Taken Away

Explicit content warning

01/20/21 • 27 min

Alex spent 18 months incarcerated in a county jail in Wisconsin as a detainee of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE ambushed Beto after a routine check in and incarcerated him for 9 months before he was deported to Mexico. Both men fought deportation with the help of the Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), a Chicago organization supporting undocumented people. This episode explores the harrowing, often untold conditions of immigration detention and the damage done to detainees psyches.

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Trailer: Change Agents Podcast

A-gen-cy noun: action or intervention, especially such as to produce a particular effect.

Too often the actions of real people of color making real change in their neighborhoods and lives are ignored in the media. Even worse are portrayals that people of color lack the agency to address the wrongs and find solutions that empowers residents and improves conditions. Too often these stories are told from outside, not inside, the community.

Change Agent is a podcasts series by Chicagoans trained to tell stories of their neighborhood transformations and the folks who make that happen. Developed by Judith McCray and Maurice Bisaillon of Juneteenth Productions, Change Agents is a partnership between community organizers and emerging journalists of color who are provided the tools to produce professionally crafted episodes that highlight issues, challenges and ground level efforts for change.

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People V. Environmental Racism.

Chicago’s southeast side community has strong views on environmental health due to a history of being the City of Chicago’s dumping ground. The newest injustice: Reserve Management Group is slated to bring the highly controversial 100-year-old General Iron shredding facility from Lincoln Park to the south east side community in 2021. Deep in the fight to stop this are community activists and organizations like the Alliance of the South East, struggling to be heard and have a seat at the decision-making table. This episode examines the actions and proposed solutions at the heart of grassroots activism.

Change Agents The Podcast - Taken Away

Transcript

Narrator: [00:00:00] Change agents.

Two men reveal the emotional, physical and mental struggles faced while incarcerated at the hands of Immigration and Custom Enforcement, ICE. Here's journalist Jesus Montero and activist Alex Torres with Taken Away.

Jesus Montero: Growing up in the early morning, as the sun was rising, coming home from his overnight shift at the factory he still works at My father would tell me, Mijo, Today, Echele ganas. Transla