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. I mean, it's kind of crazy. A conversation with Maria Hinojosa and David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez exploring the Pulitzer-Prize-winning podcast 'Suave.'Maria Hinojosa spent nearly 20 years . What gave you the motivation even to keep breathing, bro? To hear the entire conversation between Rahsaan New York Thomas and Suave Gonzalez, check out thisnew episode from Death by Incarceration. At the time, Suave. One of the worlds leading podcast publishers, PRX works in partnership with TED, PBS, the Smithsonian, Futuro Media, GBH, Religion of Sports, and more. Maria Hinojosa on 'Suave', her now Pulitzer-winning podcast: "We GONZALEZ: I always understood what a source meant. Suave is awarded as a distinguished example of audio journalism that serves the public interest, characterized by revelatory reporting and illuminating storytelling. The Pulitzers note that the podcast series is a brutally honest and immersive profile of a man reentering society after serving more than 30 years in prison.. I'm not perfect. 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. And I want to talk to Maria about that because, Maria, you essentially become a character in this podcast, which is a choice - right? And he imagines this is what his life will be like until he dies. Marlon Bishop is a Peabody Award-winning radio producer and editor with a focus on Latin America, immigration, identity and society, music and the arts. You can avoid it by skipping between minute 4:45-6:45. 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. Local New Jersey Obituaries - Legacy.com Career. Futuro Studios podcasts were recognized in many 2021 year-end lists, including four of our original series landing on The AtlanticsTop 50 podcasts of 2021. The Jones decision is an undeniably major setback in the movement to end juvenile life without parole. 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. The football player is dating Sara Madeira, his starsign is Taurus and he is now 35 years of age. 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 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. 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. The Slate Group LLC. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. 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. CHANG: I want to bounce what you just said off of Suave. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. That little place right here changed my whole life. If you're asking me today, yes, I consider Maria my friend. There are so many people with amazing life stories that should be heard. She previously covered the criminal justice system, policing and immigration for Nashville Public Radio. I wasnt even thinking about it. Now nearly 50, Suave has come to terms with the fact that he will never leave the confines of SCI Graterford. 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. Latino USA and Futuro Studios Winners at the 2023 New York Festivals Radio Awards, April 20, 2023 / New York Festivals Radio Awards, La Brega: Bonus Track Songs for the Future of Puerto Rico, La Brega Podcast Deepens Its Stories of Puerto Rico With a Star-Studded Soundtrack: As Seen on Rolling Stone, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Fantasy Premier League FPL set-pieces: Free-kicks add to David Luiz appeal. David Guez (born 8 December 1982) is a French tennis player. Incarceration, Oral History & 'Suave' with David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez Instead of punching a guard in the face, I put that lawsuit in and make them pay. 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. Based in Harlem and founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, Futuro Media is committed to telling stories and uplifting voices and perspectives often overlooked by mainstream media. Get the latest updates on programs and events. Theres no winners in this. 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. GONZALEZ: And I always tell people, like, we never know who we're going to touch. 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. 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. She found her passion for radio at Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, as an engineer, producer, and on-air personality. She found her passion for radio at Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, as an engineer, producer, and on-air personality. But over the years, they became close. Thats how you get the street credibility. CHANG: I want to bounce what you just said off of Suave. Rahsaan New York Thomas: What was the highest level of education you completed on the streets? I had grandmother, grandfathers, aunt. It was funded entirely by inmates from their wages which started at 19 cents an hour. 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. 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. His stories have appeared in The FADER, This American Life, Planet Money, NPR News, Studio 360 and many other outlets. 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? One of them was David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, who entered prison at 17 expecting to leave in a coffin. 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. I'm still trying to understand society for what it is. Suave fromFuturo StudiosandPRXwas also awarded this year in theIDA Documentary Awardsfrom the International Documentary Association. Podcast 'Suave' Explores 1 Man's Life After His Release From Prison So to me, education was about fighting the system and changing the law. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers. Dehumanized as super-predators, these inmates pay the price for institutionalized racism. As Justice Sotomayor wrote, The Eighth Amendment does not excuse childrens crimes, nor does it shield them from all punishment. Will Luis 'Suave' Gonzalez and Other Juvenile Lifers Be Released And if you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You came out when you were in your mid-40s. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. As a Soros Justice Media Fellow, she spent 2019 documenting the human repercussions of changing legal policies along the U.S.-Mexico border. I was on a suicide mission. 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. We are so proud of our partners at Futuro Media, who represent the best of journalism and audio, saidKerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX. So like, wouldnt it have been easier if the system allowed colleges to flourish in all their prisons? 'Suave' from Futuro Studios and PRX Wins Pulitzer Prize As a result of the ruling, Suave and thousands more in his position might have the opportunity to walk free. And I'm at a point in my career when I can say it makes me a better journalist. 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. The DOC is not there to make it easy for us, bro. Eddie Gonzalez for Paterson Board of Education. 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. It's impossible. Futuro Media also produces Peabody Award winning Latino USA, the longest running national Latino news and cultural public radio program; In The Thick, an award winning political podcast; and Latino Rebels, a pioneering digital news outlet founded by journalist Julio Ricardo Varela. The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. That little place right here changed my whole life. And I was honored to be that source. Fifteen seconds. Be kind to all until you know who or what theyre about. But as Suave readies for life on the outside, his excitement gives way to a never ending list of fears about what life outside of prison might be like. But over the years, they became close. The Miller and Montgomery cases led to a review of Suaves sentence and his release from incarceration in 2017 after over 30 years behind bars. Hes become a man and built a life behind bars. Reach out and listen to someones story before you make judgement or worry about canceling a Fr. How big of a difference would it make if institutions across the country really put a focus on education? 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. His stepfather did not call him by his name but referred to him by cruel epithets. 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. What can I do? Hinojosa responded, You could be my source. Open Campus national reporter Charlotte West contributed to this story. And I was like, wow, somebody really cared because in street term, a source is a snitch. When I say we, Im talking about lifers. FPL Lessons: David Luiz wins out in Sarri shake-up. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. In many statesincluding Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentencedthere are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. David Luis 'Sauve' Gonzalez of "Suave" from Futuro Studios and PRX. Anger is not the answer. Look. The crime was a robbery-turned-shooting that resulted in the 1986 death of 13-year-old Danny Martinez in Philadelphia. You can do that on your own. He's a source. At the same time, people knew who I was in the jailI was a renegade. You got to know how to read and write. 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. I'm like a baby learning how to be a decent human being. You can avoid it by skipping between minute 4:45-6:45. But I always say that there's - lucky for me, I had someone that was there for me. Luis Suave Gonzalez - Mural Arts Philadelphia 70% of all juveniles serving life without parole are people of color. He's a source. And I was like, wow, somebody really cared because in street term, a source is a snitch. A Philadelphia judge sentenced him to life without parole for a crime he committed when he was 17 years old. And for me, one of the messages for my fellow journalists is, always stay in touch with your sources 'cause you never know. View local obituaries in new jersey. You do not need permission to get an education or to educate yourself. Recently I listened to the seven-part podcast Suave. 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. In remarks during the announcement of this year's winners, John Daniszewski of the Associated Press and co-chair of . 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. Maria worries about the lasting effects of lifetime parole on Suave and comforts him through some tough disappointments. Suave returns to prison. I was on a suicide mission. Futuro Studios and PRX Present "Suave" - Medium The U.S. is the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning age 18. 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. And Suave, you've been talking to Maria for so many years. Additionally, Hinojosa was the first Latina to anchor a PBS FRONTLINE report: Lost in Detention which aired in October 2011 and was the first to explore abuse at immigrant detention facilities, garnering attention from Capitol Hill as well as both the mainstream and Spanish-language media. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. I'm like a baby learning how to be a decent human being. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a prison cell, and you suddenly get a second chance at life. He started painting watercolors when he was in prison. And he finds that there are still a few things he needs to do, so he asks Maria to join him. In many statesincluding Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez. Gavin Newsom earlier this year. HINOJOSA: Because things change, Ailsa. 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. She was an NPR Next Generation Radio fellow and 2019 Ford Foundation 50 Women Can Change the World in Journalism fellow. Mike Levin/Getty Images David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he was 17. 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. 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. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. It has a value and people care. HINOJOSA: Yeah. And thats the life hes leading, in and out of solitary confinement, when he meets Maria Hinojosa in 1993. I had grandmother, grandfathers, aunt. "Suave" from Futuro Studios and PRX Wins IDA Documentary Award Everything she thought she knew about his case turns upside down. 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. About Suave from Futuro Studios and PRX. As the decades pass, Suave becomes a mentor for younger men and a model citizen inside the prison. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a prison cell, and you suddenly get a second chance at life. You know, Im gonna be the baddest dude on the block.. 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. Acclaimed journalist Maria Hinojosa met Suave 27 years ago when she was invited to speak at a graduation ceremony at Graterford. The story leads us back to North Philadelphia in search of someone else who was present the night of the murder. And I trusted her, and I still do. Suave - Latino USA Maria and Maggie discuss how the Supreme Courts decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana has played out differently across the country, leaving some juvenile lifers still behind bars. At a Pennsylvania prison, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the country. But as Suave readies for life on the outside, his excitement gives way to a never ending list of fears about what life outside of prison might be like. In many states - including Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentenced -there are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. Everyone out there struggling to get through life, you need to find one thing to hold on to and never let go. It does, however, demand that most children be spared from punishments that give no chance for fulfillment outside prison walls, no chance for reconciliation with society, no hope., In Jones, the Court ignored the plaintiffs significant steps toward rehabilitation and maturity. 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. If you aint gonna let me in school, Imma find a job in the educational building where Ill be around that stuff and sooner or later, one of yall gonna let me in. 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. Maggie is an Adjunct Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and formerly the Producer-at-Large for Latino USA. Rahsaan New York Thomas reported this story for Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. I don't know - because, Suave, we didn't even talk about it 'cause it's like you're in for life. Luis "Suave" Gonzalez Visits Esperanza to Speak About The Importance of Its a circle and it goes on and on.. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. Me, I say, fuck this jail shit. I feel like Im leaving my brothers behind.. But I always say that there's - lucky for me, I had someone that was there for me. For years, Gonzalez. Maria and Maggie discuss how the Supreme Courts decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana has played out differently across the country, leaving some juvenile lifers still behind bars. The Pulitzer is an example of American excellence. In addition, PRX distributes trusted and treasured public radio programming to hundreds of stations nationwide, including The World, The Moth Radio Hour, This American Life, Snap Judgment, Reveal, The Takeaway, and Latino USA. PRX programs have been recognized by the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the IDA Documentary Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. This represents a 38% decline since 2016. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. kevin@deathbyincacerationpodcast.com. You know, and I say all the time, in 2017 when I stepped out that prison, not my family, not my community, not my friends - it was Maria Hinojosa that was there waiting for me. Your focus is not nonsense no more. This is a testament to never giving up on a story and to trusting your producers. She is a Peabody award-winning audio engineer for her work on Afropop Worldwide. 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. Its the account of one mans incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a journalist and a man convicted of murder. Thank you so much for joining us, both of you. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". We are ghetto or urban journalists, whatever they want to call us. Ear Hustle from Radiotopia and PRX was a finalist in 2020. As Suave adjusts to his new life on the outside, the challenges that come with his newfound freedom and the expectations from everyone around himhe ponders if things are too good to be true. In August, journalist Rahsaan New York Thomas called Gonzalez from a phone booth on the ground tier of San Quentins North Block. I saw some of the hardest dudes in the jail walking down the corridor with school books, because they want to go to school. Podcast 'Suave' Explores 1 Man's Life After His Release From Prison She has also mixed and done sound sweetening for indie films and documentary series, such as America By The Numbers and Miss Sharon Jones! Martinelli previously wrote for CBS-46 in Atlanta, the Gwinnett Daily Post, and the Atlanta Latino Newspaper. Suaves life shows the difference second chances can make. They are part of the broader trend of racial disparities in sentencing with people of color getting harsher sentences. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Gonzalez said. Suave is a seven-part podcast series about the criminal justice system that sentences juveniles to life in prison particularly young men of color and what happens when, decades later, theyre suddenly granted one more chance at freedom. Stop the cancel culture and make yourself useful. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. I spoke with Suave a few days before the decision was ruled. This years awards honored work produced in 2021. You have to say, you know what, I got nothing to lose and everything to gain. 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 incarcerated, Gonzalez developed a decades-long friendship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. GONZALEZ: From 1998, '99, I gave up all hope. From prison to podcast: 'Suave' explores the friendship between a After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. Thank you Suave for seeing life in a different light and changing our world. - for a journalist to make. 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. March 14, 2021 at 5:47 PM Sentenced at age 17, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was serving life without parole when he met reporter Maria Hinojosa. 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. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? Public Media When you do something like that it feels so good to see your kindness saved a life. 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. In embarrassing fashion, all the Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices went along. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. Will Luis Suave Gonzalez and Other Juvenile Lifers Be Released from Prison? December 6, 1986. 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. I mean, listen, I put it like this: our struggle and our journey in the prison system prepare us for this. His stories have appeared in The FADER, This American Life, Planet Money, NPR News, Studio 360 and many other outlets. All rights reserved. Suave was also a talented artist. I'm still trying to understand society for what it is. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. When you first heard the news that juvenile life sentences were going to be reconsidered, how much of you actually believed that you would be released back then? This is what we do. 116 in July 2010. [W]hen you decide you want to do something different and good, obstacles are gonna stand in your way, how you deal with that is up to you. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers. And I told him, When I get out, lmma get my GED. Then I got out of the hole [and] I took my GED. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. The crime was a robbery-turned-shooting that resulted in the 1986 death of 13-year-old Danny Martinez in Philadelphia. So I did and I looked over and seen a class. He also co-hosts Death by Incarceration, which will be featuring episodes this fall focused on the various ways people in prison get an education. degree from Villanova University. Lance Reenstierna. 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. 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. Like so many of the juveniles serving life without parole sentences, Jones was physically and verbally abused as a child.
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