1 00:00:12,138 --> 00:00:15,058 -Hi. How are you doing? -Hi. What can I get for you? 2 00:00:15,141 --> 00:00:16,685 I want some coffee with milk. 3 00:00:16,768 --> 00:00:18,019 -Coffee with milk? -Yeah. 4 00:00:18,103 --> 00:00:19,896 -Just black, please. Thank you. -One coffee. 5 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:22,315 -Lots of milk. Yeah. -Lots of milk. 6 00:00:22,399 --> 00:00:24,150 -Are you Chelsea? -Yes, ma'am. 7 00:00:24,818 --> 00:00:26,278 I can't believe this! 8 00:00:26,361 --> 00:00:29,531 -Wait, did you get your coffee? -I'm so nervous. I forgot. 9 00:00:29,614 --> 00:00:31,199 -You forgot your coffee. -Don't forget your-- 10 00:00:31,283 --> 00:00:32,784 That's your coffee. Right? 11 00:00:32,867 --> 00:00:34,744 -Here you go. -Thank you, baby. 12 00:00:34,828 --> 00:00:36,663 Thank you so much! 13 00:00:37,914 --> 00:00:39,291 Bye. Have a good one. 14 00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:45,088 Well, you know, I've always wondered because both your dad and I are lawyers, 15 00:00:45,171 --> 00:00:48,717 and you never expressed any interest in going to law school. 16 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:50,552 Though I did love arguing with you as a child. 17 00:00:50,635 --> 00:00:52,637 -Yeah. We thought you'd be a good lawyer… -And as an adult. 18 00:00:52,721 --> 00:00:54,306 …because you did love to argue. 19 00:00:54,389 --> 00:00:57,893 But didn't you use to like to watch Law and Order with your grandmother? 20 00:00:57,976 --> 00:01:00,061 Grandma and I watched Law and Order 21 00:01:00,145 --> 00:01:03,231 when she would ride her-- her exercise bicycle. 22 00:01:04,733 --> 00:01:07,485 And I would run on the treadmill next to her. 23 00:01:07,569 --> 00:01:09,696 In the world of Law and Order, 24 00:01:09,779 --> 00:01:12,616 crimes are always solved, the bad guys are always caught, 25 00:01:12,699 --> 00:01:14,618 -and they don't make mistakes. -Right. 26 00:01:14,701 --> 00:01:15,785 And yet, we know… 27 00:01:15,869 --> 00:01:18,705 -That's not the way it is in real life. -…that's not the way it is in real life. 28 00:01:20,665 --> 00:01:22,125 Keep going. 29 00:01:22,208 --> 00:01:24,044 Then I said, "freeze," and I tackled a guy. 30 00:01:24,127 --> 00:01:26,213 That is one of the reasons why I just fight so hard. 31 00:01:27,881 --> 00:01:29,549 I'm so excited about this moment! 32 00:01:35,764 --> 00:01:37,432 We're heading to a storytelling workshop 33 00:01:37,515 --> 00:01:40,644 with Mariska Hargitay, the star of Law and Order: SVU, 34 00:01:40,727 --> 00:01:44,814 and in real life, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault. 35 00:01:44,898 --> 00:01:49,486 And Mariska knows the power of telling your own story and of being heard. 36 00:01:49,569 --> 00:01:52,989 -Oh, my gosh! This is so great! -Hi. 37 00:01:53,073 --> 00:01:54,532 You can't be as excited as I am. 38 00:01:54,616 --> 00:01:56,910 -I am! -Oh, my gosh. 39 00:01:56,993 --> 00:01:58,828 I feel like I should be jumping up and down too. 40 00:01:58,912 --> 00:02:01,164 And this is like a perfect place. Nice to meet in. 41 00:02:01,248 --> 00:02:03,083 -I've actually shot here. -Like pursuing somebody? 42 00:02:03,166 --> 00:02:04,542 -Talking to someone? -It was an interview. 43 00:02:04,626 --> 00:02:06,127 I walked in with my outfit, flashed my badge, 44 00:02:06,211 --> 00:02:08,004 -asked a couple questions. -You didn't have to run? 45 00:02:08,087 --> 00:02:10,006 Then I said, "freeze," and I tackled a guy. 46 00:02:10,090 --> 00:02:11,466 But we won't be doing that today. 47 00:02:11,550 --> 00:02:13,009 -Well, why not? -Shall we? 48 00:02:13,802 --> 00:02:14,844 Just give me some warning, 49 00:02:14,928 --> 00:02:15,971 -and you can tackle me. -I will. 50 00:02:16,054 --> 00:02:17,806 Starting with the right hand. Go. 51 00:02:17,889 --> 00:02:21,893 Two, one. One, one. 52 00:02:23,478 --> 00:02:24,980 Yes. And now, look. 53 00:02:25,063 --> 00:02:28,733 We are all shaken out, in our bodies, ready to do some storytelling. 54 00:02:28,817 --> 00:02:32,612 Storytelling at The Moth is really about a transformation in your life, right? 55 00:02:32,696 --> 00:02:34,072 It's about change. 56 00:02:34,155 --> 00:02:36,950 And so the next exercise, whatever comes to your mind first. 57 00:02:37,450 --> 00:02:40,829 "I used to be blank, but now I am blank." 58 00:02:40,912 --> 00:02:44,124 There's just so many different ways to go with this! 59 00:02:44,791 --> 00:02:50,755 I used to think that everyone was better than me, 60 00:02:51,506 --> 00:02:57,429 and now I know what I bring to the table. 61 00:02:57,512 --> 00:02:58,722 Yay. 62 00:02:58,805 --> 00:03:00,974 -So good. -Big yay. 63 00:03:01,057 --> 00:03:02,225 We love that. 64 00:03:03,393 --> 00:03:05,937 Let's see. I used to wear skirts. 65 00:03:09,608 --> 00:03:11,276 That is so good! 66 00:03:11,359 --> 00:03:12,485 -And now… -Yes! 67 00:03:12,569 --> 00:03:16,406 And now, I haven't worn one since probably 1999. 68 00:03:17,449 --> 00:03:20,368 When I was First Lady, I went to Brazil. 69 00:03:20,452 --> 00:03:24,122 I had on a, you know, sort of First Lady skirt suit. 70 00:03:24,205 --> 00:03:26,082 We had a nice conversation. The press came in. 71 00:03:26,166 --> 00:03:29,669 They had what's called a "press spray," so they had all these photographers. 72 00:03:29,753 --> 00:03:32,464 So we finished the meeting. We finished the visit. 73 00:03:32,547 --> 00:03:35,050 I go back to, you know, the White House. 74 00:03:35,133 --> 00:03:39,346 And somebody has taken a picture up my skirt… 75 00:03:39,429 --> 00:03:41,640 and has billboards 76 00:03:41,723 --> 00:03:45,810 in Rio selling a certain brand of underwear. 77 00:03:46,394 --> 00:03:47,604 Oh, my Lord. 78 00:03:47,687 --> 00:03:52,734 You really couldn't see all the way up, but it was suggestive. 79 00:03:52,817 --> 00:03:55,070 So that did affect my thinking. 80 00:03:55,153 --> 00:03:58,198 And then I was gonna run for office, and I thought, "I don't need that." 81 00:03:58,281 --> 00:04:00,825 -Put on a uniform. So… -Take it off the plate. 82 00:04:00,909 --> 00:04:03,787 -Wow. Oh, my gosh. -That's some change right there. 83 00:04:03,870 --> 00:04:04,871 There you go. 84 00:04:04,955 --> 00:04:06,539 And I just learned something new about my mom. 85 00:04:09,459 --> 00:04:16,132 Your professional career is playing this strong, determined person 86 00:04:16,216 --> 00:04:20,387 who has to go out and solve crimes and bring bad people to justice. 87 00:04:20,470 --> 00:04:22,222 What do you do with that? How does it help? 88 00:04:22,305 --> 00:04:26,476 Well, it's a-- it was a very interesting, unexpected journey for me 89 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:31,147 with SVU, because stories of sexual assault were being told 90 00:04:31,231 --> 00:04:35,151 every day on television in their living room. 91 00:04:35,235 --> 00:04:36,570 -Made this thing-- -Becoming visible. 92 00:04:36,653 --> 00:04:40,615 Visible. This thing that had been traditionally swept under the carpet. 93 00:04:40,699 --> 00:04:43,743 Survivors were being believed. 94 00:04:43,827 --> 00:04:45,787 That's critical. Yes! 95 00:04:45,870 --> 00:04:47,664 So there's not a failure of imagination, 96 00:04:47,747 --> 00:04:51,751 because you show people that it can be more just. 97 00:04:51,835 --> 00:04:53,962 And Chelsea, that's probably something that I hear the most. 98 00:04:54,045 --> 00:04:56,047 "I wish you were the detective on my case." 99 00:04:56,131 --> 00:04:59,384 -That is heartbreaking. -It-- Yeah, that's heartbreaking. 100 00:05:00,176 --> 00:05:01,720 When I first got the role, I thought, 101 00:05:01,803 --> 00:05:04,055 "I just need to hang out with cops. I need to hang out with cops." 102 00:05:04,139 --> 00:05:07,142 But when I went through this SAVI training program, 103 00:05:07,225 --> 00:05:09,603 Sexual Assault Violence Intervention program, 104 00:05:09,686 --> 00:05:13,690 the training was primarily listening. 105 00:05:14,441 --> 00:05:16,693 Having somebody bear witness to your story 106 00:05:16,776 --> 00:05:21,698 is the commencement of… justice. 107 00:05:21,781 --> 00:05:22,866 I love that. 108 00:05:26,786 --> 00:05:30,582 As a domestic violence survivor and as a mentor to girls in her community, 109 00:05:30,665 --> 00:05:33,460 Katrina has also found strength in listening. 110 00:05:33,543 --> 00:05:36,671 And I'm on my way to meet up with her and some of her girls 111 00:05:36,755 --> 00:05:38,381 for a self-defense class. 112 00:05:39,799 --> 00:05:41,509 -Hi! -Hi! 113 00:05:41,593 --> 00:05:43,136 -Can I give you a hug? -I wanna hug you too. 114 00:05:43,220 --> 00:05:44,554 Okay, good. 115 00:05:44,638 --> 00:05:47,057 So I've only taken one self-defense class… 116 00:05:47,140 --> 00:05:49,351 -Well, I haven't. -…and it was about 20 years ago. 117 00:05:50,268 --> 00:05:52,187 So we getting our butts kicked today. 118 00:05:52,812 --> 00:05:53,772 I'll do the best I can. 119 00:05:53,855 --> 00:05:56,107 If you fall, I'll pick you up. If I fall, you pick me up. All right? 120 00:05:56,191 --> 00:05:57,734 -Always. -All right. Come on. 121 00:05:58,944 --> 00:06:02,948 Five. Four. Keep going. 122 00:06:03,031 --> 00:06:05,575 -Three. Two. -You got it. Keep going. 123 00:06:05,659 --> 00:06:07,285 -Time! -Keep going. 124 00:06:11,373 --> 00:06:13,875 -That's so funny. -All right, folks! 125 00:06:14,542 --> 00:06:17,963 So, show me your fighting stance. 126 00:06:18,046 --> 00:06:19,798 Your ready stance. Right? 127 00:06:19,881 --> 00:06:21,466 -Go! -No! 128 00:06:22,509 --> 00:06:25,136 Young Ladies of Our Future is a workshop program 129 00:06:25,220 --> 00:06:27,472 with self-esteem, self-awareness, 130 00:06:28,056 --> 00:06:31,518 nutrition, meditation, anti-violence. 131 00:06:32,102 --> 00:06:33,645 So Brownsville was a neighborhood 132 00:06:33,728 --> 00:06:36,690 that I felt that needed a little bit more attention. 133 00:06:37,649 --> 00:06:40,110 It's a lot of kids that's at risk. 134 00:06:40,610 --> 00:06:43,238 So had any of you taken a self-defense class before? 135 00:06:43,530 --> 00:06:44,573 No. 136 00:06:44,656 --> 00:06:46,950 No. Was it what you expected? 137 00:06:47,033 --> 00:06:50,453 I thought they was gonna have, like, the guys in the suits, 138 00:06:50,537 --> 00:06:52,289 and we gotta attack them and all that. 139 00:06:52,372 --> 00:06:55,041 It wasn't scary enough for you. Is that what you're saying? 140 00:06:56,793 --> 00:07:00,046 I mean, I was scared as a kid in Little Rock when-- 141 00:07:01,131 --> 00:07:03,675 We had metal detectors at my junior high school 142 00:07:03,758 --> 00:07:06,970 because there were so many guns in that neighborhood. 143 00:07:07,053 --> 00:07:09,556 What would you change about your schools? 144 00:07:10,432 --> 00:07:12,559 Yeah, and we need metal detectors in our school 145 00:07:12,642 --> 00:07:16,229 because people be getting stabbed or killed in schools 146 00:07:16,313 --> 00:07:20,025 bathrooms and everything. So I'm kind of worried about that. 147 00:07:20,108 --> 00:07:23,403 I want to get justice for other people, 148 00:07:23,486 --> 00:07:26,448 being that I wasn't able to get justice for myself. 149 00:07:26,948 --> 00:07:31,161 My ex-fiancé was a correction officer in Rikers Island. 150 00:07:31,244 --> 00:07:33,830 It was law enforcement. So I thought it was pretty cool. 151 00:07:35,123 --> 00:07:37,417 But it was just abusive relationship. 152 00:07:38,627 --> 00:07:40,587 I decided to leave. 153 00:07:40,670 --> 00:07:43,215 So January 9, 1993, 154 00:07:43,298 --> 00:07:46,343 my ex-fiancé and I were having a conversation. 155 00:07:47,344 --> 00:07:51,932 My youngest daughter I had in my arms, and I was also pregnant at the time. 156 00:07:52,515 --> 00:07:56,728 I had went inside and put the youngest daughter in her bed, 157 00:07:57,354 --> 00:08:01,191 and when I came out the room, he pointed a gun at me. 158 00:08:01,983 --> 00:08:04,236 And told me that, "This is the day you gonna die, bitch." 159 00:08:08,198 --> 00:08:10,116 I was shot ten times. 160 00:08:12,118 --> 00:08:13,870 I came out of the coma. 161 00:08:13,954 --> 00:08:19,042 The first thing that I asked was where was the baby that I was pregnant with. 162 00:08:20,502 --> 00:08:24,214 The doctor explained to me my baby did not live. 163 00:08:25,382 --> 00:08:26,675 He lived two hours. 164 00:08:27,676 --> 00:08:31,304 And so, that's my story. 165 00:08:34,515 --> 00:08:37,644 You know, Mariska, one of the things I've always really respected, 166 00:08:37,726 --> 00:08:44,401 you know, are treating people who have survived horrific things done to them 167 00:08:44,484 --> 00:08:46,820 -as survivors and not victims. -Yes. 168 00:08:46,903 --> 00:08:49,781 -Right? So that they are not defined by… -No. 169 00:08:49,864 --> 00:08:52,784 …the choices that someone made to take something from them. 170 00:08:52,867 --> 00:08:58,748 Exactly. When somebody gets their watch stolen or their car stolen, 171 00:08:58,832 --> 00:09:02,961 we wanna be believed, we wanna be respected, we wanna be heard. 172 00:09:03,044 --> 00:09:06,006 When somebody gets part of their body stolen, 173 00:09:06,798 --> 00:09:07,966 they want the same thing. 174 00:09:08,049 --> 00:09:09,175 Exactly. 175 00:09:09,259 --> 00:09:15,932 And that's what-- Our vision for Joyful Heart was that your surv-- 176 00:09:16,016 --> 00:09:20,437 survival is the-- a band to be celebrated. 177 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,771 That's your power. 178 00:09:21,855 --> 00:09:27,444 I just recently, started sharing with people that I was raped. 179 00:09:28,111 --> 00:09:32,198 And I feel so, 180 00:09:33,408 --> 00:09:36,286 grateful of being able to say that. 181 00:09:36,369 --> 00:09:39,956 Although, it was a long journey for me, 182 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,626 even me, to be able to say it. 183 00:09:42,709 --> 00:09:46,046 But now I go, "That thing that happened to me doesn't define me." 184 00:09:46,129 --> 00:09:49,466 -Right. -If anything, look at me now. 185 00:09:53,345 --> 00:09:55,513 When everybody sits in a room together 186 00:09:55,597 --> 00:09:58,892 and listens to somebody tell this true, personal story from their life, 187 00:09:58,975 --> 00:10:01,436 something that means something to them, that they care about, 188 00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:03,438 it's just a transformative experience. 189 00:10:04,272 --> 00:10:06,858 So, would anybody like to volunteer to go first? 190 00:10:06,942 --> 00:10:08,318 Okay. 191 00:10:08,401 --> 00:10:10,654 -All right. Okay. -Thank you. 192 00:10:12,906 --> 00:10:15,367 So my mother died when she was 34. 193 00:10:16,159 --> 00:10:19,371 And my grandfather died when he was 34. 194 00:10:19,454 --> 00:10:22,958 And so, on my 34th birthday-- 195 00:10:23,041 --> 00:10:26,336 I always was just frightened of it, of what does it mean, 196 00:10:26,419 --> 00:10:28,046 like I was next in line. 197 00:10:28,630 --> 00:10:31,550 And I had this beautiful trip planned. 198 00:10:31,633 --> 00:10:34,594 I got invited with a bunch of my artist friends 199 00:10:34,678 --> 00:10:37,472 to caravan on motorcycles 200 00:10:37,556 --> 00:10:40,141 to Las Vegas for Cirque du Soleil. 201 00:10:40,225 --> 00:10:44,688 And they were a little like, you know, loosey-goosey, crazy, hippie types. 202 00:10:44,771 --> 00:10:45,772 And I said, 203 00:10:46,439 --> 00:10:49,276 I will go if I can drive my car. 204 00:10:50,110 --> 00:10:53,446 So we're about two and half hours in, and everyone's like, 205 00:10:53,530 --> 00:10:56,241 "Mariska. You know, don't play it so safe." 206 00:10:56,324 --> 00:11:00,495 And I said, "You know what? I don't wanna live my life based in fear." 207 00:11:00,579 --> 00:11:04,332 So, I got on, and we're driving along. 208 00:11:04,416 --> 00:11:06,167 And within maybe 30 seconds, 209 00:11:06,251 --> 00:11:10,547 one of the cars that was with us was looking at her cell phone 210 00:11:10,630 --> 00:11:13,967 and hit my motorcycle. 211 00:11:14,050 --> 00:11:18,138 And everything stopped. And I went flying through the air. 212 00:11:18,889 --> 00:11:21,516 And I thought, "Wow, I can't believe this. 213 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,393 You're gonna die like they did." 214 00:11:24,060 --> 00:11:30,150 And then I landed on the ground and realized that I was alive. 215 00:11:31,943 --> 00:11:37,490 And that I didn't carry the karma of the past. 216 00:11:37,574 --> 00:11:40,952 And, my life began. Yeah. 217 00:11:42,037 --> 00:11:43,371 Wow. 218 00:11:43,830 --> 00:11:45,332 Wow! 219 00:11:49,961 --> 00:11:51,922 All right, couple more hits! 220 00:11:52,005 --> 00:11:53,465 Now, this is fine. 221 00:11:53,548 --> 00:11:57,552 Five. Four. Keep going. 222 00:11:57,636 --> 00:11:59,679 -Three. Two. -You got it. Keep going. 223 00:12:00,263 --> 00:12:01,556 -Time! -Keep going. 224 00:12:02,057 --> 00:12:04,601 Once I came out of the coma, 225 00:12:04,684 --> 00:12:08,396 the doctor and his staff told me that I wouldn't be able to walk again. 226 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:11,858 I wouldn't talk. I wouldn't be able to live a normal life. 227 00:12:12,984 --> 00:12:14,819 But I had a physical therapist. 228 00:12:14,903 --> 00:12:18,990 And he said to me-- He believed that I would walk again. 229 00:12:19,074 --> 00:12:21,993 I said to him, I was like, "I can't walk again. 230 00:12:22,077 --> 00:12:24,704 The doctors told me that I'm not gonna walk." 231 00:12:25,664 --> 00:12:28,875 And he was like, "I don't believe that. 232 00:12:28,959 --> 00:12:33,088 Something's telling me that you can do it." 233 00:12:35,423 --> 00:12:37,634 And then once I took that first step, 234 00:12:39,219 --> 00:12:41,221 nothing's gonna stop me. 235 00:12:42,180 --> 00:12:44,516 You don't know if you're not taught 236 00:12:44,599 --> 00:12:46,810 that you're not supposed to be in a toxic relationship. 237 00:12:46,893 --> 00:12:49,104 You're not supposed to be in a bad relationship. 238 00:12:49,187 --> 00:12:51,231 And you did ask for help, didn't you? 239 00:12:51,314 --> 00:12:54,901 -In your domestic violence situation. -I had asked for help many a times 240 00:12:54,985 --> 00:12:55,819 from the police. 241 00:12:55,902 --> 00:12:56,987 And did they ever come? 242 00:12:57,070 --> 00:12:58,446 They came, but they never helped 243 00:12:58,530 --> 00:13:01,658 because he was a law enforcement officer. 244 00:13:02,367 --> 00:13:05,912 Whether I had a black eye, whether I had a busted lip, 245 00:13:05,996 --> 00:13:10,125 he would show his badge, and they wouldn't say anything to me. 246 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,129 They would just leave me just like that. 247 00:13:16,673 --> 00:13:19,009 In the end, the justice system failed me. 248 00:13:19,092 --> 00:13:20,218 He did ten years. 249 00:13:20,302 --> 00:13:21,303 For shooting you ten times. 250 00:13:21,386 --> 00:13:24,055 For shooting me. He got one year for every bullet he shot me. 251 00:13:24,139 --> 00:13:25,640 Does that feel like justice? 252 00:13:25,724 --> 00:13:28,476 That's not justice. It can't be justice. 253 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:30,812 And yet, you still became a police officer. 254 00:13:30,896 --> 00:13:32,397 Still became a police officer, 255 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:36,735 because I wanted to be able to give what I didn't get. 256 00:13:36,818 --> 00:13:40,447 And so what do you say though to young people who think like-- 257 00:13:40,530 --> 00:13:43,909 like, policing's broken in our country? 258 00:13:43,992 --> 00:13:48,997 It is broken. But what I say is that you can get into the police department, 259 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,083 and you can be a voice. And you can be a-- be that change. 260 00:13:55,170 --> 00:13:58,048 We need police because people do commit crimes. 261 00:13:58,131 --> 00:14:01,760 But they're not training them to be dealing with mental health. 262 00:14:01,843 --> 00:14:04,137 They're not training them to deal with 263 00:14:04,221 --> 00:14:07,807 a person that has real domestic violence issues. 264 00:14:07,891 --> 00:14:09,809 The police shouldn't be for everything. 265 00:14:09,893 --> 00:14:11,102 Good. 266 00:14:11,186 --> 00:14:14,689 I spoke with my chief and said, "I really wanna start a mentor program." 267 00:14:14,773 --> 00:14:16,274 And he thought it was a great idea. 268 00:14:17,108 --> 00:14:19,319 And taking one more deep breath in 269 00:14:20,487 --> 00:14:22,113 and out through the mouth. 270 00:14:25,075 --> 00:14:26,409 And then shake it all out. 271 00:14:26,493 --> 00:14:27,994 -Thank you so much. -That was good. Thank you. 272 00:14:29,537 --> 00:14:31,790 Well, Miss Katrina taught us, like, 273 00:14:32,290 --> 00:14:34,834 what kind of group we're supposed to hang out with. 274 00:14:34,918 --> 00:14:36,002 And was that helpful? 275 00:14:36,836 --> 00:14:38,797 They know how to help me with my stink attitude. 276 00:14:40,757 --> 00:14:41,591 Yep. 277 00:14:41,675 --> 00:14:46,680 This group helped me gain confidence in, like, who I am. 278 00:14:46,763 --> 00:14:48,723 It made me, like, be myself. 279 00:14:48,807 --> 00:14:53,603 And it showed me that there's, like, a lot of opportunity that us girls could do 280 00:14:53,687 --> 00:14:57,274 to help this community and everything. So, yeah. 281 00:14:57,357 --> 00:14:59,776 And I got new friends. 282 00:14:59,859 --> 00:15:01,903 Especially this annoying one right here. 283 00:15:01,987 --> 00:15:04,614 When Carmen first came, remember, she didn't even talk. 284 00:15:04,698 --> 00:15:07,158 She was just very quiet. 285 00:15:07,242 --> 00:15:09,536 She didn't even talk, and now look at you. 286 00:15:09,619 --> 00:15:11,788 My girl got her nails done. 287 00:15:11,871 --> 00:15:14,457 -She's teasing people. -That's right. Teasing people. 288 00:15:14,541 --> 00:15:17,961 So I'm proud of you, darling. I'm proud of all of you guys. 289 00:15:22,841 --> 00:15:27,178 Like Katrina, Brittany has seen the justice system from different angles. 290 00:15:27,262 --> 00:15:29,764 In her work as an attorney arguing for clemency 291 00:15:29,848 --> 00:15:32,017 for people who were unjustly sentenced. 292 00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:35,395 And as the daughter of a formerly incarcerated mother. 293 00:15:36,271 --> 00:15:38,356 -Hi. How are you? -Hi. 294 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,108 -Pleasure to meet you. -Good. 295 00:15:40,191 --> 00:15:43,778 We're gonna go in to Refoundry and learn more about what they're doing here. 296 00:15:43,862 --> 00:15:45,989 Good. I also love the name, "Refoundry." 297 00:15:46,072 --> 00:15:49,451 The mission of Refoundry is to reduce recidivism and unemployment 298 00:15:49,534 --> 00:15:51,161 for people coming home from prison. 299 00:15:51,244 --> 00:15:52,329 This is Gene. 300 00:15:52,412 --> 00:15:55,540 He was a graduate of our first cohort in New York, 301 00:15:55,624 --> 00:15:56,917 and he's a master craftsman, 302 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,836 and he's gonna show you how to do some things today. 303 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:03,715 You ladies is going to make a wine rack. 304 00:16:03,798 --> 00:16:05,467 -Okay. -All right. 305 00:16:06,051 --> 00:16:10,096 I'm giving you a stain to make the wood look antique. 306 00:16:10,180 --> 00:16:11,306 -Great. -Okay. 307 00:16:11,389 --> 00:16:14,476 One of you brush on, the other one count to five and wipe off. 308 00:16:14,559 --> 00:16:16,478 What happens if we count to seven? 309 00:16:16,561 --> 00:16:17,812 Seven is good too. 310 00:16:18,855 --> 00:16:21,066 Are you a crafty person, Brittany? 311 00:16:21,149 --> 00:16:23,443 I had to be really crafty with legal arguments. 312 00:16:23,526 --> 00:16:25,403 Yeah! You do. That's true. 313 00:16:25,487 --> 00:16:28,490 You really are one of the pioneers of this movement. 314 00:16:28,573 --> 00:16:32,786 I like to say I started doing clemency before clemency was cool. 315 00:16:32,869 --> 00:16:37,249 I personally have helped free 36 people from life sentences. 316 00:16:37,332 --> 00:16:40,252 So, give us a little bit more about your background. 317 00:16:40,335 --> 00:16:42,796 I always wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be Clair Huxtable. 318 00:16:42,879 --> 00:16:43,880 Oh, gosh, yeah. 319 00:16:43,964 --> 00:16:46,591 But growing up in rural East Texas, 320 00:16:46,675 --> 00:16:50,470 there's not a lot of lawyers, and there aren't any who look like me. 321 00:16:50,554 --> 00:16:55,100 And so, that dream, you know, I kind of lost sight of it for a while. 322 00:16:56,059 --> 00:16:57,602 My mom was in prison at the time, 323 00:16:57,686 --> 00:17:00,313 so I was just trying to make it with my sister. 324 00:17:00,397 --> 00:17:04,150 And I just said, "Hey, you know, I'm thinking about going to law school." 325 00:17:04,234 --> 00:17:07,487 I learned about the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act. 326 00:17:07,571 --> 00:17:11,032 We must be intolerant of drug use and drug sellers. 327 00:17:15,286 --> 00:17:18,957 We will see large numbers of poor people 328 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:23,795 and specifically Blacks going to jail and to prison. 329 00:17:23,879 --> 00:17:25,964 More affluent white people were using powder cocaine, 330 00:17:26,046 --> 00:17:28,925 and crack cocaine was running rampant through communities of color. 331 00:17:29,009 --> 00:17:32,429 And it causes disproportionate amount of Black and brown people 332 00:17:32,512 --> 00:17:35,015 to be in prison for drugs. 333 00:17:35,098 --> 00:17:38,685 My mom was in prison. She had a addiction to crack cocaine. 334 00:17:38,768 --> 00:17:42,606 And my mother needed rehabilitation, not prison. 335 00:17:42,689 --> 00:17:46,735 And I always say, "My mother became sober despite of prison, 336 00:17:46,818 --> 00:17:47,903 not because of it." 337 00:17:50,614 --> 00:17:52,949 I remember visiting my mom for the first time in prison, 338 00:17:53,033 --> 00:17:54,784 and we had to visit through the glass. 339 00:17:54,868 --> 00:17:57,203 And what really got me that day 340 00:17:57,287 --> 00:18:01,917 was seeing a tiny little print on the glass 341 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:06,004 where some younger child had tried to reach their mother before my visit. 342 00:18:06,087 --> 00:18:07,881 And it broke me. 343 00:18:07,964 --> 00:18:11,176 When one person goes to prison, the entire family is incarcerated. 344 00:18:11,259 --> 00:18:13,386 I know that from first-hand experience, 345 00:18:13,470 --> 00:18:15,972 and so, Girls Embracing Mothers was born. 346 00:18:16,765 --> 00:18:18,767 With GEM, we really want to prevent 347 00:18:18,850 --> 00:18:21,228 a future generation of girls from entering the system, 348 00:18:21,311 --> 00:18:24,231 but also thrive and not just survive. 349 00:18:24,314 --> 00:18:27,817 And it's a unique visit. They brought in a lunch 350 00:18:28,318 --> 00:18:31,863 and they brought in a lesson, and they also brought in art therapy. 351 00:18:31,947 --> 00:18:33,949 -You could touch each other. -So you could touch each other. 352 00:18:34,032 --> 00:18:36,785 And they put you in one room versus the visitation in a prison. 353 00:18:36,868 --> 00:18:39,579 You go in, you sit on the other side of the table, 354 00:18:39,663 --> 00:18:41,081 and you have to stay there. 355 00:18:41,164 --> 00:18:44,084 With these visits, you're in a big room, and you have your daughter. 356 00:18:44,167 --> 00:18:46,711 You can do her hair, you can hug on her. 357 00:18:46,795 --> 00:18:49,756 Why, Brittany, aren't there more programs like that? 358 00:18:49,839 --> 00:18:54,844 I mean… you know, it just seems so obvious to me 359 00:18:54,928 --> 00:18:56,471 that there is such a need. 360 00:18:56,555 --> 00:18:59,808 I think because we have a criminal legal system in this country 361 00:18:59,891 --> 00:19:01,768 that is so focused on punishment. 362 00:19:03,019 --> 00:19:06,606 And there's been years of this misguided appeal for law and order 363 00:19:06,690 --> 00:19:09,859 and we've lost sight of humanity. 364 00:19:11,236 --> 00:19:16,449 Angelica, tell us about your journey that bring you here today 365 00:19:16,533 --> 00:19:19,160 and also, you know, the work that you do now. 366 00:19:19,244 --> 00:19:22,914 I've suffered from addiction early on. 367 00:19:23,582 --> 00:19:25,250 Got introduced, you know, through family. 368 00:19:25,333 --> 00:19:28,295 The last time I went in, I was clean going in, 369 00:19:28,378 --> 00:19:31,631 and I was on a ten-year probation, and I couldn't find work. 370 00:19:31,715 --> 00:19:33,008 Nobody would hire me. 371 00:19:33,091 --> 00:19:37,721 So I wasn't able to pay the fees that I was ordered to pay monthly. 372 00:19:39,097 --> 00:19:41,683 You know, but I was raising these three kids on my own. 373 00:19:41,766 --> 00:19:46,354 So when I went back to court, he sentenced me to two years TDC. 374 00:19:49,107 --> 00:19:52,110 My daughter was 11 at the time and she had seen Mommy in and out. 375 00:19:52,193 --> 00:19:54,905 She had heard Mommy's gonna do better and never did. 376 00:19:54,988 --> 00:19:56,531 And she was fed up. 377 00:19:59,242 --> 00:20:02,871 The first couple of visits were in complete silence. 378 00:20:03,705 --> 00:20:07,876 The GEM program came in, and we were doing a project together, 379 00:20:07,959 --> 00:20:09,252 and she broke, and she says, 380 00:20:09,336 --> 00:20:11,213 "Mommy, I don't know how to do this. Can you help me?" 381 00:20:13,131 --> 00:20:15,258 You know, as a mother, those words right there that-- 382 00:20:15,342 --> 00:20:18,637 when you been longing for your daughter just to want you. 383 00:20:19,221 --> 00:20:21,598 And it's only because of Girls Embracing Mothers 384 00:20:21,681 --> 00:20:25,644 that was able to show me a different way to live. 385 00:20:28,605 --> 00:20:30,482 How can we help people flourish 386 00:20:31,149 --> 00:20:34,402 and really use their experience to help others? 387 00:20:34,486 --> 00:20:38,323 And that is why it makes me so happy to have Angelica here. 388 00:20:38,406 --> 00:20:40,659 She's our program director now. 389 00:20:40,742 --> 00:20:42,869 It's not just about releasing people from prison, 390 00:20:42,953 --> 00:20:45,372 -but what are we releasing them into? -Right. 391 00:20:45,455 --> 00:20:49,459 And so that economic-empowerment aspect of it is very important for me. 392 00:20:49,542 --> 00:20:52,379 -It is. It should be. -It will help stop the cycle of poverty 393 00:20:52,462 --> 00:20:54,881 that's leading to violent crimes. 394 00:20:55,507 --> 00:20:58,009 You have proven a model that works. 395 00:20:58,093 --> 00:21:01,263 You've also enlisted some terrific champions 396 00:21:01,346 --> 00:21:03,056 like Kim Kardashian. 397 00:21:03,139 --> 00:21:06,017 She saw me, and she supported my work 398 00:21:06,101 --> 00:21:09,187 at a time when not many people would. 399 00:21:15,652 --> 00:21:18,196 Challenging unjust sentencing is not easy. 400 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,699 And when Kim heard about what Brittany was doing, 401 00:21:20,782 --> 00:21:22,617 she was inspired to help. 402 00:21:22,701 --> 00:21:27,038 And then Kim decided to go to law school so she could do even more 403 00:21:27,122 --> 00:21:30,667 to try to help make our justice system more just. 404 00:21:30,750 --> 00:21:34,296 When you think about it, she has this enormous global platform. 405 00:21:34,379 --> 00:21:36,298 Hundreds of millions of people who follow her. 406 00:21:36,381 --> 00:21:38,925 Hundreds of millions, which is almost impossible 407 00:21:39,009 --> 00:21:41,011 -to even comprehend. -Probably on every continent. 408 00:21:41,094 --> 00:21:42,929 -Maybe even Antarctica. -I bet they are. 409 00:21:46,224 --> 00:21:48,226 -How are you? -Oh, my gosh, girl. 410 00:21:49,352 --> 00:21:51,104 -Hi. How are you? -Hi. I'm fine. 411 00:21:51,187 --> 00:21:52,939 -Oh, my gosh. -Good. 412 00:21:58,069 --> 00:22:00,530 So, Kim, we both had lawyers as parents, 413 00:22:00,614 --> 00:22:03,533 and admittedly I never wanted to be a lawyer when I was a little kid. 414 00:22:03,617 --> 00:22:05,452 Did you wanna be a lawyer when you were little? 415 00:22:05,535 --> 00:22:08,330 Did you look at your dad, and you're like, "I can see myself doing that"? No? 416 00:22:08,413 --> 00:22:09,956 -I actually did. -You did? 417 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:14,544 In his office, there was every evidence book that you could imagine. 418 00:22:14,628 --> 00:22:19,799 And my sisters would be in the pool with all of our friends outside having fun. 419 00:22:19,883 --> 00:22:23,762 And I would be in his office going through all of the evidence books. 420 00:22:24,721 --> 00:22:26,056 It was meant to be, right? 421 00:22:26,139 --> 00:22:28,391 -Everything has a reason. -All on the journey. 422 00:22:28,475 --> 00:22:29,809 Are we ready to play a game? 423 00:22:29,893 --> 00:22:32,896 I'm looking at you, Mom, 'cause Kim has studied more recently than you. 424 00:22:32,979 --> 00:22:35,982 I don't know. I think Kim has an unfair advantage. 425 00:22:36,066 --> 00:22:38,276 It took me a few times, but we got here. 426 00:22:39,694 --> 00:22:44,950 All right. "Under what circumstances may one use deadly force 427 00:22:45,033 --> 00:22:46,952 to defend themselves?" Yes? 428 00:22:47,035 --> 00:22:50,538 When one is being faced with deadly force themselves 429 00:22:50,622 --> 00:22:53,708 or one believes that deadly force is imminent. 430 00:22:54,709 --> 00:22:58,797 "Distinguish extortion/blackmail and robbery." 431 00:23:00,173 --> 00:23:04,219 Well, you know, robbery is usually a physical crime, 432 00:23:04,302 --> 00:23:07,514 whereas extortion and blackmail don't require that. 433 00:23:08,098 --> 00:23:09,349 Okay, another point for you, Mom. 434 00:23:09,432 --> 00:23:11,518 -Thank you very much. -Yeah. All right. 435 00:23:15,063 --> 00:23:16,481 Correct. 436 00:23:17,107 --> 00:23:20,068 Mom, you made a good effort. 437 00:23:20,151 --> 00:23:21,319 Thanks, honey. 438 00:23:21,403 --> 00:23:23,613 So, Kim, one of the reasons we wanted to talk to you 439 00:23:23,697 --> 00:23:26,241 is because of the work you've done 440 00:23:26,324 --> 00:23:30,203 and your commitment to criminal justice reform. 441 00:23:30,287 --> 00:23:34,874 Let me ask you about the decision to actually go to the White House. 442 00:23:34,958 --> 00:23:37,752 I remember going into a meeting at the Roosevelt Room. 443 00:23:37,836 --> 00:23:39,504 It was a clemency meeting, 444 00:23:39,588 --> 00:23:42,382 and my mentors were in there with me. 445 00:23:42,465 --> 00:23:44,801 And they used every abbreviation… 446 00:23:45,385 --> 00:23:48,305 -that I had no idea what anything meant. -Where's the decoder? 447 00:23:48,388 --> 00:23:51,433 Yeah, so they're like, "The DOJ," and I'm, like, sitting here texting, 448 00:23:51,516 --> 00:23:53,226 "What is the DOJ?" 449 00:23:53,310 --> 00:23:55,437 And she's like, "Department of Justice," and I was like, 450 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,315 "How am I supposed to know? I've never been in here before." 451 00:23:58,398 --> 00:23:59,900 Is that when you decided to go to law school? 452 00:23:59,983 --> 00:24:01,192 -In that moment? -Yeah. 453 00:24:01,276 --> 00:24:03,653 -That's cool. What a great moment. -Because I was so embarrassed. 454 00:24:03,737 --> 00:24:06,573 And even though it took me about a year and a half longer 455 00:24:06,656 --> 00:24:09,659 'cause I kept on not passing the test… 456 00:24:09,743 --> 00:24:10,869 But you never gave up. 457 00:24:10,952 --> 00:24:12,454 I never gave up. 458 00:24:13,121 --> 00:24:14,706 And, you know, my kids were there 459 00:24:14,789 --> 00:24:17,792 every time I opened my results. And so they'd see me cry. 460 00:24:17,876 --> 00:24:19,794 And then the last time they saw me cry 461 00:24:19,878 --> 00:24:22,422 -the best tears of happiness… -Yeah. Joy, right? 462 00:24:22,505 --> 00:24:23,840 …that, like, I did it. 463 00:24:23,924 --> 00:24:26,468 I mean, that is one of the reasons why I just fight so hard. 464 00:24:26,551 --> 00:24:29,179 Is because my kids, if they were to get arrested, 465 00:24:30,305 --> 00:24:34,142 just don't have as good of a chance as if I were to get arrested. 466 00:24:34,226 --> 00:24:37,187 -Or my kids. My white kids. -If you were arrested. Your kids, yeah. 467 00:24:37,270 --> 00:24:41,441 And that is something that I felt, like, keeps me going. 468 00:24:46,613 --> 00:24:48,865 Often the more relatable stories are the ones 469 00:24:48,949 --> 00:24:50,909 that really, are talking about a perspective shift. 470 00:24:50,992 --> 00:24:53,787 And you start to see the world a little bit differently, 471 00:24:53,870 --> 00:24:55,956 or you see yourself in the world a little bit differently. 472 00:24:56,039 --> 00:24:58,124 All right, who's next? 473 00:24:58,208 --> 00:24:59,292 -Okay. -All right. 474 00:24:59,376 --> 00:25:01,586 -You're up! -I'm telling a different type of story. 475 00:25:01,670 --> 00:25:03,755 Good, we need a little-- 476 00:25:03,838 --> 00:25:05,507 a little variety. 477 00:25:08,343 --> 00:25:11,846 All I wanted in first grade was to be treated like everyone else 478 00:25:11,930 --> 00:25:15,475 but also secretly maybe to be Mrs. Mitchell's favorite. 479 00:25:15,559 --> 00:25:19,145 There was a period of time though, when my homework started to disappear. 480 00:25:19,229 --> 00:25:22,065 Now, I had a pretty good track record of handing in my homework, 481 00:25:22,148 --> 00:25:24,651 because, again, I really wanted to be Mrs. Mitchell's favorite. 482 00:25:24,734 --> 00:25:27,529 So, Mrs. Mitchell, one day, hid in the class during recess 483 00:25:27,612 --> 00:25:30,991 and she saw the little boy taking my homework out of my desk, 484 00:25:31,074 --> 00:25:33,743 erasing my name, writing his name on it, 485 00:25:33,827 --> 00:25:36,162 and then handing it in as his own. 486 00:25:36,246 --> 00:25:39,249 And the little boy was suspended from recess. 487 00:25:39,332 --> 00:25:43,044 All right, fast-forward a couple of weeks, the same little boy finds me 488 00:25:43,128 --> 00:25:46,131 during, like, you know, free choice, free play time. 489 00:25:46,214 --> 00:25:49,509 And he said, "Yo, Chelsea, you seem to really like Mrs. Mitchell." 490 00:25:49,593 --> 00:25:51,136 And I said, "I love Mrs. Mitchell." 491 00:25:51,219 --> 00:25:53,638 He said, "Do you know what the best compliment you can give someone is?" 492 00:25:53,722 --> 00:25:55,223 And I said, "No." 493 00:25:56,057 --> 00:25:57,809 And he said, "Fuck you." 494 00:25:58,518 --> 00:26:03,106 And so, I walked up to Mrs. Mitchell, and I said, "Mrs. Mitchell, fuck you." 495 00:26:05,609 --> 00:26:07,986 And she looked horrified! 496 00:26:08,069 --> 00:26:11,823 And I started to cry, 'cause I knew that something had gone very wrong. 497 00:26:11,907 --> 00:26:13,283 But I didn't know what had gone wrong. 498 00:26:13,366 --> 00:26:16,661 And in the Little Rock Unified School District, 499 00:26:16,745 --> 00:26:18,622 there was still mandatory corporal punishment. 500 00:26:18,705 --> 00:26:22,584 I was still sobbing, and I had to put my hands against the hallway wall 501 00:26:22,667 --> 00:26:24,544 while Mrs. Mitchell paddled me. 502 00:26:24,628 --> 00:26:26,087 And I thought my life was over. 503 00:26:26,171 --> 00:26:29,466 Then after she paddled me, she gave me a really big hug, 504 00:26:29,549 --> 00:26:31,801 and she told me, "Tomorrow is a new day." 505 00:26:31,885 --> 00:26:35,805 And when I got home, my parents taught me how to use a dictionary. 506 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,727 Wow. 507 00:26:41,895 --> 00:26:43,521 So great. 508 00:26:44,689 --> 00:26:48,026 -Do you-- I think I'm gonna find that kid! -That rotten little boy! 509 00:26:48,109 --> 00:26:51,112 -That is a great story. -I know. 510 00:26:51,696 --> 00:26:54,324 But I think the thing that, like, just struck my heart the most 511 00:26:54,407 --> 00:26:56,368 is at the end when she gives you a hug 512 00:26:56,451 --> 00:26:58,995 and she tells you that tomorrow is a new day. 513 00:26:59,079 --> 00:27:03,208 And I think just, like, to know, "Okay, I'm not a bad kid," you know. 514 00:27:03,291 --> 00:27:05,544 But these stories are all such genesis stories 515 00:27:05,627 --> 00:27:07,212 where we really learned something 516 00:27:07,295 --> 00:27:09,256 or something was revealed to us or-- 517 00:27:09,339 --> 00:27:12,467 They're like the building blocks of what makes us who we are today. 518 00:27:13,718 --> 00:27:17,556 Criminal justice reform is a difficult conversation 519 00:27:17,639 --> 00:27:18,640 On the one hand, 520 00:27:18,723 --> 00:27:22,352 your platform enables you to have a broad audience for what you're doing. 521 00:27:22,435 --> 00:27:26,773 On the other hand, it holds you up there, and it makes you a target. 522 00:27:26,856 --> 00:27:28,858 How have your followers reacted? 523 00:27:28,942 --> 00:27:33,530 Are there certain cases that you see a real groundswell on social media? 524 00:27:33,613 --> 00:27:36,533 A celebrity might push the needle for some people, 525 00:27:36,616 --> 00:27:38,577 and sometimes, it really can work against us. 526 00:27:38,660 --> 00:27:41,454 So I always figure out the right strategy. 527 00:27:41,538 --> 00:27:46,418 Then once I decide to get the social media fan base involved, 528 00:27:46,501 --> 00:27:49,254 they feel invested, they wanna help out. 529 00:27:49,337 --> 00:27:52,716 One of the craziest days was when an execution was happening, 530 00:27:52,799 --> 00:27:54,551 I'm putting it all on social media. 531 00:27:57,888 --> 00:28:00,056 But then I had to go into a Skims fitting. 532 00:28:00,140 --> 00:28:03,643 And then I have to do my makeup swatches, 'cause I have to approve this product 533 00:28:03,727 --> 00:28:05,604 within the hour if we're gonna go to launch. 534 00:28:07,355 --> 00:28:10,609 This man is being executed. And I'm just, like, crying through it all. 535 00:28:13,778 --> 00:28:16,531 And my kids are running in and, "Mommy, why are you crying?" 536 00:28:16,615 --> 00:28:19,534 And I put him on speaker to talk to my kids. 537 00:28:21,453 --> 00:28:25,582 It's his last hour, and I want to share that journey with people 538 00:28:25,665 --> 00:28:29,127 so that they really understand, like, there's a person behind this execution. 539 00:28:29,211 --> 00:28:31,588 There's families behind this execution. 540 00:28:33,173 --> 00:28:37,385 And there's times where we've been successful in getting executions stopped. 541 00:28:37,469 --> 00:28:38,637 There's times where we haven't. 542 00:28:41,556 --> 00:28:47,229 I can't believe I didn't pay attention sooner in my life to these injustices. 543 00:28:47,312 --> 00:28:50,273 You grew up with amazing parents 544 00:28:50,357 --> 00:28:53,109 that taught you so much about the world at a really young age. 545 00:28:53,193 --> 00:28:54,819 And expected me to have an opinion about it. 546 00:28:54,903 --> 00:28:58,823 And to have to make an opinion is empowering 547 00:28:58,907 --> 00:29:00,367 and teaches you so much. 548 00:29:00,450 --> 00:29:05,705 Like, I never really was asked for my opinion on situations like-- 549 00:29:05,789 --> 00:29:09,459 I had no idea. I lived in a bubble in Beverly Hills, you know? 550 00:29:09,542 --> 00:29:12,546 And that is not how I'm gonna raise my kids. 551 00:29:12,629 --> 00:29:18,718 When I was a little girl, my uncle Roger was arrested 552 00:29:18,802 --> 00:29:22,347 and then sent to prison for selling cocaine to an undercover cop. 553 00:29:22,430 --> 00:29:25,934 And I think that that experience had a profound impact on me, 554 00:29:26,017 --> 00:29:28,353 because this man had only ever shown me love. 555 00:29:28,436 --> 00:29:33,483 And to try to reconcile that someone who I knew to be good 556 00:29:33,567 --> 00:29:36,111 had done something that wasn't good, 557 00:29:36,194 --> 00:29:38,363 and yet that one act should not define the rest of his life. 558 00:29:38,446 --> 00:29:39,823 Absolutely. 559 00:29:39,906 --> 00:29:42,492 Not to say that they don't deserve to have the time. 560 00:29:42,576 --> 00:29:44,286 I think sometimes when you work in reform, 561 00:29:44,369 --> 00:29:48,331 people do think that it doesn't mean that you are tough on crime 562 00:29:48,415 --> 00:29:50,083 -where you need to be. -I agree with that. 563 00:29:50,166 --> 00:29:55,255 Why can't we have more rehabilitation centers instead of prisons? 564 00:29:55,338 --> 00:30:01,761 It's to throw someone's life away when people really do make changes. 565 00:30:01,845 --> 00:30:03,680 I just believe in second chances. 566 00:30:07,350 --> 00:30:09,019 We're in northern California, 567 00:30:09,102 --> 00:30:12,564 one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. 568 00:30:13,690 --> 00:30:15,191 I'm going to meet Judge Abby 569 00:30:15,275 --> 00:30:18,361 who's pioneering a separate tribal justice system 570 00:30:18,445 --> 00:30:21,573 based on the values and culture of the Yurok tribe. 571 00:30:22,449 --> 00:30:25,452 She believes we should be focused on repairing communities, 572 00:30:25,535 --> 00:30:27,746 not simply punishing people. 573 00:30:28,330 --> 00:30:30,957 I think there are lessons the rest of us can learn 574 00:30:31,041 --> 00:30:34,961 about how justice is done and understood in different ways. 575 00:30:43,887 --> 00:30:45,472 We never do that. 576 00:30:47,265 --> 00:30:49,559 -Have we ever done that in court? -No, we don't do that. 577 00:30:49,643 --> 00:30:51,269 Hello. 578 00:30:51,353 --> 00:30:52,646 Hello, ma. Welcome. 579 00:30:53,271 --> 00:30:55,148 Wow, this is so cool. 580 00:30:55,232 --> 00:30:56,983 What are we supposed to call you? 'Cause we don't remember. 581 00:30:57,067 --> 00:31:00,403 -Hillary's a good name. Yeah. -We'll go with that, all right. 582 00:31:00,487 --> 00:31:03,198 -Have you ever had acorn soup? -No. I'm excited to try. 583 00:31:03,281 --> 00:31:05,450 We're gonna make it extra special for you. 584 00:31:05,533 --> 00:31:07,911 I'll even let you have the small rock. 585 00:31:07,994 --> 00:31:09,287 Okay. 586 00:31:12,707 --> 00:31:14,209 It's not fast food. 587 00:31:15,752 --> 00:31:17,504 -In case you were wondering. -That is for sure. 588 00:31:17,587 --> 00:31:19,798 I think I have the hardest acorn in the kernel-- county. 589 00:31:22,133 --> 00:31:25,762 So what are some of the interventions then that you have found work? 590 00:31:25,845 --> 00:31:28,974 The whole thing about the justice system in this 591 00:31:29,057 --> 00:31:31,309 is that you can't have a winner and a loser 592 00:31:31,393 --> 00:31:33,019 'cause you're all gonna live next to each other. 593 00:31:33,103 --> 00:31:36,648 So you gotta have a way to make this culturally relevant. 594 00:31:36,731 --> 00:31:40,026 So you have to rebuild community. And that's what these programs do. 595 00:31:48,660 --> 00:31:51,204 I was on the bench in San Francisco 596 00:31:51,288 --> 00:31:53,164 'cause I was a state commissioner for years. 597 00:31:55,083 --> 00:31:58,461 At first, when I came home, people were like, "You can't be the judge 598 00:31:58,545 --> 00:32:00,964 'cause you know this person, you know that person." 599 00:32:01,047 --> 00:32:03,925 I'm like, "I know everybody and you all know me. 600 00:32:04,009 --> 00:32:05,427 What are you trying to say?" 601 00:32:06,303 --> 00:32:09,347 You think 500 years ago we would run up and down the river 602 00:32:09,431 --> 00:32:11,474 looking for a stranger to resolve our problems? 603 00:32:12,809 --> 00:32:14,394 I know what a state structure looks like, 604 00:32:14,477 --> 00:32:16,605 I know what a federal structure looks like, 605 00:32:16,688 --> 00:32:19,983 and I felt like that wasn't a suitable structure for us. 606 00:32:21,359 --> 00:32:25,030 This is my home, and I felt like this was my purpose. 607 00:32:25,113 --> 00:32:29,200 And I needed to start doing what I could to set up a structure 608 00:32:29,284 --> 00:32:33,121 that will live beyond me and become who we are. 609 00:32:38,001 --> 00:32:41,046 Wellness court is a place that people get assistance 610 00:32:41,129 --> 00:32:44,841 if they are having issues around drugs or alcohol. 611 00:32:45,425 --> 00:32:49,429 And we help them resolve not just that issue, 612 00:32:49,512 --> 00:32:52,140 but we look at them and say, "Do you need any other help?" 613 00:32:53,350 --> 00:32:55,143 It's just like a fern supermarket here, 614 00:32:55,227 --> 00:32:57,604 'cause everywhere you look there's some good ones. 615 00:32:59,731 --> 00:33:02,234 Laura is the Yurok court's cultural officer. 616 00:33:02,317 --> 00:33:06,613 And she helps to reconnect those members that are in wellness court to our culture. 617 00:33:08,365 --> 00:33:11,076 My daughter here knows a little bit about weaving. 618 00:33:11,159 --> 00:33:14,037 We try to only harvest the best ferns, 619 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:18,959 and then we only use the very inside part of it for the basketry. 620 00:33:20,043 --> 00:33:21,378 Just being out in general 621 00:33:21,461 --> 00:33:23,880 and being able to bring my daughters out here 622 00:33:23,964 --> 00:33:26,216 and be doing this with them is a blessing. 623 00:33:27,300 --> 00:33:30,053 I couldn't do it before, because I was still on my addiction, so… 624 00:33:31,137 --> 00:33:35,225 I think that all addiction stems from trauma. 625 00:33:35,308 --> 00:33:38,812 That historical trauma and the generational trauma. 626 00:33:38,895 --> 00:33:41,022 I don't mean it as an excuse for anything, 627 00:33:41,106 --> 00:33:44,985 but it's-- it needs to be recognized for what it is. 628 00:33:46,528 --> 00:33:51,283 The Yurok word for police translates as "men who steal children," 629 00:33:51,366 --> 00:33:53,577 because they would come and steal the kids. 630 00:33:54,411 --> 00:33:56,705 They would take the children to the boarding schools. 631 00:33:58,331 --> 00:34:02,502 There was lots of abuse and the whole attitude was to kill the Indian. 632 00:34:04,838 --> 00:34:08,800 A lot of alcohol initially was dumped into native communities 633 00:34:08,884 --> 00:34:11,970 as a way of silencing opposition. 634 00:34:14,222 --> 00:34:18,268 After the invasion, we were left with a lot of behaviors we didn't have before. 635 00:34:18,351 --> 00:34:20,019 And we have to deal with those behaviors. 636 00:34:22,021 --> 00:34:23,523 It's difficult asking for help. 637 00:34:24,316 --> 00:34:25,901 Before I decided to get clean, 638 00:34:25,983 --> 00:34:29,988 I felt like we've exhausted all our help from our family, 639 00:34:30,070 --> 00:34:33,282 and being turned away, it made it hard. 640 00:34:33,365 --> 00:34:35,492 Yeah. So there's a little bird story, 641 00:34:35,577 --> 00:34:37,996 the Yurok little bird story. Have you heard it? 642 00:34:38,079 --> 00:34:39,956 He's got a broken wing, 643 00:34:40,039 --> 00:34:42,876 and he couldn't fly south for the winter with his family. 644 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:45,003 He's in the forest. 645 00:34:45,086 --> 00:34:48,173 He wanted a place to stay for the winter, a safe place. 646 00:34:49,423 --> 00:34:53,637 Little bird goes up to the oak tree and sings a song as a gift. 647 00:34:53,720 --> 00:34:55,012 Says, "Can I stay with you, 648 00:34:55,096 --> 00:34:57,641 'cause I have a broken wing and I can't fly with my family?" 649 00:34:58,475 --> 00:35:01,269 And oak tree says, "I am way too busy to fool with you." 650 00:35:02,229 --> 00:35:04,147 And little bird goes, "Oh, okay." 651 00:35:04,648 --> 00:35:08,318 He's, like, getting really down about the fact that nobody wants to help him. 652 00:35:09,236 --> 00:35:11,613 But then he goes up to the redwood tree. 653 00:35:11,696 --> 00:35:14,491 And redwood tree says, "Oh, yeah, you can come up with me." 654 00:35:17,494 --> 00:35:21,373 And then the creator comes down and goes to the redwood tree and says, 655 00:35:21,456 --> 00:35:24,918 "You will live the longest and be the biggest in the forest 656 00:35:25,001 --> 00:35:26,127 for what you've done. 657 00:35:27,087 --> 00:35:28,463 You know how to live." 658 00:35:29,381 --> 00:35:31,633 So then he goes up to the oak tree. 659 00:35:31,716 --> 00:35:34,636 "From now on, you're gonna have acorns, 660 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:36,638 and you will feed all the people. 661 00:35:36,721 --> 00:35:39,224 Because that's important." 662 00:35:40,016 --> 00:35:43,979 The life lessons in this story are that we all have a responsibility 663 00:35:44,062 --> 00:35:47,023 to look out for and take care of each other. 664 00:35:48,942 --> 00:35:51,194 Just the support I had through the tribe 665 00:35:51,278 --> 00:35:55,073 and, the culture activities that we do, 666 00:35:55,156 --> 00:35:57,617 it does make me feel like I belong, 667 00:35:57,701 --> 00:36:00,287 and it's like more of a balance. 668 00:36:00,370 --> 00:36:03,081 And it's being able to be here for my kids now 669 00:36:03,164 --> 00:36:06,418 and teach them is a big part of my healing. 670 00:36:07,878 --> 00:36:10,589 Yeah, I mean, that sense of belonging is critical. 671 00:36:10,672 --> 00:36:11,673 Yeah. 672 00:36:12,299 --> 00:36:15,552 And that's really-- I mean, you're really trying to 673 00:36:15,635 --> 00:36:18,555 sort of excavate the roots of that belonging for people. 674 00:36:18,638 --> 00:36:21,433 Like, you know, "What is your origin story? 675 00:36:21,516 --> 00:36:24,019 What was the trauma? What are you living with?" 676 00:36:24,102 --> 00:36:27,230 I think that makes so much sense, and we don't do that. 677 00:36:27,314 --> 00:36:29,357 Well, and all the good stuff, you know? 678 00:36:29,441 --> 00:36:31,067 I mean, there's a lot of good stuff. 679 00:36:32,068 --> 00:36:33,153 So where are we going? 680 00:36:33,236 --> 00:36:35,030 We're going right over to the fire pit. 681 00:36:45,457 --> 00:36:48,960 I'm just amazed that you can do this in a basket. I'm just amazed. 682 00:36:49,044 --> 00:36:51,504 And it's getting thick. It's really quite-- 683 00:36:51,588 --> 00:36:54,633 -Watch it. Okay. -Here goes, here's another. 684 00:36:54,716 --> 00:36:58,428 Those little ones are pot stickers, so you got to keep them moving. 685 00:36:58,511 --> 00:36:59,930 -Yeah. Forward-- -See how that one is? 686 00:37:00,013 --> 00:37:01,973 -Yeah. -I think I better take the pot-- 687 00:37:02,057 --> 00:37:03,558 the handle from you. 688 00:37:07,062 --> 00:37:08,230 Good job, Bert. 689 00:37:10,857 --> 00:37:14,778 I just really love the way that you all are thinking about this. 690 00:37:14,861 --> 00:37:17,739 We have wellness clients that have graduated, 691 00:37:17,822 --> 00:37:19,282 and yet they still come back, 692 00:37:19,366 --> 00:37:22,118 'cause they feel like they still need that extra support 693 00:37:22,202 --> 00:37:25,163 or, you know, for the community to kind of hold them close. 694 00:37:25,247 --> 00:37:26,248 And-- 695 00:37:26,623 --> 00:37:27,624 What? 696 00:37:28,333 --> 00:37:30,126 That was one of the defendants for me, so… 697 00:37:30,210 --> 00:37:31,878 That's strong agreement. Yeah. 698 00:37:31,962 --> 00:37:34,548 Have you encountered people who-- 699 00:37:34,631 --> 00:37:36,633 these messages don't work? 700 00:37:36,716 --> 00:37:38,677 It doesn't matter what you try. 701 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,263 Yeah, we'll have cases that go on three, four, or five years. 702 00:37:41,346 --> 00:37:42,347 I just don't quit. 703 00:37:42,430 --> 00:37:44,516 You know, it's-- you have to be relentless. 704 00:37:45,141 --> 00:37:47,602 You just have to keep going at it, keep going at it. 705 00:37:49,312 --> 00:37:53,400 I think everybody knows you can't punish your way 706 00:37:53,483 --> 00:37:58,530 to some kind of, you know, peaceful, safe, secure place. 707 00:37:58,613 --> 00:38:01,074 You can't do it with kids, you can't do it with systems. 708 00:38:01,157 --> 00:38:05,787 So we need to learn from everything that you're doing. 709 00:38:05,870 --> 00:38:08,248 Well, I just can't thank you all enough, and so, 710 00:38:08,331 --> 00:38:11,084 thanks for spending this time with me. Thanks for everything you're doing. 711 00:38:11,167 --> 00:38:13,712 What Judge Abby has done here 712 00:38:13,795 --> 00:38:17,966 is to create a system where everybody's focused on, 713 00:38:18,049 --> 00:38:20,427 not just the responsibility of the individual, 714 00:38:20,510 --> 00:38:24,014 but the responsibility of the community for that individual. 715 00:38:24,097 --> 00:38:25,765 Thanks so much. 716 00:38:25,849 --> 00:38:29,352 Girls, you know why Creator made Yurok people in the first place? 717 00:38:29,436 --> 00:38:30,437 No. 718 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:37,110 No? Our sole purpose on this life is to bring balance back to the Earth. 719 00:38:37,193 --> 00:38:40,947 By putting down the bad things and lifting up the good things, 720 00:38:41,031 --> 00:38:43,408 it's our belief we bring the world 721 00:38:43,491 --> 00:38:45,076 -back into balance again. -Balance. 722 00:38:45,827 --> 00:38:49,831 So it's a beautiful thing, but it's also a huge responsibility 723 00:38:50,498 --> 00:38:54,044 to ourselves, to our existence, and to the world. 724 00:38:58,298 --> 00:39:00,842 "Dracula attacks Van Helsing, 725 00:39:00,926 --> 00:39:05,138 and Van Helsing pulls out a vile of holy water and splashes it on Dracula. 726 00:39:05,222 --> 00:39:10,310 Can Van Helsing defend his action on the grounds of self-defense?" 727 00:39:10,393 --> 00:39:12,020 -Yes. -Hit your buzzer. 728 00:39:14,314 --> 00:39:15,774 -Yes. -No. 729 00:39:15,857 --> 00:39:17,108 -Yes. -No. 730 00:39:17,192 --> 00:39:19,152 Once the danger of attack is over 731 00:39:19,236 --> 00:39:21,696 self-defense is no longer available as a defense. 732 00:39:21,780 --> 00:39:24,366 A vampire can always attack. 733 00:39:25,075 --> 00:39:26,076 You're wrong. 734 00:39:27,452 --> 00:39:29,621 You two share a competitive streak. I can tell. 735 00:39:29,704 --> 00:39:31,206 There's no favoritism here.