It's Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Emma Mclean-Riggs, Senior Staff Attorney from the ACLU of Colorado, who sits down with Colorado Radio for Justice hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones. Emma examines the criminalization of poverty and homelessness in Colorado communities; the ACLU's work of not just improving incarcerated people's lives inside facilities, but striving to liberate them; and an exploration of what exactly "civil liberties" themselves are. Emma highlights the value of media led by lived-experience producers, and she articulates her vision for a more just future that relies on each and every one of us.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

00:00 Introduction - Camping bans / blanket bans in Boulder
09:14 What motivates Emma?
09:14 Emma's life journey into law
15:08 Colorado incarceration liberatory work
17:11 What are 'civil liberties'?
18:25 ACLU's history, values, intersectionality
20:58 Support ACLU / Get involved
23:21 Vision for future?

Join Colorado Radio for Justice hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones as they dive into a critical conversation with Emma Mclean-Riggs, Senior Staff Attorney from the ACLU of Colorado. Emma discusses the alarming escalations in ICE detention expansions, unlawful deportations by the Trump Administration under the Alien Enemies Act, and the challenges faced by Venezuelan immigrants in Colorado and beyond. Mclean-Riggs shares the ACLU of Colorado's multi-faceted approach to defending civil liberties in today's shifting political climate, from litigation and policy advocacy to community organizing. And she shares what fuels her relentless fight for justice and the constitutional principles at stake: the human beings whose lives and futures are on the line.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

00:00 Introduction

01:57 Meet Emma Mclean-Riggs and the ACLU of Colorado

03:12 ICE: A Pressing Concern

06:59 DBU v. Trump, ACLU of Colorado's Lawsuit

25:25 What Motivates & Sustains Emma in Her Work

27:15 Why Call Prisons "Cages"?

32:31 Children & Trauma from Family Separation

UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Part 2 of a two-part conversation with Kristen Nelson, Executive Director of the Spero Justice Center, hosted by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Michael Clifton. Michael shares his journey through the Colorado Department of Corrections and the crime and sentence that brought him there, as a way of examining with the Kristen the current and future possibilities for mitigation, accountability, and sentence reductions. JoyBelle reflects on her work as a Community Corrections board member, inviting Kristen's insights on structural challenges to repairing victim impacts. Finally, our hosts invite Kristen to look into a crystal ball, to articulate possible futures for systems change.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Part 1 of a two-part conversation between Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Michael Clifton and Kristen Nelson, Executive Director of the Spero Justice Center. Kristen shares her journey from working on death penalty cases to founding Spero, whose mission is to end mass incarceration in Colorado by addressing long sentences. Michael and JoyBelle reflect on their own journeys through the prison system, and the trio reflects on the importance of hope in the ongoing fight for a more humane and just legal system.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

UNLOCKING CHANGE this month features Christie Donner, Executive Director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. CRJ hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Ryan Conarro invite Christie to dive into nothing less than the full history of mass incarceration and Colorado… and to share how she insists on hope and authenticity in her decades-long efforts to effect a more humane criminal-legal system.

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

UNLOCKING CHANGE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). This kick-off episode features Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director of the Colorado Freedom Fund. In a conversation with CRJ hosts Tiffany McCoy and Ryan Conarro, Rebecca articulates the importance of supporting the most vulnerable in the criminal legal system; the need to address public health needs over relying on incarceration; and visions for a world in which everyone can be healthy, safe, and free. Visit https://www.coloradofreedomfund.org/ for more on Rebecca's work and her organization. www.radioforjustice.org