did you know there is an emoticon for "sisterhood is powerful"

today was spent doing some SERIOUS multi-tasking. organizing Damelo Todo production from sunrise to sunset (8 DAYZ AWAY FROM THE SHOOT!!!), and at the same time solo-journeying into the mystical world of adhoc legal adocacy. Damelo Todo tasks included: simultaneously email/skyping/chatting/phone-conferencing/photo-texting (those are all different modes) about shoot schedules, floor plans, casting calls, camera tests, post timelines, editor workflows, hiring crew, stage-blocking actors, previewing stack of old club films that inspire me... basically everything under the sun from burning dvds to designing/printing "extras" recruiting posters en español. that was today. intermittently i was also trying to help a trans women friend who was trapped in the jaws of the LA prison industrial complex, lost somewhere in an inmate detention center under a fake name awaiting placement to a mens jail. she got arrested on christmas eve for a minor offense, and of course hours later found herself sucked all the way inside... also she had just gotten a housing eviction notice the day before. it took several days to piece together the information, from the initial fragmentary midnight collect call on christmas eve to a website that gave me a booking number, and just now finally half an hour ago confirmed she is being placed permanently in Men's Central Jail with no visitor permissions. initially, having almost no information, no way to talk to her or assume the $20,000 bail, plus being radioactive and not a lawyer, i felt pretty powerless to do anything... but slowly i tried to think through what could be done. i asked for help, and a lot of people responded (dean spade to the rescue 4EVA riiight!) today i'm hopeful - which makes me a little heartened though still full of rage - that she is going to be ok(?), whatever that means... at least until her court date... which leads me to to my new idea that...

ANYONE CAN BE A LEGAL ADVOCATE!

IT'S FUN AND EASY

TOTALLY DOABLE WITHIN YOUR GLAMOROUS LIFESTYLE

YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE WITH JUST YA BRAIN AND YA CELLPHONE
AND YA LAPTOP AND YA SEXY BIZNESS FRONT

LETSGO LIBERATION!!!

LGL LGL LGL

here's what i did... SRSLY anyone can do it!!!

first i befriended her roomate and we figured out a way to 3-way call with her in jail (i guess you can only call landlines from jail which is why we initially couldn't reach each other) to get as much information as possible (such as her fake booking name, apt number where her stuff was stashed, etc). then i sent out an group email to LGL and available folks responded! Shayla Myers, a BOMB ASS lawyer and LGL collective member, led me to a website where i could then search her fake name and find her actual booking status. got the roomate to fax us the eviction notice (Shayla actually even rushed the courthouse), and put the smack down (ok a very little) with the landlord who was trying to front like they could change the locks. but even if they HAD, we already had a crew ready with SUV to grab and stash her belongings as a last minute resort (WOOORD April Saravia). this was today. but unfortunately it's just phase I.

the system is fucked. but today left me with a feeling of ok we can do this... as do so many other days when i commune with LGL folks. and integrate this stuff into my life.

I SUPPOSE UR ASKING ME WHAT THE BUTT IS LGL???
I MEAN IMPRENTA TRANSGENDER LAW PROJECT BUT WE UPGRADED TO A WAY HOTTER
COLLECTIVELY-CHOSEN ORGANIZATION NAME.

LETSGO LIBERATION (LGL)

oy we have lots to catch up on... let me catch my breath and get back to you. sisterhood is powerful.

BTW damelo todo narrative shoot crew is now 13 and counting!!!

SHOUT to ernesto foronda, archie hernandez, ashley hunt, michelle lawler, dani carrera, candi guterres, britt ringer, elsa valdez, suzanne mejean, miguel barragan, rhys ernst, and taisha paggett