On this episode of the pod, we talk all about Proposition 25 and what pretrial justice would look like in a Prop. 25 world. To do this, we get together with Carlie Ware (@carlieware11) and Carson White. Carlie and Carson specialize in pretrial release advocacy and pre-arraignment representation. Omniboi composed the intro and outro for this pod. Send us your thoughts on Prop. 25 (@thesajidkhan @avanindar @aiderandabettor)
In this episode, Sajid and guest host Sarah Ruby (fellow pd out of San Jose) interview Assemblymember Ash Kalra (twitter @ash_kalra) about the Racial Justice Act (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB2542) https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-legislators-racial-justice-act-passes-senate-committee/ The bill passed the legislature and is on Governor Newsom's desk. To support the AB 2542, write the governor, call in, or post to social media #2542 #confro...
Sajid and Avi meet with Eliza Orlins. Eliza has been a public defender in New York for around 10 years. She decided to run for District Attorney of Manhattan. They talk about what called her to the work and her decision to run for DA. Learn more about Eliza’s work and campaign here: https://twitter.com/elizaorlins Omniboi composed and performed the intro, outro, and break remix.
“For the People”: Finding the Humanity in Our Criminal Legal System with Sajid Khan and Avi Singh: In this crossover episode with the cohosts of Aider and Abettor podcast, Bay Area public defenders Avi Singh and Sajid Khan join DA Boudin and Rachel to examine what it means when a prosecutor represents “the people.” The group asks who are the people represented by the system at each stage and is the system really serving them? How can the system better recognize the humanity of defendants and vic...
Sajid joined Another Not Guilty Pod for a two-part interview. Part 1 is about what happened when Sajid wrote a blog post calling for civil rights protesters to look at what District Attorneys have done to contribute to the system of mass incarceration and abusive police practices. Part 2 will come out next week. Sajid will debrief on a homicide trial ANG. You can check out and support their excellent work here: https://www.anothernotguiltypod.com/ We are grateful to ANG for the collab. Here is t...
COVID: Courts, Content, Care Avi and Sajid talk about what defense practice looks like during the COVID-19 pandemic, including video arraignments in mostly empty courthouses. They also talk about the content that they have enjoyed consuming and self-care practices while sheltering in place. Lee Rosevere (@leeroservere) composed and performed the intro and outro of the pod. Omniboi (@omniboi) composed and performed the music during the breaks.
Avi and Sajid discuss COVID-19 with Adnan Khan (!akhan1437). Adnan is the co-founder and executive director of Re:Store Justice (@restore_cal). Adnan was incarcerated at 18 for a felony murder conviction. He advocated for reform and was released after California largely abolished felony murder liability. They discuss COVID-19 from the perspective of people held in jails and prisons. Adnan describes the tension people face when seeking medical care means placement in solitary. He talks about how ...
Scott Hechinger (@scotthech) joins Sajid (@thesajidkhan) and Avi (@avanindar) to talk about public defender movement building. @Scotthech talks about the Zealo.us, a project to train public defenders on movement building and media advocacy. They talk about the termination of two public defenders who filed an amicus brief in support of providing counsel to people at the first court appearance. They talk about the movement that formed in response to the terminations and the larger fight for public...
This episode is all about the Orange County Informant Scandal. Avi and Sajid talk with Somil Trivedi (@somilbtrivedi). Somil is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Criminal Reform Project. They discuss what happened in Orange County, why it matters, how it was uncovered, and what happens next. You can find Somil’s bio here: https://www.aclu.org/news/by/somil-trivedi/ Somil referenced Scott Moxley’s reporting. Follow him on twitter @scottmoxley. On January 20, 2020 James Queally (@Jamesqueall...
Avi and Sajid reflect on the year and talk through what’s next in the pod, criminal justice reform, and their public defense practices. They talk about notable episodes from 2019 and share ideas about what they hope to cover in 2020. They talk about accomplishments in criminal justice reform and what they hope to see change in 2020. In the last segment, they share how their approach to pd work has changed over the year and where they want it to go. Our intro and outro are by @LeeRosevere. Remix ...
Sajid and Avi sit down with Deputy Public Defender Perla Garcia. Perla spoke out about her experience coming to the US from Nicaragua when she was twelve with three younger brothers after the tragic deaths of Oscar Alberto Martinez and his 23-month-old daughter Angie Valeria. Perla describes her multiple attempts to get to the United States (she was twelve and had three younger siblings with her) and her path to public defense. Lee Rosevere composed the intro and outro. Music played during conve...
Avi and Sajid recorded a live show with SF Public Defender Mano Raju at Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. Mano talked about his background and path to public defense, his vision for the Public Defender’s Office in San Francisco, and where he believes the practice should and could go. Mano took audience questions. At the end of the pod, the three shared a thing. The event was sponsored by the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California, the Hastings Criminal Law Society, and the So...
Avi and Sajid interview San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin about his campaign for San Francisco District Attorney. They discuss Chesa's motivation for running and talk through some of his reform proposals. Learn more about Chesa's campaign here https://www.chesaboudin.com/ and https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/us/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-da.html Follow Chesa on Twitter @chesaboudin @leerosevere composed the intro and outro of the pod.
Sajid and Avi discuss the execution of Dominique Ray and the Supreme Court’s decision to lift a stay of execution despite religious discrimination. This one is from February. Lots of things have happened since the recording, including a stay of execution in the case of Patrick Murphy based on religious discrimination. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/us/politics/texas-execution-buddhist-inmate.html @leerosevere (intero/outro) and @omniboi (break) composed music played during the pod.
Avi and Sajid get back together with Marc Bookman from the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation. Marc talks about his work on behalf of Kareem Johnson. He gives an update on Ricky Olds (https://soundcloud.com/user-139217541/14-going-on-life-without-parole). They also get an update on Krasner’s work in Philadelphia. The Atlantic Center put out video on Ricky Olds. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XtySsPOP9w Marc refers to this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archi...
This is The Bad Defense bracket. Avi and Sajid join public defenders Kristin Carter and Chris Givens to debate the worst defense attorneys from movies, television, books, documentaries, and podcasts. @leerosevere composed the intro and outro. @omniboi and @chalolo composed music played during the discussion.
Avi and Sajid talk to Sergeant Jeremy Jones. Jeremy has been with the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office for around 10 years. Jeremy grew up on the East Side of San Jose. His father has been in and out of jail for much of Jeremy’s life. He talks about how experiences with his father and police shaped his approach to policing and service. This includes working alongside incarcerated people to build obstacles for a charitable race (http://heroesrunscc.com) and providing gifts to the children of people i...
In this episode of Aider & Abettor, Avi and Sajid talk about a North Carolina Sheriff’s decision to charge Dazia Lee with involuntary manslaughter of her one year old child. Ms. Lee’s son slipped through her arms after a car accident in flood waters. The discussion goes into some of the moral and legal reasons against turning this tragedy into a criminal prosecution. In the second segment, they debrief on some criminal justice victories from the midterms. Music in this episode is by @leerose...
Avi and Sajid are joined by veteran Public Defender Brian Matthews. They discuss a wave of criminal justice reform in California. The topics include the elimination of cash bail, laws designed to protect kids from prosecution, and a major change to the felony murder rule. The intro clip is Senator Nancy Skinner asking a Public Safety Committee to approve her bill reforming the felony murder rule. Music in this episode is by @leerosevere and @omniboi.
In this episode of Aider & Abettor, Avi and Sajid react to an order by Ohio Judge John Russo to gag Franklyn Williams with red duct tape. This type of breakdown does not happen in a vacuum. They discuss the larger context, possible ways to prevent this from happening, and some of their experiences of courtroom volatility. Music in this episode is by @omniboi and @leerosevere. Please check out and support those artists. If you enjoy the episode, please share and review.
This is the twentieth episode of Aider & Abettor. Sajid talks with Alameda public defender Rachel Marshall. Rachel handles felony trials in Oakland, California. She has written articles about the sentence of Brock Turner and recall of Judge Aaron Persky for vox.com. You can find her work here: https://www.vox.com/authors/rachel-marshall. You can follow Rachel on twitter @RachelRMarshall Sajid and Rachel talk about being Public public defenders—that is, public defenders willing to step out of...
Avi and Sajid sit down with Michael Ogul to discuss a memo issued by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner aimed at fighting mass incarceration and restoring balance to sentencing. The three describe some of the problems that this new approach attempts to solve. They also talk about ways to take this new approach further. The intro and outro are by Lee Rosevere. The break music is by Mark Punzalan. Music played during a part of the conversation is by Makaih Beats. Michael Ogul is a vetera...
We were joined by our friend/fellow public defender Carlie Ware for a discussion about the police shooting of Stephon Clark. The conversation includes our reactions to the body camera and helicopter footage. We recorded the episode before the release of the private and public autopsies. We will talk more about Stephon Clark in future pods.
In this episode of Aider & Abettor, Avi and Sajid interview Los Angeles Deputy Public Defender Elizabeth Lashley-Haynes about the #clientsfirst #notmypd movement in Los Angeles County. The Board of Supervisors in Los Angeles appointed an attorney with zero public defense experience to be the interim head the largest Public Defender's Office in the United States. In response, public defenders and community allies organized opposition to the appointment. This included a protest of the appointm...
Avi and Sajid took the podcast on the road to the Capital Case Defense Seminar in Monterey, CA. This episode is an interview with Marc Bookman. Marc is the co-director of the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation in Philadelphia, PA. The interview focuses on Marc's work on behalf of Ricky Olds. Ricky was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for being present at a homicide when he was 14. Marc tells Ricky's story and describes how he challenged Ricky's sentence after the Supre...
In Ep. 15 of Aider & Abettor, Avi and Sajid sit down with Rod O'Connor. Rod retired from public defense in 2016. During his career, Rod tried homicides and mentored new lawyers (including Avi). In the first segment, Rod shares his perspective as a recently retired public defender on the parts of the job that he misses and the parts of the job that he does not miss. They take up FAQs/cocktail party questions in the second segment. How do they represent those people? How do they sleep at night...
In the last episode of the year, Avi and Sajid recorded a live pod at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, California. The students have been thinking about the issue of prosecuting minors as adults. In the first segment, Avi talks about challenging the sentence of a person who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for a homicide he committed when he was seventeen. In the second segment, Sajid delivers a modified closing argument about why his client should remain in juvenile cou...
On this episode of Aider & Abettor, California State Assemblymember Ash Kalra joins Sajid and Avi. Ash is the first Indian American state legislator in California. Before being elected to the California State Assembly, Ash was a public defender in San Jose, CA (at the same office as Sajid and Avi) for over 10 years and then served as a San Jose City Council member for 8 years. In the Opening Statement, Ash describes his path to public defense and then to elected office. Ash reflects on repre...
In this episode of Aider & Abettor, Avi and Sajid are joined by retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Ron Del Pozzo, someone who they both appeared in front of during their public defense careers before the Judge’s retirement. In the first segment (2:20), they all discuss the nuances of plea bargaining in criminal cases including the relative power of judges and prosecutors during the process. The conversation dovetailed into reflections on the interplay of bail, plea bargaining an...
Avi is joined by public defender Kristin Carter. The topics include whether the ACLU should change its stance on representation after Charlottesville, jury selection in the Shkreli trial, the Arpaio pardon, and Taylor Swift. At the end of the episode they do their Things. Our music is by @leerosevere. Sajid was on a pilgrimage during the taping of this episode. He will be back next time.
