Category Archives: Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise

Writing on advocacy, organizing, policy reform, participatory research, lived expertise, community leadership, and efforts to change criminal-justice and social systems.

My Friend Kathy Boudin

Posted on May 3, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

News of Kathy Boudin’s demise quickly spread, as quickly as news spreads through the prison grapevine, and I had hoped that it was greatly exaggerated!  When I Googled “death of Kathy Boudin,” many articles popped up on my screen, far … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Anatomy of Advocacy – In High Heels

Posted on March 25, 2022 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1998, the New York State Legislature passed Jenna’s law, named after Jenna Grieshaber, a 22-year-old white female nursing student killed by Nicholas Eugene Pryor, a Black male who had previously been on parole.  Governor Pataki exploited Jenna’s tragic death … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Life Sentences, Parole, parole board, Reentry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Open Letter to Our Friends on the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

Posted on December 17, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Dear Friends: The Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions is a human justice policy, advocacy and training center founded, directed and staffed by academics and activists who were formerly incarcerated.  It is the first and only one of its kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Justice Chronicles, Reentry | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Words Matter: Another Look at the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

Posted on December 17, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

We need to be constantly reminded about this language: Words matter.  They shape perceptions and understanding, both of past and present events and of future possibilities and, therefore, future events.  Semantic and public acceptance of terms like “formerly incarcerated” or … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Education & Teaching, Justice Chronicles, Osborne Association, Reentry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Just Info at “Knowledge is Power” Community Forum

Posted on May 27, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On Saturday, May 16, 2015, Just Info staff, Moira Meltzer-Cohen and William Eric Waters participated in the “Knowledge is Power” community forum at New Jerusalem Worship Center in Jamaica, NY. There were about 50 people in attendance, a handful of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, being a teenager, Ferguson Missouri, Growing Up, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Michael Brown, MIssouri, Murder, NYPD, police involved shooting, police-involved killing, raising black boys, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Streets of Rage, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Just Info Is…

Posted on May 18, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

There are so many quotes about information, to name a few: that it is liberating; that it enlightens; that it empowers; that it is power. The Just Info Hotline is the premier project of the New York Law Collective. It … Continue reading →

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“The Justice Imperative” — The Key to Criminal Justice Reform

Posted on January 24, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Justice Imperative: How Hyper-Incarceration Has Hijacked the American Dream, is a book about the criminal justice and corrections system in Connecticut, but it is also a book about the criminal justice and corrections systems in the country, by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Research & Lived Expertise, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Life Sentences, parole board, Reentry, Reentry & Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A New Paradigm – Elevating the Voice of Formerly Incarcerated People

Posted on May 7, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

With the recent launch of JustLeadershipUSA, Glenn Martin, President and Founder of JustLeadershipUSA, is looking to elevate the voice of Americans impacted by crime and incarceration, especially people who have been imprisoned, by positioning them as “informed, empowered reform partners.”  … Continue reading →

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