Listen to this conversation with one of our De-Bug organizers, Yolanda Ledesma and our participatory defense family out in New Orleans, Fox and Rob Rich. In September 2018, Rob received clemency after serving 21 years of a 60 year life sentence. He was the only person in Louisiana to receive clemency that year out of over 2,200 applicants after relentless advocacy from his family and wife Fox the full 21 years of his incarceration. As soon as Rob was released, the couple started their participatory defense hub, Participatory Defense Movement NOLA, and have committed their lives to helping others fight against the system. 

Fox and Rob give light to the process of clemency in their home state of Louisiana, both how they fought through it in Rob’s release, as well as how they are challenging it now by holding their governor accountable and demanding release through other avenues. One of the first families PDM NOLA supported was for Ms. Gloria Dean Williams, “Mama Glo”, who at the time had been incarcerated for nearly 50 years. PDM NOLA supported with a powerful, calculated campaign that included marches outside the governor's mansion, a Juneteenth event, art exhibits and several meetings with the governor himself to fight for Mama Glo’s release. On Jan. 25, 2022, Mama Glo was released after serving 51 years.   

One of Fox and Rob’s goals for 2023 is to continue their accountability campaign and pushing for clemency to “massively reduce the prison in Louisiana.” We are proud to share this conversation from our PDM NOLA hub and shout out to Yolie for facilitating and for her own post conviction work in Santa Clara County and beyond! 

#TimeSaved #ParticipatoryDefense #ProtectYourPeople 

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