March 25, 5:30 p.m. — Chicago Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander Member Meeting: This open meeting is an opportunity for members and other interested individuals to get updates on the case, to share ideas, to learn about upcoming projects. It’s an open meeting and everyone is welcome.
When: Tuesday, March 25
Where: Chicago Freedom School, 719 S. State Street, #3N
Time: 5:30 to 7:30
Info: Please feel free to bring your dinner with you.
RSVP: projectnia@hotmail.com
March 27, 2014 — Lecture and book signing by Carl Hart, PhD for his book “High Price.”
Roosevelt University, Murray-Green Library | Auditorium Building, 10th floor, 430 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
4:30 p.m. Lecture and discussion; 6 p.m. Book signing and reception
Register HERE.
March 30, 2014 — Hull House Museum 800 S. Halsted, 2 to 5 p.m. — Black and Pink Card-Writing Party — Join us for a celebration of love, life, and resistance. We’ll be writing and sending cards to all 160+ inside members of Black and Pink in Illinois. Whether you’re an old friend of Black and Pink, a pen-pal with an inside member, or someone who is interested in learning more this a great event to get to know our work better and send some love to our incarcerated family. Queer and trans people are less likely to have support networks on the outside, making it even more important that we send our incarcerated LGBTQ family lots of love through the bars. Information is HERE.
March 31, 2014 — Union League Club of Chicago, 8:30 am — The $2 Billion Question: Can Illinois Spend Less on Incarceration and Improve Public Safety: A Symposium on Comprehensive Criminal Justice Reform — The purpose of this symposium is to (1) understand the operations and outcomes of the existing criminal justice system and (2) discuss the fiscal and policy decisions facing Illinois in an effort to devise financially sustainable solutions to reduce incarceration and improve public safety. Flier is HERE.
April 2, 2014 — Roosevelt University, 5:30 p.m. — Victor Rios Discusses his book “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys.” Professor Rios’ book Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys (NYU Press 2011) analyzes how juvenile crime policies and criminalization affect the everyday lives of urban male youth. Register HERE at no cost.
April 4, 2014 — 4th Annual Forum on Drug Policy — Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave.
Hear from folks who have been impacted by substance use and the criminal justice system. We will be hosting TWO panels. The first is “Inside and Outside the Walls – perspectives on drug use”. The second can’t miss panel will discuss the lifelong consequences of the marijuana conviction.(Find out why we need to change that and what we can do about it.) Come for the policy, stay for the wine and cheese. Register here at no cost.
April 4-6 — Amnesty International USA’s Human Rights Conference 2014 — Bring Human Rights Home at Amnesty’s 2014 Human Rights Conference and Annual General Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Meet other activists, take direct action, and hear from the leading voices in the human rights movement April 4th-6th at the JW Marriott Hotel. Register HERE at a cost of $50 to $125.
April 7, 2014 — Depaul University — Symposium: Women in the Prison System
The event will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday April 7th at 1 E. Jackson Blvd, DePaul Center Room 8005. Lunch will be served. Free.
As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, DePaul’s Journal of Women, Gender & the Law cordially invites you to the annual Symposium: Women in the Prison System. Join us for this powerful event and hear from attorneys, professionals, those who work in the prison system, and those who have been in the prison system. Learn about issues that face female inmates and possible solutions. More details HERE.
April 12, 2014 — Roosevelt University, 1 p.m. — Understanding the School to Prison Pipeline 101 Join Mariame Kaba, Director of Project NIA, for “Understanding the STPP,” an introductory workshop about the impact of school discipline policies and solutions to dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP). Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of Chicago-specific school discipline data and an overview of how the STPP operates. This is an INTRODUCTORY workshop appropriate for people who do not have much knowledge about the dynamics of the STPP. Register HERE at no cost.
April 24, 2014 — Roosevelt University, 1 p.m. — A Summit on Counsel for Children During Police Interrogations — You are invited to examine the impact of the 2008 European Court of Human Rights decision extending counsel to children (and adults) during police interrogations and its implications for children in Illinois, particularly those at risk of adult trial and incarceration. Download the flier (PDF) HERE.
May 10, 2014 – African American Cultural Center at UIC — 1 to 5 p.m. — Introduction to the PIC 101 — Pre-register HERE.
This 4-hour workshop provides participants with an introductory understanding about the role and impact of prisons in the U.S. Participants will engage in interactive activities that focus on understanding the history and economic underpinnings of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC).
Saturday, May 10, 2014
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
African American Cultural Center (Library, 2nd floor)
University of Illinois at Chicago (Addams Hall)
830 S. Halsted
[You actually have to enter the campus to find the building; it’s tricky so read the signs on the buildings or ASK FOR DIRECTIONS]
Bring your lunch
This workshop is facilitated by members of the Chicago PIC Teaching Collective.
May 16-17, 2014 — National Forum on Police Crimes with Angela Davis
NIA DISPATCHES 
Reblogged this on Sehar Sufi.