FFOIP’s 2013 Wayside Summer Retreat

Family and Friends of Incarcerated People (FFOIP) is an organization that was formed in prison by fathers trying to maintain strong bonds with their children while locked behind bars. Today, FFOIP continues it’s work on the outside. Their primary mission is to foster community support that effectively meets the needs of today’s at-risk children and families of those incarcerated. It operates solely to promote charity, literacy, public safety, and to prevent inter-generational incarceration.

On the weekend of June 21-23, FFOIP took 25 young people from the Washington DC metropolitan area to the Wayside Center for Popular Education in rural Faber, VA. They brought youth from the city to a rural environment to quiet their minds and free them from daily obligations. The weekend consisted of a number of activities including a know-your-rights training, organizing skills and a leadership circle. The kids also had a chance to hike through the woods, swim in the lake and roast s’mores at night by the campfire.

FFOIP strongly believes that it takes a village to raise a child. This retreat is one example of FFOIP’s commitment to empowering young people in their communities. Please support FFOIP: www.gofundme.com/ffoip

Trinidad Neighborhood Clean Up!

The Human Costs of the Prison Industrial Complex – Part II

Panel discussion focuses on the impact of mass incarceration on communities and the larger society.

“More than 2.2 million men, women and children live behind bars in the U.S. The overuse and abuse of incarceration is one of the most pressing human rights concerns of our time.”

– The Correctional Association of New York

 

We want to change this. Family & Friends of Incarcerated People and the Institute for Policy Studies host this second forum of a two part series focused upon exposing the impact of the Prison Industrial Complex on individuals, families and communities.

This second forum will focus on the impact of mass incarceration on communities, using short video and a panel discussion with the insights of formerly incarcerated men who are now giving back to their communities in profound ways. The panel will also feature people to discuss ways to formulate and move some national legislation addressing mass incarceration.

Panel Discussion on The Human Cost of the Prison Industrial Complex Wednesday, June 5, 2013 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Busboys & Poets 1025 5th Street NW Washington, DC, USA Panelists: Seema Sadanandan, filmmaker, lawyer and organizer for the ACLU of the Nation’s Capital Andrea Miller, Co-director Progressive Democrats of America’s Capitol Hill letter drops and Hill meetings Rick Seeney, facilitator/mentor for Family & Friends of Incarcerated People (FFOIP) Lawann and Markia Smith, children of a currently incarcerated person Moderator: Luqman M. Abdullah a founding member of the Students Against Mass Incarceration (S.A.M.I) organization at Howard University.

For more information, contact Netfa Freeman at netfa@ips-dc.org.

Panel Discussion on the Impact of the Prison Industrial Complex on DC Residents

In 2008, Washington, DC had the fourth highest incarceration rate in the United States. By 2010, DC had climbed number one. What’s going on?! For answers, join Family and Friends of Incarcerated People this Wednesday, May 29th at the K Street Busboys and Poets for the following panel discussion. The event starts at 6:00 PM.

For more on this subject read the Justice Policy Institute’s July 2010 report A Capitol Concern: The disproportionate impact of the justice system on low-income communities in D.C.

River Terrace Park Clean Up Day!

It’s gonna be a beautiful day this Saturday. Why not get outside and help clean up this historically African-American community.

You can get to the park from Minnesota Avenue or the Stadium Armory Metro stations on the orange line. Contact Stuart Anderson at (202) 239-9439 or Gerald Marshall at (301) 710-3898 for more information.