Activism

Dismantling Pipelines to Prison: Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) Reimagines Opportunity for Young People

“Some of the greatest success stories we’ve had is with youth who have been resistant to the process and wanting support,” said Trevor Arceneaux, Associate Director of FLY’s Alameda County operations. “FLY does a really great job at building authentic and trusting relationships with youth. Seeing the change and the walls being torn down and they’re able to engage with us in a different way and let us into their lives where we can understand and learn their needs. Then, we’re able to tap into their genius and get them to operate in the community with a different way.”

Published

4 years ago

April 15, 2022

Oakland Post

In Alameda County FLY offers 4 core programs that provide pivotal services and education.

Edward Henderson | Impact Alameda

The ACLU defines the school to prison pipeline as a “national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.”

Many of the children that fall into this pipeline have learning disabilities, are victims of neglect, abuse, and would benefit from additional services.

However, too many of them have also been subjected to systematic zero-tolerance policies that criminalize minor infractions and serve as catapults, feeding more children into the pipeline to prison.

Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), is an Oakland-based organization dedicated to dismantling the school to prison pipeline by equipping youth with knowledge of the law and empowering youth with a community of supporters that amplify their voices.

FLY’s mission is poetic in the sense that the voices of youth who fell victim to the prison pipeline served as the foundation for the organization’s creation.

Back in 1995, Christa Gannon, FLY’s founder and Stanford University Law School graduate, would often converse with teens facing significant prison time about services that could steer other children away from incarceration.

In many of their responses, the children mentioned education of the law — to know the consequences of poor choices – as well as having role models and opportunities to be of service to their communities. Those ideas are the pillars that FLY was built on.

“Education is power,” said Trevor Arceneaux, Associate Director of FLY’s Alameda County operations. “There are a lot of opportunities to practice that power. It helps to develop a young person’s critical consciousness of the world and how they see it. A lot of times our young people are actively in this pipeline, and they can name it and see it. We can give them options on how to solve these real-world issues.”

In 2000, FLY transitioned to a non-profit, building on the concepts of law education and empowerment. Today, FLY is now one of the Bay Area’s most respected agencies working with youth who are currently or formerly involved in the juvenile justice system.

With 70 staff and more than 200 volunteers, FLY serves more than 2,000 youth throughout the Bay Area each year, ranging from ages 11 to 24.

“Some of the greatest success stories we’ve had is with youth who have been resistant to the process and wanting support,” said Arceneaux. “FLY does a really great job at building authentic and trusting relationships with youth. Seeing the change and the walls being torn down and they’re able to engage with us in a different way and let us into their lives where we can understand and learn their needs. Then, we’re able to tap into their genius and get them to operate in the community with a different way.”

These authentic connections are fostered in the many programs FLY offers to equip youth with the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate life and avoid pitfalls.

In Alameda County FLY offers 4 core programs that provide pivotal services and education.

The Court Appointed Friend and Advocate (CAFA) Mentor Program pairs youth with mentors to meet weekly and support them in developing new behaviors, ambitions and attitudes. Each mentor/mentee pairing has a FLY case manager for support who also attends monthly group activities organized by FLY. All mentors are also granted legal standing to act as advocates for their mentees in the courtroom and at schools.

The FLY Law Program is an interactive 8-to-12-week course covering topics such as police encounters, accomplice liability, three strikes, theft, vandalism, drugs, gangs, and police arrests. The curriculum also touches on critical life skills like anger management, problem solving, conflict resolution, and resisting negative peer pressure. Mid-way through the semester, youth take a field trip to a local university law school where they tour the campus and act out a mock trial in the moot courtroom.

The Leadership Training Program helps youth build the skills and attitudes they need to live a crime-free, self-sufficient life. The program traditionally kicks off with a three-day wilderness retreat that enables youth to break away from negative influences and stresses and begin bonding with FLY staff and peers, developing trust and teamwork skills. (Because of the pandemic, virtual or socially distanced activities have replaced the retreats.) Following the retreat, youth meet monthly to support each other in group settings and to design projects in which they advocate for positive change and give back to their communities. Each young person receives intensive coaching from a FLY case manager to identify and address their greatest barriers.

The STAY FLY Program is a reentry program that develops social emotional learning skills and knowledge of the law in youth ages 18-25. A three-tier system is implemented to support youth as they transition back into the community. Law-related education, pro-social events and civic engagement activities, along with case management and coaching are offered to participants.

“Youth really love being around FLY staff,” said Arceneaux. “That’s more important to me than anything. They are going to remember the connections they have. When I see youth cracking jokes or hitting up staff to tell them about an accomplishment, that lets me know we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re really pushing youth to use their voice. In the next three to five years, you’re going to hear about former or current FLY youth advocating or pushing for systematic change. Tapping into their sense of agency and impacting the entire world.”

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Activism

The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

1 week ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.

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Rep. Kamlager-Dove Introduces Bill to Protect Women in Custody After Reports Detailing Miscarriages and Neglect

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

Published

1 week ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37) on May 7, reintroduced updated legislation aimed at strengthening protections and healthcare standards for pregnant and postpartum women held in federal custody, including in immigration detention facilities.

The Pregnant Women in Custody Act would expand safeguards beyond the federal prison system to include women detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The proposal follows reports of pregnant women being shackled, denied medical care and suffering miscarriages while in immigration detention.

The legislation builds on a bipartisan version previously passed by the House during the 117th Congress. The updated bill includes new standards for healthcare access, mental health and substance use treatment, high-risk pregnancy care, family unity protections and increased federal oversight.

“Proper pregnancy care is a human right, regardless of your immigration or incarceration status,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that there are virtually no legal safeguards for pregnant women in federal custody.”

The bill would also limit the use of restraints and restrictive housing for pregnant women, improve data collection on maternal health in custody and require additional staff training and enforcement measures.

Supporters of the measure said the legislation is intended to address long-standing concerns about maternal healthcare and safety in detention settings, particularly for Black women and low-income women who are disproportionately impacted by incarceration and health disparities.

“Pregnant women in custody should never be subjected to dangerous and inhumane treatment that threatens their health, dignity, or the well-being of their babies,” said Patrice Willoughby, chief of policy and legislative affairs for the NAACP and a longtime public policy and government affairs strategist, in a statement.

A 2021 report estimated there are about 58,000 admissions of pregnant women into U.S. jails and prisons each year. Kamlager’s statement also cited a recent investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law that identified allegations of severe mistreatment or medical neglect involving at least 54 pregnant women or families in county jails between 2017 and 2024.

Federal policy under the Department of Homeland Security restricts the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants except in extreme cases. However, the agency reported that ICE deported 363 pregnant, postpartum or nursing women between January 2025 and February 2026, including 16 recorded miscarriages during that period.

The bill is cosponsored by several House Democrats and backed by organizations including the NAACP and the Vera Institute of Justice.

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OPINION: The Fire of Oakland’s Justin Jones

Jones made headlines three years ago when he was one of a pair of Justins. Along with fellow State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), he fought their removal from the state house in Tennessee and won reinstatement. Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

Published

1 week ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville). File photo.

By Emil Amok Guillermo

You may know Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville).

He grew up in Oakland and the East Bay. His mother is Filipino. You can tell by his full name Justin Shea Bautista Jones.

His father is African American.

He is fighting for all of us.

Now, Pearson is running for Congress and Jones is still fighting for all of us.

The recent 6-3 Supreme Court decision barring the use of race in drawing congressional districts marks a major turning point in U.S. history.

The decision took away the Voting Rights Act’s power to assure minority voices were both heard and represented.

“What we’re seeing now is this new Jim Crow system in which Black and Brown communities are without voice in our political process,” he told Fredricka Whitfield on CNN last weekend.

“That’s a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation. If they come for one of us, they’re coming for all of us, and some of my message to America is that the South is the front line of democracy,” Jones said. “They are dismantling multi-racial democracy here in the South, in states like Tennessee and Louisiana. But they aren’t going to stop here.”

That’s why Jones said we have to start paying attention to the South, and start helping them fight back there,” he said.

“I want to be clear that this terror, this type of system they’re enacting, are the same systems my grandparents told me about who grew up in Tennessee, a system where people like me couldn’t even be in political office. That’s the time they’re bringing us back to and I’m not sounding the alarm to be alarmist. But I am sounding it because we’ve seen this before in our history.”

Jones talked about Reconstruction and about what happened between the end of the 1800s and the beginning of the 1960s, when there was no Black political representation.

It’s a rebellion to keep our democracy going forward, he said.

“Stand with us and help us fight back against this extremist power grab — this racist power grab against our vision of a multi-racial democracy,” Jones added.

“While there is a litigation strategy, it’s important to maintain what he called a “movement strategy” that leads to the largest voter mobilization and registration that has ever been seen in the South,” he encouraged.

In 2026.

“Tennessee is an oppressed state,” Jones said. “It’s a state where one in five Black voters can’t vote because of felony disenfranchisement. It is where you can use a gun permit to vote, but you can’t use a student ID card to vote.

That’s the Asian American African American voice of Justin Jones.

Read his words for inspiration.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic stage monologist. His new show “69, Emil Amok: Anchorman—The News Made Me Do It,” is at the San Diego Fringe at New Destiny/Lincoln Park, 4931 Logan Ave. Ste. 102. May 14-23, at various times. Get tickets here.