This is my favorite protest shirt. It says, "Protect your people." We made it in the basement of our community center. I've worn it at rallies, at protests and marches, at candlelight vigils with families who have lost loved ones to police violence. I've seen how this ethic of community organizing has been able to change arresting practices, hold individual officers accountable and allow families to feel strong and supported in the darkest moments of their lives.
這是我最愛的抗議上衣。 上面寫著「保護你的同胞」。 我們在社區中心的地下室做的。 我會穿著它參加集會、 抗議、遊行、 燭光守夜, 和因為警方暴力而失去 摯愛的家屬們站在一起。 我見過這種社區組織的倫理 能夠改變逮捕慣例、 讓每位警官自負其責, 讓家屬在人生中最黑暗的時刻, 仍能堅強、感受到支持的力量。
But when a family would come to our center and say, "My loved one got arrested, what can we do?" we didn't know how to translate the power of community organizing that we saw on the streets into the courts. We figured we're not lawyers, and so that's not our arena to make change. And so despite our belief in collective action, we would allow people that we cared about to go to court alone. Nine out of ten times -- and this is true nationally -- they couldn't afford their own attorney, and so they'd have a public defender, who is doing heroic work, but was often under-resourced and stretched bare with too many cases. They would face prosecutors aiming for high conviction rates, mandatory minimum sentences and racial bias baked into every stage of the process.
但,當家屬到我們的中心 並說:「我所愛的人被逮捕了, 我們能怎麼做?」 我們不知道要如何將我們 在街頭上看到的社區組織力量 轉移到法庭上。 我們並不是律師, 所以那不是我們要進行改變的地方。 所以,儘管我們相信集體行動, 但我們還是讓我們在乎的人 獨自上法庭。 十次有九次 —— 全國皆如此 —— 他們負擔不起律師費, 所以他們會用公設辯護律師, 他們在做很英勇的事, 但通常都資源不足, 且承擔太多案件。 他們所面對的檢察官, 是把目標放在高定罪率、 強制最低刑期, 以及過程中每個階段 都少不了的種族偏見。
And so, facing those odds, stripped away from the power of community, unsure how to navigate the courts, over 90 percent of people that face a criminal charge in this country will take a plea deal. Meaning, they'll never have their fabled day in court that we talk about in television shows and in movies. And this is the untold part of the story of mass incarceration in America -- how we became the largest jailer in the world. Over two million people currently incarcerated in this country. And projections that say one out of three black men will see the inside of a prison cell at some point in their life on this trajectory.
所以,面對那麼低的勝算, 社區的力量又被奪去, 不確定在法庭上要怎麼辦, 在美國面對刑事控告的人 當中有超過九成 會選擇認罪協商。 意思就是,他們永遠無法在 法庭上解釋而得到逆轉勝的機會, 就像我們在電視節目 和電影上看到的那樣。 這是美國大規模監禁的故事中 不為人知的部分—— 我們如何變成世界上最大的監獄。 目前,在這個國家, 有超過兩百萬人被監禁。 據推測, 三個黑人中就有一個, 在人生的某個時點會進到牢房內。
But we have a solution. We decided to be irreverent to this idea that only lawyers can impact the courts. And to penetrate the judicial system with the power, intellect and ingenuity of community organizing. We call the approach "participatory defense." It's a methodology for families and communities whose loved ones are facing charges, and how they could impact the outcome of those cases and transform the landscape of power in the courts.
但,我們有解決方案。 我們決定推翻 「只有律師才能影響法庭」這想法。 將社區組織的力量、才智 和足智多謀,滲透到司法系統中。 我們把這個方法稱為 「參與式辯護」。 這個方法是提供給所愛的人 正面臨控訴的家屬和社區, 讓他們知道要如何去影響 那些案件的結果, 並轉變法庭上的權力樣貌。
How it works is, families whose loved ones are facing criminal charges will come to a weekly meeting, and it's half support group, half strategic planning session. And they'll build a community out of what otherwise would be an isolating and lonely experience. And they'll sit in a circle, and write the names of their loved ones on a board, who they're there to support. And collectively, the group will find out ways to tangibly and tactfully impact the outcome of that case. They'll review police reports to find out inconsistencies; they'll find areas that require more investigation by the defense attorney; and they'll go to court with each other, for the emotional support but also so that the judge knows that the person standing before them is part of a larger community that is invested in their well-being and success.
它的運作方式是, 面臨刑事指控者的家人 會來參加每週的會議, 它算是半個支持團體, 半個策略計畫集會。 他們會形成一個社區團體, 否則這些人就得孤單地獨自面對。 他們會圍成一圈坐下, 把他們想要支持的、 摯愛人的名字寫在白板上。 同心協力,這個團體 會找出確實、得體的方法 來影響案件的結果。 他們會重新檢視警方的報告, 找出不一致之處; 他們會找出需要辯護律師 進一步調查的部分; 他們也會陪彼此上法庭, 給與精神上的支持, 同時也是讓法官知道, 站在他們面前的這個人 隸屬一個大型社群團體, 這個團體會為了他們的 福祉和成功而努力。
And the results have been remarkable. We've seen charges get dismissed, sentences significantly reduced, acquittals won at trial and, sometimes, it has been literally lifesaving. Like in the case of Ramon Vasquez. Father of two, family man, truck driver and someone who was wrongfully charged with a gang-related murder he was totally innocent of, but was facing a life sentence. Ramon's family came to those meetings shortly after his arrest and his detention, and they worked the model. And through their hard work, they found major contradictions in the case, gaping holes in the investigation. And were able to disprove dangerous assumptions by the detectives. Like that the red hat that they found when they raided his home somehow affiliated him to a gang lifestyle. Through their photos and their records, they were able to prove that the red hat was from his son's Little League team that Ramon coached on the weekends. And they produced independent information that proved that Ramon was on the other side of town at the time of the alleged incident, through their phone records and receipts from the stores that they attended.
結果成效非常顯著。 我們已經看到控訴被駁回, 刑期被明顯縮減, 判決是無罪開釋, 有時,真的是救了人命。 就像拉蒙‧瓦茲奎茲的案子, 他有兩個孩子,是個愛家的男人, 開卡車維生, 被誤以為犯下了 與幫派相關的謀殺案而被起訴, 他完全是無辜的, 卻要面臨無期徒刑。 在拉蒙被逮捕和拘留之後沒多久, 他的家人出席了那些會議, 他們運用了這個模式。 透過他們的努力, 在這個案件中,他們找到了 一個重大的矛盾之處, 在調查過程的漏洞。 他們得以反駁警探所做的危險假設。 比如他們把在突襲他家時 所找到的那頂紅色帽子 將他和幫派生活連結起來。 透過他們的照片和記錄, 他們得以證明那頂帽子是來自 他兒子的小聯盟球隊, 拉蒙在週末會當那支球隊的教練。 他們也找到了客觀的資訊, 證明在事件發生當時 拉蒙人在小鎮的另一邊, 用的是他們的通話記錄 及他們造訪過商店的收據。
After seven long months of hard work from the family, Ramon staying strong inside jail, they were able to get the charge dismissed. And they brought Ramon home to live the life that he should have been living all along.
經過家屬漫長七個月的努力之後, 拉蒙在監獄中保持堅強, 他們終於讓控訴被駁回。 他們把拉蒙帶回家, 讓他過著本該擁有的生活。
And with each new case, the families identified new ways to flex the knowledge of the community to have impact on the court system. We would go to a lot of sentencing hearings. And when we would leave the sentencing hearing, on the walk back to the parking lot after someone's loved one just got sent to prison, the most common refrain we would hear wasn't so much, "I hate that judge," or "I wish we had a new lawyer." What they would say was, "I wish they knew him like we know him."
隨著每個新案件, 家屬們就會找到一些新方式 來增強社區的知識, 對法庭系統產生影響。 我們會去很多量刑聽證會。 當我們要離開量刑聽證會時, 在某人的摯愛被送入監獄之後, 我們走回到停車場, 我們最常聽到大家會重覆說的話, 並不是「我討厭那個法官」, 或「我真希望我們有個新律師。」 他們會說的是: 「我真希望他們能 像我們這麼了解他。」
And so we developed tools and vehicles for families to tell the fuller story of their loved one so they would be understood as more than just a case file. They started making what we call social biography packets, which is families making a compilation of photos and certificates and letters that show past challenges and hardships and accomplishments, and future prospects and opportunities. And the social biography [packets] were working so well in the courts, that we evolved it into social biography videos. Ten-minute mini documentaries, which were interviews of people in their homes, and at their churches and at their workplace, explaining who the person was in the backdrop of their lives. And it was a way for us to dissolve the walls of the court temporarily. And through the power of video, bring the judge out of the court and into the community, so that they would be able to understand the fuller context of someone's life that they're deciding the fate of.
所以,我們開發工具和方法, 讓家屬能描述出其摯愛的 更完整豐富的故事, 他們才不會只被視為一個案件檔案。 他們開始做我們所謂的 社區人士傳記資料包, 也就是家屬匯整出 照片、證書、信件, 來呈現出過去所經歷的 困難挑戰與成就, 以及對未來的展望和機會。 社區人士傳記包 在法庭上的效果相當好, 因此我們將它再改造 成為社區人士傳記影片。 十分鐘的迷你紀錄片, 內容是訪談他們的家人、 教友、同事, 解釋當事人在他們的 生活中是怎樣的人。 我們用這種方式來暫時 化解法庭的高牆。 透過影片的力量, 把法官從法庭帶到社區中, 讓他們能夠更完整地了解 當事人的生活全貌, 再來決定當事人的命運。
One of the first social biography projects that came out of our camp was by Carnell. He had come to the meetings because he had pled to a low-level drug charge. And after years of sobriety, got arrested for this one drug possession charge. But he was facing a five-year prison sentence because of the sentencing schemes in California. We knew him primarily as a dad. He'd bring his daughters to the meetings and then play with them at the park across the street. And he said, "Look, I could do the time, but if I go in, they're going to take my girls."
我們最早期執行的 社區人士傳記計畫之一 是卡奈爾做的。 他來參加會議是因為 他曾少量吸毒而被判刑。 數年不染毒之後, 他因這個持有毒品的控訴而被逮捕。 但,因為加州的量刑設計, 讓他面臨的是五年徒刑。 我們對他的認識就是他是位父親。 他會帶女兒們一起參加會議, 接著和她們在對街的公園玩。 他說:「聽著,我可以服刑, 但如果我入獄,他們就會 帶走我的女孩們。」
And so we gave him a camera and said, "Just take pictures of what's like being a father." And so he took pictures of making breakfast for his daughters and taking them to school, taking them to after-school programs and doing homework. And it became this photo essay that he turned in to his lawyer who used it at the sentencing hearing. And that judge, who originally indicated a five-year prison sentence, understood Carnell in a whole new way. And he converted that five-year prison sentence into a six-month outpatient program, so that Carnell could be with his daughters. His girls would have a father in their life. And Carnell could get the treatment that he was actually seeking.
所以我們給了他一台相機, 說:「拍一些照片來呈現 當父親是怎樣的狀況。」 所以他拍的照片包括 為他的女兒們準備早餐, 帶她們上學, 帶她們去課後輔導,做家庭作業。 做成了照片簡集, 他把這簡集給他的律師, 律師把它用在量刑聽證會上。 本來打算要判他五年徒刑的法官 以全新的方式瞭解了卡奈爾。 他把五年徒刑轉換成了 六個月的門診治療計畫, 讓卡奈爾能繼續陪著他的女兒們。 他的女孩們不會 在生活中失去父親。 卡奈爾也能取得他需要的治療。
We have one ceremony of sorts that we use in participatory defense. And I told you earlier that when families come to the meetings, they write the names of their loved ones on the board. Those are names that we all get to know, week in, week out, through the stories of the family, and we're rooting for and praying for and hoping for. And when we win a case, when we get a sentence reduced, or a charge dropped, or we win an acquittal, that person, who's been a name on the board, comes to the meeting. And when their name comes up, they're given an eraser, and they walk over to the board and they erase their name. And it sounds simple, but it is a spiritual experience. And people are applauding, and they're crying. And for the families that are just starting that journey and are sitting in the back of the room, for them to know that there's a finish line, that one day, they too might be able to bring their loved one home, that they could erase the name, is profoundly inspiring.
在參與式辯護中, 我們有一種儀式。 我說過,當家屬來參加會議時, 他們會把摯愛的名字寫在白板上。 隨著一週一週過去, 透過家屬的故事, 我們都會漸漸認識那些名字, 我們聲援他們,為他們禱告, 並為他們抱持希望。 當我們贏了一個案件時, 當我們讓刑期縮減 或讓案件變成不起訴時, 或者我們贏得無罪開釋時, 那個本來只是白板上名字的人, 會出席會議。 提到這些人的名字時, 會給他們一塊板擦, 他們會走向白板, 把自己的名字擦掉。 聽起來很簡單, 但這是個精神層面的體驗。 大家會鼓掌,會哭泣。 對於坐在房間後方那些 才剛要開始這段旅程的家屬, 讓他們知道終點線是存在的, 有一天,他們也有可能 把他們所愛的人帶回家, 把名字擦掉, 這個儀式能深深鼓舞人心。
We're training organizations all over the country now in participatory defense. And we have a national network of over 20 cities. And it's a church in Pennsylvania, it's a parents' association in Tennessee, it's a youth center in Los Angeles. And the latest city that we just added to the national network to grow and deepen this practice is Philadelphia. They literally just started their first weekly participatory defense meeting last week. And the person that we brought from California to Philadelphia to share their testimony, to inspire them to know what's possible, was Ramon Vasquez, who went from sitting in a jail in Santa Clara County, California, to inspiring a community about what's possible through the perseverance of community across the country.
現在我們在為全國各地的組織 做參與式辯護的訓練, 我們的全國網路包括 超過二十個城市。 包括在賓州的一間教堂, 在田納西州的一個父母協會, 在洛杉磯的一所青年中心。 最近才加入我們全國網路, 讓這種方法更壯大更深入的城市 是費城。 他們上週才剛開始第一次的 參與式辯護週會議, 我們從加州帶了一個人到費城 去分享見證,鼓舞他們 去了解有什麼可能性。 他就是拉蒙‧瓦茲奎茲, 他從一個坐在加州 聖塔克拉拉郡監獄中的人, 變成去鼓舞社區的人, 他讓大家了解到 透過全國社區的堅持不懈 能帶來什麼樣的可能性。
And with all the hubs, we still use one metric that we invented. It's called time saved. It's a saying that we actually still say at weekly meetings. And what we say when a family comes in a meeting for the first time is: if you do nothing, the system is designed to give your loved one time served. That's the language the system uses to quantify time of incarceration. But if you engage, if you participate, you can turn time served into time saved. That's them home with you, living the life they should be living. So, Carnell, for example, would represent five years of time saved. So when we totaled our time saved numbers from all the different participatory defense hubs, through the work in the meetings and at court and making social biography videos and packets, we had 4,218 years of time saved from incarceration. That is parents' and children's lives. Young people going to college instead of prison. We're ending generational cycles of suffering.
即使有這麼多中心,我們仍然 採用我們發明的一個度量方式。 叫做:挽救的時間。 我們在週會議中仍會用這個說法。 當有家屬初次出席會議時, 我們會說的是: 如果你什麼都不做, 系統就是設計成會給予 你所愛的人服刑的時間。 那是系統用來量化監禁時間的用語。 但如果你投入,如果你參與, 你可以把服刑的時間 變成挽救的時間。 也就是他們和你在家 過著他們應過的生活。 所以,以卡奈爾為例, 挽救下來的時間就是五年。 當我們把各個參與式辯護中心 挽救下來的時間通通加總, 這些時間是他們透過 在會議上、法庭上的努力, 及製作社會傳記影片 和社區人士傳記包所挽救下來的時間, 加總起來共挽救了 4218 年的監禁時間。 那是父母和孩子的歲月。 年輕人能夠上大學而不是進監獄。 我們要終結這世代循環的苦難。
And when you consider in my home state of California, it costs 60,000 dollars to house someone in the California prison system, that means that these families are saving their states a ton of money. I'm not a mathematician, I haven't done the numbers, but that is money and resources that could be reallocated to mental health services, to drug treatment programs, to education.
想想看我所居住的州,加州, 在加州監獄系統中,將一個人 監禁的成本是六萬美金, 那就表示,這些家庭 為他們的州省下了 一大筆錢。 我不是數學家,我沒有去計算, 但這些金錢和資源可以被重新分配 給心理健康服務, 給毒品治療計畫,給教育。
And we're now wearing this shirt in courts all across the country. And people are wearing this shirt because they want the immediacy of protecting their people in the courtroom. But what we're telling them is, as practitioners, they're building a new field, a new movement that is going to forever change the way justice is understood in this country.
現在,在全國各地的法庭上, 我們都會穿上這件上衣。 大家會穿上這件上衣, 是因為他們想要在法庭上 即時地保護他們的同胞。 但,身為實踐者, 我們是在告訴他們, 他們是在打造一個 新的領域,一個新的運動, 將會永遠改變大家對美國司法的看法。
Thank you.
謝謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)