Northern California Never in my life did I think we could win a Pulitzer. Then one day, Im walking down the hallway and one of the guards asked me to interpret for another Latino guy. The Miller and Montgomery cases led to a review of Suaves sentence and his release from incarceration in 2017 after over 30 years behind bars. It has a value and people care. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Tim Pilleri . Its the account of one mans incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a journalist and a man convicted of murder. They kept in touch over the decades by phone, letter, and occasional visits. CHANG: You know, Suave, it's really moving to listen to you talk about Maria the way you do and the role that she has played in your life. We had a secret, unspoken bond. You could be the source - my source. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". Look. Maria and Maggie discuss how the Supreme Courts decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana has played out differently across the country, leaving some juvenile lifers still behind bars. Today, he heads up the editorial podcast team at Futuro Studios, the original programming division of the Futuro Media Group. But in journalism, a source is somebody that could report what - the injustices taking place behind these prison walls that society don't know about. After expecting to die in prison, suddenly Gonzalez had another chance at freedom. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. GONZALEZ: I always understood what a source meant. I guarantee you nobody saw that coming, bro. Winner praises the Pulitzer board's commitment to the 'heart' in Suave had a rough startas a teenager walking into a maximum-security prison he says he was a target, and much like in the neighborhood where he grew up, Suave decided he had to be tougher than everyone else. Over a 16 year period, Suave obtained a GED and a B.A. But I still didn't believe it to November 20, 2017, when they opened that gate and said, you are a free man. CHANG: So Maria, I want to start with you because you met Suave back in the early '90s when the conversation around the criminal justice system was so different from the conversation we are having now about the criminal justice system. Stephanie Lebow is the Senior Audio Engineer across Futuro Medias properties. co-sponsor and demonstrate your commitment to supporting people incarcerated in federal prisons far away from friends and family. Futuro Studios and PRX Present "Suave" - Medium I had grandmother, grandfathers, aunt. He also co-hosts Death by Incarceration, which will be featuring episodes this fall focused on the various ways people in prison get an education. HINOJOSA: Yeah. As a Soros Justice Media Fellow, she spent 2019 documenting the human repercussions of changing legal policies along the U.S.-Mexico border. Why Did Xi Jinping Suddenly Call Zelensky? With the first two episodes of the new Suave podcast from Futuro Studios now playing, Latino Rebels Radio host Julio Ricardo Varela welcomes Futuro colleague and Suave co-producer Julieta Martinelli to talk about the making of the podcast and how the story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez is the story of one man's incarceration and redemption and an unusual relationship between a . America is infatuated with prisons and incarceration. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. I was fascinated with prison flicks. Hes become a man and built a life behind bars. And I told him, When I get out, lmma get my GED. Then I got out of the hole [and] I took my GED. Your email address will not be published. In many states - including Pennsylvania, where Gonzalez was sentenced -there are few, if any, college opportunities for people with such lengthy sentences. I genuinely care. Why are we going to talk about you ever coming out? I was fascinated with prison flicks. And so it was like this long-haul battle. As the team explores racism and corruption in the legal system, and the more Hinojosa learns about Gonzalezs crime, the more they question the events that put him in prison in the first place, and the system that continues to put children away for life. Everything I knew up to that point was as a child in prison. About Us | Death By Incarceration Podcast Theres so many people that have lived a life of hell and nobody ever hears our story! He made his 9 million dollar fortune with Benfica, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain & Brazil National Squad. Suave ponders what it truly means to be free. I failed drug dealing. You could be the voice for the voiceless.. Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. Journalist Maria Hinojosa who has communicated with Gonzalez for nearly 30 years also realizes there are limits to how much she can help as he navigates the realities of conditional freedom. And that someone was Maria. Justice Kennedy, writing for a 6-3 majority, found that children are constitutionally different from adults in their level of culpability. Kennedy wrote that the severest penalty must be reserved for the rarest of juvenile offenders, those whose crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility., Justice Kennedy was responding to research that showed that because of developing brains, children were less culpable for their crimes and were more likely to be rehabilitated than adult offenders. You know, and I say all the time, in 2017 when I stepped out that prison, not my family, not my community, not my friends - it was Maria Hinojosa that was there waiting for me. What was it like to catch up with the world almost 30 years later? Because I was illiterate, I really didn't understand the process. A new podcast from Futuro Media follows. "I was given a second chance for a reason," says Gonzalez, who spoke with WHYY host Cherri Gregg. - 'cause it was like it was not going to happen. Local New Jersey Obituaries - Legacy.com She is also a contributor to the long-running, award-winning news program CBS Sunday Morning and a frequent guest on MSNBC. So thats where me and you gonna disagree at, some dude saying, the DOC didnt let me in, is some bullshit because when your back is against the wall, you got to make a decision: Do I want this education? And I trusted her, and I still do. Thats what education doesall it takes is one cool motherfucker to walk down that school building for everybody else to think that its cool to enroll. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. CHANG: And when you became a free man - I mean, let's just think about this. View local obituaries in new jersey. All rights reserved. This week, a story three decades in the making. In the corner of 8th and Somerset, Maria encourages Suave to talk about that night, which theyve never discussed in nearly three decades of friendship. When I came out, I had basically nobody. In 2019, Futuro Studios debuted with The Battle of 187, a co-production with the Los Angeles Times, following up with Con Todo: Brown Love in collaboration with Netflix, Radical Imagination with PolicyLink, and TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones. When you start getting educated in prison, you start seeing yourself in a different light. And then, an unexpected revelation puts Suaves future into doubt. Man arrested in Paterson death that resulted from single punch I'm never going to catch up. On Monday, Hinojosa and her team of producers and editors at Futuro Media won the Pulitzer Prize in audio recording for a seven-part podcast series called "Suave." The show is about a man. I began reading every law book, I began learning their system, to the point where I could memorize all of the rules and regulations and pinpoint when they was violating my rights. HINOJOSA: Because things change, Ailsa. I mean, it's kind of crazy. Its amazing to hear his story. Even the worst day that I have is good. Suaves life shows the difference second chances can make. We are ghetto or urban journalists, whatever they want to call us. Lance Reenstierna. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Get the latest updates on programs and events. The only thing I succeeded at in prison was in getting an education. He taught other inmates to read. Look. DAVID LUIS "SUAVE" GONZALEZ: It hit me almost 10 years later that I have a life sentence, that I'm going to die in prison. Based in Harlem and founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, Futuro Media is committed to telling stories and uplifting voices and perspectives often overlooked by mainstream media. And thats what we did: Im gonna create a program for yall and yall gonna let me in that program.. Luis Suave Gonzalez was only 17 at the time, making him a juvenile, but he was tried as an adult and given a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of ever being released. Actually, Disneys Lawsuit Against DeSantis Is Really Troubling. A Latino juvenile lifer, Suave had been on what he described as a suicide mission. Futuro Studios podcasts were recognized in many 2021 year-end lists, including four of our original series landing on The AtlanticsTop 50 podcasts of 2021. In 1988, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree homicide. He's a source. Futuro Media also produces Peabody Award winning Latino USA, the longest running national Latino news and cultural public radio program; In The Thick, an award winning political podcast; and Latino Rebels, a pioneering digital news outlet founded by journalist Julio Ricardo Varela. Originally, she maintained contact in order to have a source inside the prison system. The Pulitzer Prizes, administered by Columbia University and considered the most prestigious in American journalism, recognize work in 15 journalism categories and seven arts categories. As Suave adjusts to his new life on the outside, the challenges that come with his newfound freedom and the expectations from everyone around himhe ponders if things are too good to be true. And then I started believing that maybe there's a possibility because I started seeing different cases happening across the United States dealing with juveniles. The story leads us back to North Philadelphia in search of someone else who was present the night of the murder. Thomas and Gonzalez talk about fighting the system and the role of education in prison when you think youre never getting out. And Suave reveals to Maria a shocking story shes never heard before about the night of the murder in 1986. But in journalism, a source is somebody that could report what - the injustices taking place behind these prison walls that society don't know about. Gavin Newsom earlier this year. We are so proud of our partners at Futuro Media, who represent the best of journalism and audio, saidKerri Hoffman, CEO of PRX. Though what all of the art and journalism we honor today has in common is that it was done ethically and seriously and in its enterprise has played a part in keeping our democracies vibrant.. Thats how you get the street credibility. And Suave reveals to Maria a shocking story shes never heard before about the night of the murder in 1986. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers. I said, I want to be part of that. So when I went in, everybody looking at me like I was crazy-like, here comes this troublemaker. So I signed [in 1998] up. Julieta Martinelli is an award-winning investigative reporter and currently a producer at Latino USA. DAVID LUIS "SUAVE" GONZALEZ: It hit me almost 10 years later that I have a life sentence, that I'm going to die in prison. The podcast is distributed byPRXand was released free to audiences in February 2021. His stories have appeared in The FADER, This American Life, Planet Money, NPR News, Studio 360 and many other outlets. David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole when he was 17. I ran the Latino organization with like 300 people. But he soon realizes there are limits to how much freedom he can ever truly have, and Maria realizes there are limits to how much she can help him. Suave also reckons with complicated emotions, wavering between the unparalleled joy of his upcoming release and the guilt of leaving behind the men hes considered his brothers for nearly three decades. But I always say that there's - lucky for me, I had someone that was there for me. What can I do? Hinojosa responded, You could be my source. And for me, one of the messages for my fellow journalists is, always stay in touch with your sources 'cause you never know. Three men have been arrested following a deadly shooting at a Lodi apartment complex in March. And that's good journalism. David Guez (born 8 December 1982) is a French tennis player. CHANG: And when you became a free man - I mean, let's just think about this. Faces of formerly incarcerated adorn downtown Philly building Im serious, bro, who wouldve thought that a juvenile lifer [who] learned how to read and write in prison, went to prison with an IQ of 56, would one day win the Pulitzer Award and the IDA award, which is like the Oscar of podcasts? Podcast 'Suave' Explores 1 Man's Life After His Release From Prison She has also mixed and done sound sweetening for indie films and documentary series, such as America By The Numbers and Miss Sharon Jones! Im not gonna say I got a life sentence, so I cant go to school. Futuro Studios and PRX Present "Suave," A New Podcast About the System That Sentences Juveniles to Life in Prison, A Story of Incarceration, Redemption, and the Unusual Relationship Between A. But it was new to me because when I went in, I had a complete family. A new podcast from Futuro Media follows Suave's path to freedomand . The story follows David Luis Suave Gonzalez from boy to man, and explores incarceration, redemption, and the often unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. He started painting watercolors when he was in prison. A conversation with Maria Hinojosa and David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez exploring the Pulitzer-Prize-winning podcast 'Suave.'Maria Hinojosa spent nearly 20 years . The fifth fellow, Luis Suave Gonzalez, will appear Nov. 2 at a public symposium on overhauling the criminal justice system. And to me, it was just them simple words - you could be the voice for the voiceless - nothing else. I mean, listen, I put it like this: our struggle and our journey in the prison system prepare us for this. Northern California Public Media (SM) reserves all rights to content on this site. Our sponsors are integral in helping us produce shows. Suave tells the story of what happens when your whole world is a prison cell, and you suddenly get a second chance at life. Journalist Maria Hinojosa met David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. Eddie Gonzalez for Paterson Board of Education - Facebook CHANG: So Maria, I want to start with you because you met Suave back in the early '90s when the conversation around the criminal justice system was so different from the conversation we are having now about the criminal justice system. Now, Gonzalez is a support coach with I Am More, a reentry program for formerly incarcerated students at Philadelphia Community College. December 6, 1986. You know, I was ready to die. [W]hen you decide you want to do something different and good, obstacles are gonna stand in your way, how you deal with that is up to you. You know, I was ready to die. At Futuro Media, Hinojosa continues to bring attention to experiences and points of view that are often overlooked or underreported in mainstream media, all while mentoring the next generation of diverse journalists to delve into authentic and nuanced stories. Luis "Suave" Gonzalez Visits Esperanza to Speak About The Importance of The Jones decision effectively closed the door of judicial review for many outstanding cases. Once on the outside, he tries to continue this way of life. At his re-sentencing hearing, Jones told the Court, Im not the same person I was when I was 15 Ive become a pretty decent person in life. Suave leaves Graterford and kicks off his first day of freedom by checking things off his bucket listincluding a long overdue conversation with his brother and an apology to students at a school in his neighborhood in the Badlands. I was on a suicide mission. "Suave" Podcast from Futuro Studios and PRX Wins A Pulitzer Prize But I still didn't believe it to November 20, 2017, when they opened that gate and said, you are a free man. FPL Lessons: David Luiz wins out in Sarri shake-up. GONZALEZ: Well, whatever I missed in between, I just missed. In 1988, Gonzalez was found guilty of a first-degree homicide committed when he was 17 years old. Police say 34-year-old Luiz Martinez struck the victim in the face inside a bar in Paterson Sunday night, causing 54-year-old Agustin Arias-Gomez to fall backwards and hit his head on the ground. He was released last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that minors sentenced to life could be resentenced. There are still several episodes to go in this podcast, so I don't know how the story ends up. And I'm still honored to be that source. You came out when you were in your mid-40s. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by . Instead theyd at her watch a fiction show or read a fiction book, but I believe real life stories are much more interesting and soul catching than fiction. The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. Maggie Freleng is an investigative journalist, producer and the host/producer of Unjust & Unsolved, a podcast about wrongful convictions and the crimes that are consequently left unsolved. I failed miserably in going to the hole for fuckin guards up. Writing for the majority, Justice Kagan emphasized that judges must be able to consider the characteristics of juvenile defendants in order to issue a fair and individualized sentence. During her eight years as CNNs urban affairs correspondent, Hinojosa often took viewers into communities rarely shown on television and continued that work longform on Now on PBS.
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