-makers, community leaders, policy-makers, formerly incarcerated and the currently incarcerated as they shed light on institutions that viciously target and harm marginalized communities, specifically We explore the tactics of ruthless prosecutors in the 80s, and how Pennsylvania became the state that sentenced the most juveniles in the country to life in prison without parole. Recently I listened to the seven-part podcast Suave. I don't know - because, Suave, we didn't even talk about it 'cause it's like you're in for life. And I want to talk to Maria about that because, Maria, you essentially become a character in this podcast, which is a choice - right? She has been honored with her own day in October by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and has been recognized by People En Espaol as one of the 25 most powerful Latina women. The crime was a robbery-turned-shooting that resulted in the 1986 death of 13-year-old Danny Martinez in Philadelphia. There are still several episodes to go in this podcast, so I don't know how the story ends up. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. Suave leaves Graterford and kicks off his first day of freedom by checking things off his bucket listincluding a long overdue conversation with his brother and an apology to students at a school in his neighborhood in the Badlands. In order to be able to do that, you gotta be educated to some extent. At the same time, people knew who I was in the jailI was a renegade. Rahsaan New York Thomas: What was the highest level of education you completed on the streets? It's important that the Latino community knows that these [Esperanza's] resources exist.". Maria Hinojosa is the Anchor and Executive Producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA, distributed by PRX, as well as Co-Host of In The Thick, Futuro Medias award-winning political podcast, Hinojosa has informed millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad. I believe in going as far as stopping for an injured animal and saving it to fixing a butterflies wing and helping it fly for a week until it flew away. And Suave reveals to Maria a shocking story shes never heard before about the night of the murder in 1986. In the corner of 8th and Somerset, Maria encourages Suave to talk about that night, which theyve never discussed in nearly three decades of friendship. You could be the source - my source. It tells the remarkable story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez. Group, a Graham Holdings Company. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by . Maria Hinojosa is the Anchor and Executive Producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA, distributed by PRX, as well as Co-Host of In The Thick, the Futuro Medias award-winning political podcast, Hinojosa has informed millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad. Will Luis Suave Gonzalez and Other Juvenile Lifers Be Released from Prison? I mean, listen, I put it like this: our struggle and our journey in the prison system prepare us for this. That our podcast focusing on people that are often forgotten just because they are behind bars is being recognized is an extraordinary feat. For example, I dont know how to use a cell phone. GONZALEZ: Well, whatever I missed in between, I just missed. She found her passion for radio at Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, as an engineer, producer, and on-air personality. We had a secret, unspoken bond. kevin@deathbyincacerationpodcast.com. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. The story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez on Latino USA - Saturday at 6pm This week, a story three decades in the making. But the return to prison has him questioning a lot of things, including what led him there in the first place. Luis Suave Gonzalez is a graduate from Villanova University, Dirctor of NuStop Resource Center, a 2014 TED talk presenter, a muralist, writer, and community activist, helping returning citizens acclimate themselves back into the community. I'm still learning. David Luis Gonzalez is an artist, TedX speaker, podcast host, and support coach for the "I Am More" program at Community College of Philadelphia. He is the cohost of both the "Suave" and "Death by Incarceration" podcasts. But I always say that there's - lucky for me, I had someone that was there for me. Did you hope that education would lead to finding you a way home? I'm not perfect. But in journalism, a source is somebody that could report what - the injustices taking place behind these prison walls that society don't know about. The very last word she said was You can become a voice for the voiceless. And I was just like, Damn, why am I letting this lady mess up my high?. Friends and family of Liz Lesher DAVID LUIS "SUAVE" GONZALEZ: It hit me almost 10 years later that I have a life sentence, that I'm going to die in prison. Attendees who make a suggested donation of $15 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an original piece of Suave Gonzalez artwork, painted expressly for PVS, courtesy of an anonymous donor. He read them over and over. Please note that this episode contains a brief description of violence and sexual abuse. CHANG: You know, Suave, it's really moving to listen to you talk about Maria the way you do and the role that she has played in your life. Instead theyd at her watch a fiction show or read a fiction book, but I believe real life stories are much more interesting and soul catching than fiction. In her passionate dissent, Justice SoniaSotomayor dismantled the majority opinion and showed how the Court dishonestly overruled precedent while claiming it was not doing that. 379 Followers, 41 Following, 39 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Luis Suave Gonzalez (@suave_gonzalez) If you ask me, go on the Internet and Google something, Id be lost. They kept in touch over the decades by phone, letter, and occasional visits. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. She has been honored with her own day in October by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and has been recognized by People En Espaol as one of the 25 most powerful Latina women. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. Thomas, who was sentenced to 55-years-to-life in California, is the inside host of the Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle. Contact us today about becoming a sponsor! And even though I've been home three years, I'm still lost, you know, because this world moved fast. We cant change the world fighting over whos right or wrong. In many statesincluding Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentencedthere are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. Who and What the Hell Is a White Hispanic? I'm not perfect. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. I definitely respect that but the average person is not mentally strong enough to face a life sentence and then have more obstacles than opportunities and still become something. Fifteen seconds changed my whole life.. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. The Courts analysis was rooted in a long-standing rule that the Eighth Amendment embodies evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.. And for me, one of the messages for my fellow journalists is, always stay in touch with your sources 'cause you never know. Required fields are marked *. I think that that makes us better journalists. Is there a part of you that believes Maria is on your side? HINOJOSA: Yeah. CHANG: And when you became a free man - I mean, let's just think about this. I'm still trying to understand society for what it is. December 6, 1986. This is what we do. Police say 34-year-old Luiz Martinez struck the victim in the face inside a bar in Paterson Sunday night, causing 54-year-old Agustin Arias-Gomez to fall backwards and hit his head on the ground. During her eight years as CNNs urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television and continued that work longform on Now on PBS. We had a secret, unspoken bond. Thats the way I was thinking because in PA, life without parole, means till you die. Can you talk about - what does that mean to you? The Pulitzer is an example of American excellence. Kevin McCracken. And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. But over the years, they became close. A Philadelphia judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. When I met Maria, I was at a point that I wanted to commit suicide. HINOJOSA: Yeah. Like to keep doing anything positive, even think about education. I didnt even know how to read, bro. View local obituaries in new jersey. She is the author of two books and has won dozens of awards, including: four Emmys, the John Chancellor Award, the Studs Terkel Community Media Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club, and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAHJ. While there, Gonzalez committed to becoming a voice for the voiceless - he earned a BA from Villanova University and worked as president of LACEO, a Latino organization that has given away 152 scholarships funded by prisoners from their own wages. The Power of Visiting: A Special Presentation by David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was sentenced as a "juvenile lifer" at 17, and served 31 years, mostly in state prison, before being released in 2017. You got to know how to read and write. To quote her, How low this Courts respect for stare decisis has sunk., Youth supposedly mattered but the new majority in the U.S. Supreme Court regressed in its Eighth Amendment jurisprudence. I ran the Latino organization with like 300 people. Now, Gonzalez is a support coach with I Am More, a reentry program for formerly incarcerated students at Philadelphia Community College. She has also mixed and done sound sweetening for indie films and documentary series, such as America By The Numbers and Miss Sharon Jones! The organization gave away scholarships of $500, $1,000 and $2,000. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Kagan wrote that adolescence is marked by transient rashness, proclivity for risk and inability to assess consequences, all factors that should mitigate the punishment received by juvenile defendants. And then, an unexpected revelation puts Suaves future into doubt. At the 2009 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon he won with Rajeev Ram and reached to the second round, where he lost with Gilles Simon. I spoke with Suave a few days before the decision was ruled. One of them was David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 expecting to leave in a coffin. And Ive pretty much taken every avenue that I could possibly take in prison to rehabilitate myselfMinors do have the ability to change.. While incarcerated, Gonzalez developed a decades-long friendship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. Audrey Quinn is a documentary audio reporter and editor. A hellion for his first ten years in prison (he spent 8 years in solitary confinement), things dramatically changed for Suave when he persuaded prison authorities to invite the journalist Maria Hinojosa to speak at Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania where he was incarcerated. 10.20.2022 David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez A curated collection of links The Record What are records? She has mixed and produced music in a multitude of genres (from jazz to pop) and received an independent music award for her work. In 1988, David Luis Suave Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree homicide. Maria Hinojosa, Maggie Freleng, Julieta Martinelli, Stephanie Lebow, Audrey Quinn, and Marlon Bishop the production team behind Suave, When I heard the news that Suave won the Pulitzer Prize, I felt like a tectonic shift happened, saidMaria Hinojosa, President and Founder of Futuro Media. In 2019, she was named the inaugural Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her Alma Mater, Barnard College. Support for this podcast provided by the Art for Justice Fund, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and The Heising-Simons Foundation: Unlocking knowledge, opportunity, and possibilities. It tells the remarkable story of David Luis Suave Gonzalez. Juvenile life without parole sentences disproportionately hit Black and brown children. Those incarcerated serving life and long terms, we gotta get out the mindset that we need permission from the DOC. Now nearly 50, Suave has come to terms with the fact that he will never leave the confines of SCI Graterford. I never had a program that DOC gave me. What can I do? Hinojosa responded, You could be my source. Ive never seen one in my life. In the corner of 8th and Somerset, Maria encourages Suave to talk about that night, which theyve never discussed in nearly three decades of friendship. CHANG: It is fascinating to listen to both of you describe all the complex layers that come into a relationship between journalist and source. This is a testament to never giving up on a story and to trusting your producers. PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. Theres no winners in this. That means he was never going to get out. Like, thats big, man. Thats how you get the street credibility. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? Suave reckons with the last three decades of his life. 2023 His goal in life is to change the narrative of what people coming from prison look like. After Suave is cleared from all accusations, he returns to his home in Philadelphia and tries to move on with his life. With the first two episodes of the new Suave podcast from Futuro Studios now playing, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Futuro colleague and Suave co-producer Julieta Martinelli to talk about the making of the podcast and how the story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the story of one man's incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a . She has also mixed and done sound sweetening for indie films and documentary series, such as America By The Numbers and Miss Sharon Jones! Hard work pays off for David Luiz. info@deathbyincarcerationpodcast.com 2021 Death By Incarceration Podcast. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. Congratulations to the team behind Suave., Journalist Maria Hinojosa and David Luis Suave Gonalez (Photo by Julieta Martinelli/Futuro Studios), Inremarksduring the announcement of this years winners, John Daniszewski of the Associated Press and co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, stated: These stories sometimes right injustice, sometimes they illuminate a deeper context of the local communities in which we live. I'm never going to catch up. But he soon realizes there are limits to how much freedom he can ever truly have, and Maria realizes there are limits to how much she can help him. Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. There are so many people with amazing life stories that should be heard. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. So this is the particular thing about journalists' source - is that it doesn't look like just one thing. He was eventually let out of prison in 2017, after being locked up in 1988 for a crime he committed as a 17-year-old. Like so many of the juveniles serving life without parole sentences, Jones was physically and verbally abused as a child. When I came out, I had basically nobody. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. David Luis 'Sauve' Gonzalez of "Suave" from Futuro Studios and PRX. He has produced 52 murals in the city of Philadelphia. The Suave podcast was always scrappy from the start. Meanwhile, Maria travels to Philadelphia and Suave anxiously awaits the decision from a judge that could finally grant him the opportunity to experience life on the outside as an adult for the first time. Gonzalez said. On the first day of his release, after 31 years in prison, Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was determined to give back to the community. No, no, no, he's not a friend. She is also a contributor to the long-running, award-winning news program CBS Sunday Morning and a frequent guest on MSNBC. And I was like, wow, somebody really cared because in street term, a source is a snitch. On his way to court, Suave is surprised by the smell of fresh air as he boards a bus and leaves the prison grounds for the first time in decades. CHANG: Yeah. She teaches audio reporting at the NYU School of Journalism. After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. She has mixed and produced music in a multitude of genres (from jazz to pop) and received an independent music award for her work. You have this dilemma with Suave - trying to keep some journalistic distance from him in the beginning, but then developing a genuine friendship with him, genuine affection. Suave, as he likes to be called, was serving a life sentence without parole for a crime he committed when he was 17 years old. In 2019, Futuro Studios debuted with The Battle of 187, a co-production with the Los Angeles Times, following up with Con Todo: Brown Love in collaboration with Netflix, Radical Imagination with PolicyLink, and TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones. And that someone was Maria. The story follows David Luis Suave Gonzalez from boy to man, exploring incarceration, redemption, and the often unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. During her eight years as CNNs urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television and continued that work longform on Now on PBS. Suave is moved to a new prison and meets someone in his block who is getting a lot of attention. Everything I knew up to that point was as a child in prison. Get the latest updates on programs and events. Stephanie Lebow is the Senior Audio Engineer across Futuro Medias properties. Open Campus national reporter Charlotte West contributed to this story. What starts as a brief conversation leads to decades of communication between the two, walking the boundary between a journalist-source relationship and true friendship. I genuinely care. It's impossible. Suave, as he likes to be called, was. David Luis Suave Gonzalez was sentenced as a juvenile lifer at 17, and served 31 years, mostly in state prison, before being released in 2017. Her stories about immigrant youth, life in prison and what happens after have aired nationally on NPR programs, including Here and Now, Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. That little place right here changed my whole life. You have this dilemma with Suave - trying to keep some journalistic distance from him in the beginning, but then developing a genuine friendship with him, genuine affection. And I was honored to be that source. Thank you Suave for seeing life in a different light and changing our world. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by . Suave had a rough startas a teenager walking into a maximum-security prison he says he was a target, and much like in the neighborhood where he grew up, Suave decided he had to be tougher than everyone else. "I was given a second chance for a reason," says Gonzalez, who spoke with WHYY host Cherri Gregg. If we would just stop our chaos and look at people individually! I feel like Im leaving my brothers behind.. And Suave, you've been talking to Maria for so many years. Fantasy Premier League FPL set-pieces: Free-kicks add to David Luiz appeal. Subscribe Today, We've got nowhere else to go Concord family homeless once again after temporary apartment stay, Unpredictability and economic viability are stressors to farmer mental health, For Alex Ray, altruisim is a common theme, Calle Walton to be grand marshal of Future in Sights fundraising walk, We've got nowhere else to go Concord family homeless once again after temporary apartment stay, Concord Monitor Recent Obituaries: All of Concord Monitor's Recent Obituaries, Theres a new restaurant coming to Concord, with a familiar name and location, Avian flu is here and is a danger to cats and dogs as well as poultry. David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he was 17. GONZALEZ: I always understood what a source meant. And the more she learns about Suaves crime, the more she comes to question the events that put Suave in prisonand the system that puts away children to life in the first place. CHANG: And Suave, can you take me back to that moment? More at hsfoundation.org. The football player is dating Sara Madeira, his starsign is Taurus and he is now 35 years of age. Maggie is an Adjunct Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and formerly the Producer-at-Large for Latino USA. "It's a blessing for me to be here as the first thing I do when I got out. Im getting out of jail, and when I mean getting out, I mean mentally. As the decades pass, Suave becomes a mentor for younger men and a model citizen inside the prison. Released in 2017 and now in his 50s, the series follows Suave as he transitions to life on the outside and tries to live as a model citizen, yet he soon realizes there are limits to how much freedom he can ever truly have. And he imagines this is what his life will be like until he dies. And theres no excuse. At the start of 2020, there were 1,465 juvenile lifers nationally. Hinojosas nearly 30-year career as an award-winning journalist includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, NPR, and anchoring the Emmy Award winning talk show from WGBH Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One.
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