And then the Supreme Court says HINOJOSA: It's going to happen. I spent seven years there and in them seven years, another gentleman showed me how to read and write. And I understood that. As Justice Sotomayor wrote, The Eighth Amendment does not excuse childrens crimes, nor does it shield them from all punishment. The story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez on Latino USA - Saturday at 6pm This week, a story three decades in the making. 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. One of them was David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 expecting to leave in a coffin. Newsletter. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. In 1988, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree homicide. 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. Suave is moved to a new prison and meets someone in his block who is getting a lot of attention. Maggie was also a TV documentary host for VICE and Oxygens The Disappearance of Maura Murray. Keep changing our world and spread kindness to all., Your email address will not be published. Maggie was also a TV documentary host for VICE and Oxygens The Disappearance of Maura Murray. When I say we, Im talking about lifers. And on the day of Suaves release, Maria travels to Pennsylvania to bring him home. Certain things I dont know. In 2019, she was named the inaugural Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her alma mater, Barnard College. Acclaimed journalist Maria Hinojosa met Suave 27 years ago when she was invited to speak at a graduation ceremony at Graterford. I was on a suicide mission. After Suave is cleared from all accusations, he returns to his home in Philadelphia and tries to move on with his life. We had to fight DOC to create programs in order for us to have one chance to get in one class. Fantasy Premier League FPL Lessons: David Luiz wins out in Sarri shake-up. At Futuro Media, Hinojosa continues to bring attention to experiences and points of view that are often overlooked or underreported in mainstream media, all while mentoring the next generation of diverse journalists to delve into authentic and nuanced stories. Career. You could be the source - my source. And I want to talk to Maria about that because, Maria, you essentially become a character in this podcast, which is a choice - right? So please be kind to everyone and everything. At the end of September, Thomas got word that he is suitable for parole following Newsoms clemency and he expects to go home sometime in early 2023. Now nearly 50, Suave has come to terms with the fact that he will never leave the confines of SCI Graterford. Youre a victim, so you victimize other people because youre hurt. 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. I'm still learning. This was in 1993. They are part of the broader trend of racial disparities in sentencing with people of color getting harsher sentences. It was funded entirely by inmates from their wages which started at 19 cents an hour. Futuro Studios and PRX Present "Suave," A New Podcast About the System That Sentences Juveniles to Life in Prison, A Story of Incarceration, Redemption, and the Unusual Relationship Between A. Invite your employees, members, and customers as a And I was like, wow, somebody really cared because in street term, a source is a snitch. You may have heard some of our reporting over the last few years about a man named Suave, who is serving a life sentence for murder at a prison in Pennsylvania. degree from Villanova University. As the decades pass, Suave becomes a mentor for younger men and a model citizen inside the prison. It tells the remarkable story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez. And that's good journalism. CHANG: It is fascinating to listen to both of you describe all the complex layers that come into a relationship between journalist and source. But it was new to me because when I went in, I had a complete family. This is what we do. Like so many of the juveniles serving life without parole sentences, Jones was physically and verbally abused as a child. HINOJOSA: That's the thing. 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. And to be the first formerly incarcerated person and the first juvenile lifer to really knock that off, man, listen, its a blessing. Prior winners in The Pulitzer Prizes have included This American Life as well as a jointly-produced podcast from NPR, KCUR, and WABE. I wasnt even thinking about it. I'm like a baby learning how to be a decent human being. If you ask me, go on the Internet and Google something, Id be lost. 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. And then, an unexpected revelation puts Suaves future into doubt. Can you talk about - what does that mean to you? I never had a program that DOC gave me. Her narrative podcast Aftereffect from WNYC Studios won a Newswomens Club of New York Award, a National Center on Disability Journalism Award, and was a Scripps Howard and Third Coast finalist. Sometimes they surprise and entertain. His stories have appeared in The FADER, This American Life, Planet Money, NPR News, Studio 360 and many other outlets. But I am curious - at this point in your life, going forward, what is the story you want to tell about yourself? Ear Hustle from Radiotopia and PRX was a finalist in 2020. And that's good journalism. Im getting out of jail, and when I mean getting out, I mean mentally. And then this lady come out of nowhere and just tell me, you could be the voice for the voiceless. Were all dying in here. Suave returns with Maria to the corner of 8th and Somerset in the Badlandsthe place where his victims young life ended and the place that changed the course of Suaves life. 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.. 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 Anger is not the answer. Tim Pilleri . 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. The organization gave away scholarships of $500, $1,000 and $2,000. PRX is also home toRadiotopia, known as one of the most creative and successful podcast networks. David Luis 'Sauve' Gonzalez of "Suave" from Futuro Studios and PRX. You know, it was scary because even though I went to college, I got my degrees, I educated myself, transformed myself, I never thought about living as a free man, as an adult. It's important that the Latino community knows that these [Esperanza's] resources exist.". Recently I listened to the seven-part podcast Suave. The DOC is not there to make it easy for us, bro. And for me, one of the messages for my fellow journalists is, always stay in touch with your sources 'cause you never know. Im gonna get my degree by any means necessary. And what that means is start saving your pennies, start taking them correspondence courses, start accumulating them credits, and get that degree. I ran the Latino organization with like 300 people. And thats the life hes leading, in and out of solitary confinement, when he meets Maria Hinojosa in 1993. 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. GONZALEZ: And I always tell people, like, we never know who we're going to touch. The Pulitzer Prizes, administered by Columbia University and considered the most prestigious in American journalism, recognize work in 15 journalism categories and seven arts categories. I saw some of the hardest dudes in the jail walking down the corridor with school books, because they want to go to school. suave@deathbyincacerationpodcast.com. Those incarcerated serving life and long terms, we gotta get out the mindset that we need permission from the DOC. And to me, it was just them simple words - you could be the voice for the voiceless - nothing else. 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. Your email address will not be published. When Suave is finally released from prison, he is placed on house arrest and tries to adjust to his new reality while he awaits his chance to plead his case in front of a judge. 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? 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. 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. A Philadelphia judge sentenced him to life without parole for a crime he committed when he was 17 years old. Maria worries about the lasting effects of lifetime parole on Suave and comforts him through some tough disappointments. CHANG: It is fascinating to listen to both of you describe all the complex layers that come into a relationship between journalist and source. Thomas, who was sentenced to 55-years-to-life in California, is the inside host of the Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle. 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. No, no, no, he's not a friend. Still, Gonzalez eventually fought his way into Villanova Universitys privately funded college program at Graterford Prison, the maximum security facility where he was incarcerated. David Luis Suave Gonzalez: Tenth grade. If I had not decided to stay in touch with Suave, decided not to take his phone calls, decided not to send him a Christmas card and a birthday card, we wouldn't have the kind of journalism that we're able to do now. 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. He is also a street artist, with his art mirroring his advocacy work: critical of injustice, but exploding with compassion for those forced to carry its burden.. All contents Im going up and I know everything that goes up must come down.. Three men have been arrested following a deadly shooting at a Lodi apartment complex in March. Thats how you get the street credibility. He has continued community-based work since his release, as Director of Nu-Stop Resource center, an organization that offers assistance to individuals transitioning from prison to life outside. He's a source. So I started visualizing and putting myself in places that Id never been before. 10.20.2022 David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez A curated collection of links The Record What are records? And I felt like I was breaking that bond. (SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "SUAVE") Suave moves to a transitional housing unit at SCI Graterford where he will spend the next few months as he waits for his parole hearing. I feel like Im leaving my brothers behind.. Thank you so much for joining us, both of you. Jennifer Amell. That moment sparked a transformation in the life of Suave. Futuro Studiosis the new creative division of the Futuro Media Group, an independent nonprofit organization producing multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diversity of the American experience. CHANG: So Maria, I want to start with you because you met Suave back in the early '90s when the conversation around the criminal justice system was so different from the conversation we are having now about the criminal justice system. My God theres so many more important things in life. Our sponsors are integral in helping us produce shows. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 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. How big of a difference would it make if institutions across the country really put a focus on education? Group, a Graham Holdings Company. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. His stepfather beat him with belts, switches and a paddle labeledthe Punisher. You had gone to prison when you were a teenager. Like they think that they could incarcerate the way out of every problem in America and they cant. At the time, Suave. And I understood that. If you're asking me today, yes, I consider Maria my friend. 2023 Justice Kennedy, writing for a 6-3 majority, found that children are constitutionally different from adults in their level of culpability. Kennedy wrote that the severest penalty must be reserved for the rarest of juvenile offenders, those whose crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility., Justice Kennedy was responding to research that showed that because of developing brains, children were less culpable for their crimes and were more likely to be rehabilitated than adult offenders. If you wait for the DOC to give you permission to do it, its never gonna get done. Support for Suave was provided by the Art for Justice Fund, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and The Heising-Simons Foundation: Unlocking knowledge, opportunity, and possibilities. Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. Suave returns with Maria to the corner of 8th and Somerset in the Badlandsthe place where his victims young life ended and the place that changed the course of Suaves life. As she anxiously awaits a phone call from Suave, Maria sets out to try and figure out what happened and eventually finds herself torn between her faith in Suaves innocence and her responsibility to believe his accuser. In many statesincluding Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentencedthere are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. We explore the tactics of ruthless prosecutors in the 80s, and how Pennsylvania become the state that sentenced the most juveniles in the country to life in prison without parole. For years, Gonzalez. If you in it, you in it for the long run. When Calle Walton lost her sight for good 10 years ago, she began to change her dreams of acting, andfocus on teaching instead.Typically positive Stay informed with our free email updates, Concord Monitor Report For America Education, Concord Monitor Report For America Health, Support the That little place right here changed my whole life. Will Luis Suave Gonzalez and Other Juvenile Lifers Be Released from Prison? Originally, she maintained contact in order to have a source inside the prison system. On 22-4-1987 David Luiz (nickname: The Sheriff) was born in Diadema, Brasil. So to me, education was about fighting the system and changing the law. David Luis Suave Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he was 17. They told me I couldnt get a degree, and I left there with two degrees. She is a Peabody award-winning audio engineer for her work on Afropop Worldwide. That's when it hit me. Tragically, the majority of justices in the highest court in the land demonstrated they do not believe in second chances. But over the years, they became close. As a Soros Justice Media Fellow, she spent 2019 documenting the human repercussions of changing legal policies along the U.S.-Mexico border. 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. info@deathbyincarcerationpodcast.com 2021 Death By Incarceration Podcast. Look. Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was only 17 at the time, making him a juvenile, but he was tried as an adult and given a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of ever being released. Audrey Quinn is a documentary audio reporter and editor. I failed drug dealing. Then in 2016, the Supreme Court decided the case of Montgomery v Louisiana and ruled that Miller had to be applied retroactively. Follow her on Twitter and sign up for her newsletter, College Inside, on the future of postsecondary education in prison. Even the worst day that I have is good. I was fascinated with the lifestyle. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. I genuinely care. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? Everything she thought she knew about his case turns upside down. l mean, of course it would have been easier, but guess what? People dying in the streets and that need a helping hand. As a reporter for NPR, Hinojosa was among the first to report on youth violence in urban communities on a national scale. The story follows David Luis Suave Gonzalez from boy to man, and explores incarceration, redemption, and the often unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. 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 cant change the world fighting over whos right or wrong. David Luis Gonzalez is an artist, TedX speaker, podcast host, and support coach for the "I Am More" program at Community College of Philadelphia. In a shockingly backwarddecision authored by Justice Kavanaugh, the Court reinstated juvenile life without parole. You know, these are things that I need to learn.Luis Suave Gonzalez. A new podcast from Futuro Media follows. So winning that prize means that our issues are in the frontline right next. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Contact us today about becoming a sponsor. And I was honored to be that source. His stepfather did not call him by his name but referred to him by cruel epithets. Your focus is not nonsense no more. PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. This is a testament to never giving up on a story and to trusting your producers. In 2019, she was named the inaugural Distinguished Journalist in Residence at her Alma Mater, Barnard College. If I had not decided to stay in touch with Suave, decided not to take his phone calls, decided not to send him a Christmas card and a birthday card, we wouldn't have the kind of journalism that we're able to do now. 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. In 2018 she was a Fellow at Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and is a frequent speaker across the country. 379 Followers, 41 Following, 39 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Luis Suave Gonzalez (@suave_gonzalez) Doesnt matter if you doing good, if you got a job, it doesnt matterit could be snatched up in a heartbeat and theres nothing you could do about it.. STOP creating chaos against people you know nothing about. 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. It's ugly to say it, but Suave and I knew it, basically - Suave was going to come out in a box. 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. Fifteen seconds changed my whole life.. In the nearly three decades that you've been watching the system evolve, can you just describe what has happened to get us to this point, with Suave released and no longer serving a life sentence? We had a secret, unspoken bond. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. Originally, she maintained contact in order to have a source inside the prison system. He taught other inmates to read. I'm like a baby learning how to be a decent human being. Thank you Suave for seeing life in a different light and changing our world. The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. And I trusted her, and I still do. Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? Journalist Maria Hinojosa who has communicated with Gonzalez for nearly 30 years also realizes there are limits to how much she can help as he navigates the realities of conditional freedom. And that new habit was education. 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. About Suave from Futuro Studios and PRX. Open Campus national reporter Charlotte West contributed to this story. CHANG: I want to bounce what you just said off of Suave. 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. I never dreamed that it would be this good. And thats what we did: Im gonna create a program for yall and yall gonna let me in that program.. That little place right here changed my whole life. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. Can you just talk a little bit about that? And I'm at a point in my career when I can say it makes me a better journalist. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. Like to keep doing anything positive, even think about education. Today, he heads up the editorial podcast team at Futuro Studios, the original programming division of the Futuro Media Group. They [are] infatuated with this, man. David Luiz. Like Gonzalez, Thomas was able to earn a degree behind bars, which was one of the factors cited in the commutation he received from California Gov. lmma try something new because I tried everything else and I failed. But I still didn't believe it to November 20, 2017, when they opened that gate and said, you are a free man. GONZALEZ: What I do believe is that Maria is a journalist that wasn't trying to sensationalize my story, and she was telling it in an educational way where we could get people to understand that prison is not the rite of passage. And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. 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?. Or do I want this jailhouse shit? I decided I dont get nothing from stabbing people up. In many statesincluding Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez. Here is our report: But I know that if I get out, Im going to still need some help. 505 likes. But the return to prison has him questioning a lot of things, including what led him there in the first place. While incarcerated, Gonzalez developed a decades-long friendship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. I'm never going to catch up. He has continued community-based work since his release, as Director of Nu-Stop Resource center, an organization that offers assistance to individuals transitioning from prison to life outside. To hear the entire conversation between Rahsaan New York Thomas and Suave Gonzalez, check out thisnew episode from Death by Incarceration. CHANG: And Suave, can you take me back to that moment? Everyone out there struggling to get through life, you need to find one thing to hold on to and never let go. Fifteen seconds changed my whole life.. Ive never seen one in my life. A new podcast about the system that sentences juveniles to life in prison, a story of incarceration, redemption, and the unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. 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. Juvenile life without parole sentences disproportionately hit Black and brown children. 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'm not perfect. kevin@deathbyincacerationpodcast.com. Gonzalez said. He has produced 52 murals in the city of Philadelphia. As he looks inward and determines to break intergenerational cycles he begins therapy to deal with the trauma of his childhood and incarceration. I had grandmother, grandfathers, aunt. Support the work of PVS by sponsoring this event! Kevin McCracken.