Welcome to the Prison Post! I’m excited about our guest for today's show. He actually had Jason and I on his Facebook Live show (The Parole Show) a few months ago. I first met Phil 12 days after I was released and again 90 days after I was released at the California State Capitol. We were fighting for various pieces of criminal justice reform legislation. I thought Phil was either an Assembly Member or a Senator. I didn’t know He was a formerly incarcerated lifer or on the forefront of criminal justice policy reform. Philip Melendez is the Director of Organizing for Re:Store Justice. Phil’s work revolves around community organizing, coalition building, and advocacy. Phil returned home in September of 2017, after serving a life sentence. While he was incarcerated, he facilitated many self-help and restorative programs, mentored neglected and traumatized youth, and organized numerous events linking community members with incarcerated people at San Quentin. He also worked closely with Re:Store Justice on numerous events and initiatives while he was incarcerated. CROP Organization and Re:Store Justice are both working hard in the reentry space for returning community members to excel and succeed. Learn more about CROP Organization's work at https://www.croporganization.org/ Learn more about Re:Store Justice at https://restorecal.org/author/adnan/