For part two of our special series on Dream.Org’s Empathy Network, Janos invites two advocates who have been instrumental in passing legislation in their respective states. Sean Wilson, Dream.Org’s Senior Director of Organizing and Partnerships and architect of our Dream Justice Cohort, discusses his journey from incarceration to inspiring new leaders, the challenges of passing criminal justice reform in Wisconsin, and the victory of AB 604. Then, Selena Coomer, our Kentucky Empathy Network Leader talks about the unexpected success of bipartisan reform in Kentucky, including the Family Preservation Act and her continued work on the Clean Slate Act.

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Sign up to join Dream.Org’s Serious About Safety Campaign (formerly named the Crime Bill Campaign) today!

Follow our guests on their socials:

Sean Wilson:

Linkedin

Selena Coomer:

Webpage
Facebook

To start us off, Janos announces the rebranding of the “crime bill” campaign to the Serious About Safety Campaign. Then he’s joined by Yusuf Dahl and Matthew Petit for part one of a special series focused on Dream.Org’s Empathy Network Leaders. Yusuf was denied housing in Pennsylvania for past drug convictions and now advocates for the local and national versions of the bipartisan Fair Future Act. While Matthew is using his lived experience to change the narrative around what’s happening in the New Mexico criminal justice system. They talk about their personal journeys to advocacy and the barriers and misconceptions surrounding incarceration.

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Sign up to join Dream.Org’s Serious About Safety Campaign (formerly named the Crime Bill Campaign) today!

This week, Kandia Milton, Dream.Org’s Government Affairs Director, returns with Janos to breakdown the missed opportunities of Trump’s State of the Union speech, the draconian Republican legislation introduced to withhold federal funds for state correctional systems, and how the Iranian strikes are being used as leverage to advance the President’s DHS policies and eroding our constitutional and democratic processes.

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Check out Dream.Org’s “Crime Bill” Briefing for more information on Trump’s recently introduced bill.

Follow Kandia Milton on LinkedIn.

In the last episode before our midseason break, Janos brings on Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice. They discuss her work with the Bronx Defenders, the goal of the New York’s Close Ryker’s campaign to shift public perception on incarceration and jail systems, the challenges posed by political rhetoric, and how the fight for justice is directly connected to democracy. They also dive into how a Trump “crime bill” will not address the public safety and crime concerns of everyday Americans but rather is a tool for authoritarianism.

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Follow the Vera Institute on socials:

Instagram: @verainstitute AND @veraaction

Facebook: @verainstitute AND @veraaction

X: @verainstitute

Janos gives some updates on projections for the potential “crime bill” and its connections to immigration. Then, this week’s guest Jason Pye from the Due Process Institute talks about his involvement in the First Step Act and gives a libertarian perspective on criminal justice that transcends party lines and explains why fear-based policymaking and expanded federal immunity won’t make communities safer, and why so many Americans — across the spectrum — are beginning to reject that premise.

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Check out Jason’s subtack article: On the Death of Conservative-Libertarian Fusionism

Follow Jason and the Due Process Institute on X:

@pye

@idueprocess

Minneapolis residents and formerly incarcerated advocates Elizer Darris, Executive Director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and Moncies Franco, former Valedictorian of the Dream Justice Cohort now working for the Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice Lab, join Janos to give on the ground insight into the tragic killing of Renee Good and ICE occupation of Minneapolis. They speak on the unrestricted attacks on citizens, the community rallying, the intentional targeting of Minnesota by the administration, and the intersection of immigration and criminal justice in this moment. (Conversation starts at 12:10)

Kanda Milton, Dream.Org’s Government Affairs Director, also returns to discuss two bail bills passed by the House Judiciary that Dream is deeply concerned about.

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Justice-impacted community leaders can apply for the 2026 Dream Justice Cohort on Dream.Org’s website through March 22nd.

Follow our guests on their socials:

Moncies Franco

Facebook: moncies.franco

Tiktok: @monciesfranco

Linkedin: @moncies.franco

Instagram: @monciesfrancosr

In a special episode, Janos speaks with January 6th-er and 2025 Dream Justice Cohort alumni, Danean McAndrew. She recounts her first hand experience from that fateful day at the Capital and and her journey to becoming a criminal justice advocate.

Then Anthony Petty, of Neighbors for Justice and Peer Support Worker for the book club, Free Minds, tells us about the struggles of his policy work and how Congress using DC as a political punching bag is a slap in the face to its residents.

CW: This story deals with some descriptions of sexual assault.

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Follow our guests on their socials:
Danean McAndrew
X: @DaneanHere2

Janos demystifies bail reform this week alongside Erin George, the National Director of Policy at The Bail Project. Erin shares the bail misconceptions she encounters most often, reflects on her work in New York’s Close Rikers campaign, and talks through what The Bail Project is seeing in communities nationwide. The conversation then turns to the upcoming crime bill, where Janos and Erin outline how Republican priorities are likely to be a reflection of the current attack on D.C.’s bail system.

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Follow our guest, Erin George, on her socials:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-george-76548671/

X: @ErinLeighGeorge

Keep up with the work of The Bail Project:

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bail-project/

Instagram: @bailproject

X: @bailproject