The Simple Way is a group of 14 Christian radicals living in Kensington, North Philadelphia. Out of the 2 houses they inhabit on Potter St. they operate a dollar-a-bag thrift store and feed up to 50 people a day from their kitchen. Over the years, they’ve found themselves disrupting City Council meetings fighting the Sidewalk Behavior Ordinance, getting their asses hauled to jail in housing actions, demonstrating for Mumia Abu-Jamal’s freedom and last summer being arrested and locked up at street blockades to disrupt the Republican National Convention. Stranger to neither tedious bureaucratic struggle with the city nor direct action, the Simple Way’s current struggle to obtain neighborhood control of 2 abandoned buildings on the block is leading the group to direct action.

In mid-August, the American Correctional Association—and the various industries selling their services and wares that comprise it—will be meeting and exhibiting their products in Philadelphia. Many of the member organizations are securing for themselves enormous profits as they simultaneously support policy and politicians that ensure the continued growth of the prison industrial complex. The annual conference will include a trade show at which they can exhibit everything from handcuffs to cell toilets to health care and food services as well as a variety of workshops on corrections management.

As Canadian authorities prevented several activists arrested at last August’s Republican Convention protests from attending the FTAA protests in Quebec City, other RNC defendants wrapped up their initial misdemeanor trials and won seven more acquittals for felony defendants. Over 400 people were arrested during the RNC, but only 24 open cases remain. In April, seven defendants were cleared of their felony charges, reducing the number of those still facing felonies to five.

As soon as rumblings started in Philadelphia’s political nooks and crannies that someone might contest popular Democratic incumbent Lynne Abraham for District Attorney, the specter of this city’s racialized history has run rampant. Yet this has not translated to substantive discussion of the nuts and bolts of racism.

Thoai Nguyen is a 1st generation Vietnamese immigrant. He is a longtime Philadelphia organizer and activist. Thoai is currently living in Bosnia-Hercegovina organizing a Roma (perjoratively known as Gypsies) Youth Network across the Balkans to fight against racist terror and police violence in post-communist Eastern Europe. The Brown Collective (BC) is a multi-racial, intergenerational collective working to highlight the racism and inhumanity of our criminal justice system. I recently had the chance to interview Thoai via email about the work of the Brown Collective, the prison industrial complex and globalization.

Philadelphia activist Terrence McGuckin was cleared of all charges stemming from his participation in RNC protests last August. Calling the prosecution's case "underwhelming" Judge Gary S. Glaser dismissed all remaining charges against McGuckin before the defense even presented its case.

On Friday, May 4, attorneys for radical journalist and death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal released an affidavit from their client in which Mumia for the first time definitively denied any role in the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Mumia's statement marks the first time he has publicly spoken out about details of what occurred the night Faulkner was killed.

Penn State administrators broke off negotiations late last week, and have not been back to the table since. Instead, administrators issued their own plan for diversity that satisfies some, but not all of the demands. Students, however, pledge to continue their sit-in, which is now entering day 7, until all demands are met.

Kicking off her race for re-election earlier this year, Lynne Abraham used the power of her incumbency to run campaign advertising. Under the guise of the city fighting domestic abuse, the Abraham ad appears throughout the SEPTA system.

Several dozen activists from diverse backgrounds and ideologies gathered last Thursday, bent on booting District Attorney Lynne Abraham and electing underdog Alexander Z. Talmadge, Jr in the May 15 Democratic primary election. Longtime GOTV foot soldiers sat alongside those who, until recently, were convinced that voting accomplished nothing except to prop up a sagging system. The striking consensus: now is the time to change the landscape of criminal justice in Philadelphia.