iChange Justice Season 5

#238 Justice Podcast - An Opportunity for Generational Change "Memo to Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission regarding jail population forecast and the use of pretrial incarceration in Whatcom County" This episode of iChange Justice is presented in partnership with the Restorative Community Coalition and the Whatcom County Racial Equity Commission. In this powerful installment, our board members—Karen Ball, Atul Deshmane, and Irene Morgan—are joined by Miriam Karamoko and Ray Rodriguez to unpack a newly released, accessible to the public, assessment memo from the nationally recognized Prison Policy Initiative (PPI). For years, community advocates have pushed back against county justifications for a massive jail expansion, only to face constant resistance, closed doors while watching prevention programs go away. This new national data report fundamentally contradicts the county’s own metrics, validating what local advocates have known all along: the data does not support the need for a bigger jail, and pre-trial incarceration causes deep, compounding harm to families and the broader community. Instead of expanding a facility and dismantling effective booking restrictions, the PPI report urges the county to build the smallest jail possible and fully invest in the 14 other areas of needed reform outlined in the Justice Implementation Plan. In this episode, we explore how this data provides an opening for true, generational change. We discuss the importance of shifting our focus from punishment to prevention, demanding government accountability, and utilizing public comment platforms and community events to ensure the public's voice shapes our future. We are building the future, one Connection at a time. It takes a village…join ours. https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/jail-and-behavioral-care-center https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/s/PPI_Whatcom_County_Jail_Expansion_Memo.pdf https://www.whatcomracialequity.org/contact

Ready for a real talk on what it actually takes to heal our community and build systems we can believe in? In Episode of the iChange Justice Podcast, the team dives into the third and final part of our series on trust! This week, we are moving past the critiques and focusing on the solutions. We’re sharing incredible, real-world examples of what happens when leaders swallow their pride, listen to grassroots voices, and align resources to meet the public's actual needs. From the streets of LA to local initiatives right here in Whatcom County, discover how we can break the cycle of incarceration and build a community table where everyone is heard. 🗓️ Date: Wednesday, July 29th 🕓 Time: 4:00 PM PST 🎙️ Featuring: Atul Deshmane, Karen Ball, Lucy Kesterson, Irene Morgan, Miriam Karamoko, and Rae Rodriguez 🔗 Tune in and get involved: Visit TheRestorativeCommunity.org/Contact to share your thoughts, send an email directly to Irene, or grab advocacy templates to contact your local representatives! Follow real-time justice updates with our partners at WhatcomRacialEquity.org. Let's stop building bigger walls and start building better connections. See you there! 🕊️🎒

In the second of our three-part series, the iChange Justice Podcast digs deep into our local legal landscape. Join board members of the Restorative Community Coalition as we move past the rhetoric to answer the hard question: How do we establish trust after a systemic breach of confidence? From identifying the "impediments" we need to let go of to the "essentials" we must add, we’re mapping out a path to a more humane community. 🗓️ Airing June 24th (the last Wednesday of the month). Join us for this essential conversation. ✨

#235 - iChange Justice Podcast: Restorative Community Coalition Presents: Breaking Down the Breach of Trust 1st of a 3 part Series on Restorative JusticeThe wait is over! We are officially launching an all-new monthly broadcast format! 📻 For this milestone episode, our entire board steps up to the microphone to co-host a critical conversation on a heavy reality: the systemic breach of trust in our local justice system. Facilitated by board member Atul Deshmane, our panel brings together coalition founder Irene Morgan, board members Karen Ball and Lucy Kesterson, alongside Ray Rodriguez and Miriam Karamoko from the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission. We are diving deep into the hard truths the community needs to hear: 👉 The 90/10 Reality Check: Voters were promised a 50/50 split to fund crucial behavioral health and re-entry services during the 2023 jail levy. Instead, current plans allocate roughly 90% of the funds strictly to jail cells. 👉 The Missing Needs Assessment: Why did local executives scrap the promised community needs assessment within two weeks of taking office? 📋 👉 Silenced Voices: We need to see how we pacify citizens while maintaining the unsustainable incarceration loop active. We believe it’s time to design a system that actually heals. Restorative Justice is the Focus, and it begins by demanding transparency and building true Connection within our community. 🕊️🌾

In this encore episode, Host Joy Gilfilen introduces John and Wes, two men rebuilding their lives after incarceration and now helping others find their way forward. They share what it was like reentering society in Cowlitz County, Washington, after felony convictions left them navigating life after prison, homelessness, and the challenges of starting over. Through perseverance and support, both men found work and became certified peer counselors, first living at and later working with the Community House on Broadway as peer mentors and housing specialists. Today, their lived experience helps others facing similar challenges reconnect with housing, stability, and opportunity. We are closing out our encore series and will be introducing our next community discussion... Stay Tuned. Find the iChange Justice Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts, and thank you to KOYS-LPFM 94.1

Joy Gilfilen, the host of iChange Justice, interviews Jerome Gold, the author of Paranoia and Heartbreak, about his 15 years as a rehabilitation counselor at Echo Glen, the Washington State Juvenile Prison. The conversation dives deep into the effectiveness of prevention, intervention, and diverse therapies in reducing recidivism and increasing the probability of people staying out of prison. They explore how tools like conflict resolution, de-escalation, and aggression reduction therapies serve as critical supports for building healthier relationships both inside and outside the system. Jerome Gold offers a vital reminder for lawmakers and community leaders: virtually everyone who goes into prison eventually comes out. When we make decisions about crime and community building, the real question we must face is: "Are we helping or harming people?" Remembering that everyone is human is the most powerful starting point for discussing real solutions for justice.

#232 iChange Justice Podcast – Jails, Bonds & Bond Markets (Encore #141) Most people have no idea that incarceration is tied to financial markets — and that prison-related bonds can ultimately be traded on the stock exchange, sometimes even owned by political leaders and investment funds. In this episode, Host Joy Gilfilen speaks with a Wall Street bond trader to explore how a case can move from a 911 call, to an arrest, to bail, and eventually into financial packages connected to the broader bond market. These are the kinds of questions we explore on the iChange Justice Podcast — looking beyond the surface to understand how systems of justice, economics, and public policy intersect in ways many people never see. 📻 Every Thursday at Noon on KOYS-LPFM 94.1 Bellingham 🎧 And everywhere you get your podcasts.

What is justice anyway? It depends on the eye of the beholder. Three people from the Restorative CommUnity Coalition with lived experience in the field—Joy Gilfilen, Irene Morgan, Debbie David and Chene Keltz—talk about justice in America from their perspective. This show is all about dropping the veil on the criminal justice system. Over 800 years and the system has not budged on restoring anyone, in fact, quite the opposite. Why do we have over 9 million people in prison in the US? Who is paying for all of the ins and outs of the system? Why do people, more times than not, end up back in prison for sometimes up to 10-20 or more times? How can we speak up about changing the system processes so our country can thrive? If you are at all ignited with curiosity then please bring your open mind and heart to hear from community members from all walks of life. We will have corporate, non-profit, public service, students and those who have been affected by the system firsthand comment on their experiences, beliefs, and hope for the future. Are we all just continuing to do what our ancestors taught just because they said it is so? Where does the insanity stop? When are we as a country, as a world, going to be ready to say to ourselves, “Maybe what I was told, taught, and believed is wrong?” A heavy question! Join us in the discussions and sign up for membership to access exclusive research, training and upcoming events. Encore on Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts and on KOYS-LPFM Bellingham

In this encore episode, Host Joy Gilfilen explores the connections between justice, history, science, and the rhythms of the natural world. The conversation reflects on the April 8, 2024 eclipse and why such events capture the attention of scientists, farmers, first responders, original nations scholars, healers, and thinkers across many traditions. These observers often study long patterns in nature and history to better understand how changes in tides, planetary alignments, and environmental rhythms can influence human behavior, culture, and social systems. In this episode, Eric Thompson shares insights from his study of historical cycles and planetary movement, offering perspectives on how these patterns may intersect with the ways societies think about freedom, culture, and justice. We’re sharing this conversation again as part of the iChange Justice Podcast March–April creative pause, revisiting episodes that invite deeper reflection on the forces shaping our communities and our world. Find the iChange Justice Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts.

Host Joy Gilfilen speaks with Paul Levy, author of Wetiko sand other books on the concept of “wetiko,” a psycho-spiritual mind virus long described in Native traditions as a destructive force operating within human consciousness. In this conversation, Joy explores how Levy’s work intersects with issues of justice, incarceration, leadership, and collective behavior. Levy describes how what he calls “malignant egophrenia,” or the “mad emperor disease,” can influence individuals and institutions alike, shaping patterns of division, conflict, and harm that appear throughout modern society. Drawing from decades of study in psychology, spirituality, and quantum theory, Levy explains how this unconscious pattern can operate beneath the surface of our awareness—and why recognizing it may be essential to healing systems and communities. We’re sharing this episode again as part of the iChange Justice Podcast March–April creative pause, revisiting conversations that continue to offer insight into justice, healing, and recovery. Episodes like this one invite deeper reflection on the forces shaping our world and the possibilities for transformation. We welcome your thoughts as we prepare future conversations and explore bringing more discussions like this to the podcast. Find the iChange Justice Podcast everywhere you get your podcasts.

Joy Gilfilen, host of iChange Justice podcast interviews a woman who went "on walkabout" down I-5 this past year, living homeless. She has been an advocate for social issues of poverty, mental health, public safety and homelessness and shares what she learned. How have cities adapted in the past two years to the civic crisis issues, to the injection of CARES dollars for emergency intervention in different cities? What has happened to the people living without shelter, emergency services, and without resources during the past few years? What is it like today as different from before? How is this impacting people, what are the side effects of different leadership attitudes on the community? As Part of our March & April Creative Retreat We ask for your participation and feedback.

During our creative retreat to record new and innovative material, we’re sharing an encore of one of our Top Shows of 2023 — Episode #67 , “CORE Mental Health Services.” Host Joy Gilfilen talks with Ben Hoppie, Mental Health Practitioner, and Trisha Johnston, Peer Counselor, about how they work alongside law enforcement, courts, and hospital emergency departments in Cowlitz County to support people facing substance use, mental health challenges, homelessness, poverty, and justice system involvement. Their lived experience and professional training allow them to meet people at the moment of crisis, helping redirect lives toward recovery and stability. The iChange Justice Podcast, produced by the Restorative Community Coalition, shares real stories about homelessness, addiction, incarceration, recovery, and the nonprofits working on the front lines to help people rebuild their lives. Please share the podcast with friends and family, support local nonprofits, and stay connected as we prepare our next season. Listen. Learn. Stay informed.

In this encore presentation, Host Joy Gilfilen speaks with John Fitzpatrick about the real impact of peer mentoring, supportive housing, and community-integrated services for people rebuilding their lives after incarceration. John shares what it means to serve as a peer mentor and why integrated services — housing, employment support, and trauma-informed care working together — significantly increase the chances of successful reentry. Programs like these help stabilize individuals facing complex challenges including trauma, addiction, and the difficult transition back into community life. Their supportive housing model offers at least a 90-day program with fully integrated services designed to help people regain stability and reconnect with meaningful work and community support. This conversation highlights the kind of leadership and lived experience the iChange Justice Podcast seeks to bring forward — individuals working directly in communities to create practical pathways toward healing, accountability, and long-term stability. Episode #226 is part of our March and April encore series while the iChange Justice Podcast takes a creative pause to reflect and explore future directions.

The fourth conversation featuring James Addington, Mel Hoover, William Gardiner and host Karen Ball. We examine what it truly means to be “fit to survive” in an era defined by climate instability, political division, and social fragmentation. This discussion frames climate change not simply as an environmental issue, but as the central moral challenge shaping ecological, economic, and cultural realities. When we isolate crises instead of understanding their interconnected roots, we weaken our collective ability to respond. James reframes “survival of the fittest” into something more urgent and hopeful: being fit to survive. Fitness, in this context, means adaptability, preparedness, and the capacity to build systems grounded in shared responsibility. The episode explores leadership beyond title or position, leadership grounded in reality orientation, accountability to systems of power, historical imagination, hopeful engagement, and a commitment to viable, inclusive community. Reparations are discussed not merely as financial compensation, but as an essential strategy for rebuilding the societal fabric and ensuring all communities can participate in shaping a sustainable future. Grounded in the concept of Tikkun Olam — repairing the world — this conversation challenges listeners to move beyond denial and polarization toward moral clarity, collective resilience, and long-term responsibility for generations yet to come.

Unpacking Inclusion, Control, and Affection: A Clinical Look at the Structures of Power and Systemic Trauma. How can communities collectively imagine self-determination and liberation from systemic domination? This episode tackles that question by examining the "moral imaginary" required to move past our current social chaos. Mel Hoover sets the stage by citing James Baldwin’s 1963 reality check: “We made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.” The panel explores how the truth of our lived experience has been covered up by dehumanizing ideologies, undermining our capacity to pursue an equitable future. To understand this landscape, the guests introduce a clinical framework for evaluating community health through three core principles: Inclusion, Control, and Affection. Dr. Bill Gardiner traces the history of "who is in and who is out" back to the Naturalization Act of 1790, which legally defined citizenship based on whiteness. The panel connects this history to modern-day voter "integrity" efforts and the habitual use of power—and often violence—to suppress successful, interracial movements like the "Black Wall Street" in Tulsa or the Battle of Blair Mountain. Finally, the group defines Affection as heartfelt, emotional connections that can only blossom once Inclusion is addressed and Control (power) is shared. The conversation concludes with a call for authentic solidarity, encouraging listeners to heal collective trauma by having "skin in the game."

Featuring an Encore of 2025’s Most Popular Episode #174 with Josef Tichy, Mel Hoover, Kurt Krueger, and Host Joy Gilfilen. We are bringing back this essential conversation for a special encore presentation on February 12th. Joseph shares reflections on growing up in Prague, while Mel discusses their diverse American roots. They tackle the impact of history, like the fall of communism, on personal freedom and responsibility. The panel calls for a NEW educational framework that nurtures holistic consciousness. Language and perception are key! They stress the need for innovative vocabulary to define humanity and connect with nature. America's "melting pot" identity is questioned, urging a reevaluation to embrace multicultural and multigenerational wisdom. Ultimately, they highlight the transformative power of IDEAS and the importance of CONSCIOUS efforts to drive societal change and envision new realities.

Joy Gilfilen, co-host Karen Ball and our panel continue a deep historical reflection following their clinical analysis of the historical structures of law in episode #221, this session shifts the focus to the immediate present. The panel examines the social turmoil and confusion in our streets and headlines today, arguing that these are not isolated incidents of unrest. Instead, they represent the predictable breaking point of a globalized logic of dominance, and the pathologies of historical amnesia, social anesthesia, and collective denial. In this episode, James Addington, author of Tragic Investment, explains how the artificial fabrication of race continues to sabotage communities and jeopardize our learning to think and feel like ancestors. He invites listeners to grapple with the dynamics of racialization and its connection to power and how that plays out. Bill describes the colonization process where western European countries sent ships to subdue people living in other geographic locations and imposed their image of government control. This process was brutal and extractive. This historical theme has continued to today and Mel points out that it is time to intentionally change our vision and create a new story for the generations to come. Join us as we learn to see the world through a lens of restorative justice and uncover the tools necessary to transform our present.

Host Joy Gilfilen brings you an extraordinary, “local-to-global” high-stakes conversation with a dynamic trio of leaders: Mel Hoover, James Addington, and William Gardiner. These three men offer a rare "Bird’s Eye View" from the epicenters of social change, possessing direct, real-world lived experience with intentional change over time. Past cross-generational issues of habits of slavery, structural imprisonment, religious caste, and economic class are 2026 issues for tomorrow’s children. In this episode, we explore the ripples of the Civil Rights movement specifically as it gained steam and shifted from the Atlantic Seaboard and the deep South toward the West. Our guests reveal the waves of change through time, how they’ve seen the "logic" of these bioregions travel, shaping the civic systems we inhabit in 2026. The "Practical Historian" Framework James Addington challenges us to move beyond academic history and become ‘Practical Historians’. This means developing the comfort to look at the "complexity and ambiguity" of our past so we can understand exactly how we got here. As James notes, citing theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and academic Olufemi Taiwo, we must learn to “think and feel like ancestors” to ensure the options we deliver to future generations are rooted in shared humanity. Inside this Episode: The Invention of "Race" for Power: James Addington explains why "race" is an artificial fabrication—a system of classification created solely to determine social value, access, and participation. From Indentured to Enslaved: Mel Hoover breaks down the turning point in American law where white and black indentured servants began to organize together. To break that power, the wealthy elite created a new category: lifelong chattel slavery, intentionally stripping humanity from African-heritage people to protect property and wealth. The Global Blueprint: Discover the sobering truth that the American ‘Indian reservation’ system and legal segregation served as the functional engineers for South African Apartheid and were even admired by the Nazi regime. The "Asterisk" of Whiteness: Bill Gardiner and James Addington discuss growing up in "American Apartheid" and the "asterisk" of whiteness—how many white families have forgotten their own immigrant histories of discrimination (Irish, Polish, Italian) and their own complex heritages (including Choctaw and enslaved ancestors). Bioregional Logic: We parse the differences between the political and religious structures of the East and South, and how those cultural "logics" of dominance were exported across the nation. Mel Hoover, James Addington, and Bill Gardiner demonstrate how becoming practical historians reveals and can promote productive community changes. We cannot remove the "foot on the neck" of the present until we understand the biased structure of the law that placed it there. Join us for this "Major League" conversation on rehumanizing the human race.

Special Premier for MLK Day... Offering Lived Experience of the Civil Rights Movement and Wisdom needed for 2026. Hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball are joined by Civil Rights Activist Mel Hoover , a pillar of wisdom whose life experience bridges the worlds where Martin Luther King Jr. and his family walked and lived. We are profoundly enriched by this elder sharing his lived experience of the civil rights movement and his personal knowledge of his namesake, Dr. Melvin Watson, who was a close friend and mentor to the King family. A trailblazer in ministry, education, and social justice, Mel opens the windows to bring in fresh air for a frank, grassroots understanding of what “I have a dream!” meant to “we the people.” This episode—the first of several—brings forward a powerhouse of lived experience from a challenging period of history to help us navigate our current times. Inside this Episode: Predicting the Past: Mel explains why we must honestly examine our history to change our present. If we don’t understand how the "foot on the neck" functioned in the past, we cannot remove it in the future. The Messenger vs. The Movement: A deep dive into how Dr. King was the voice, but the community—especially the power of Black women—was the engine. Geographical Perspectives: Comparing the marches in Texas to the border-community perspectives of Whatcom County, Washington, to see how location shapes our understanding of race and restorative work. Logic to Legacy: We explore shifting from transactional, hierarchical systems to a Living Restorative Legacy based on shared humanity and the "eyes of love." Mel Hoover demonstrates how focusing on local needs promotes positive community changes. Join us for this "Major League" conversation on rehumanizing the human race. Available NOW on all streaming platforms. 🎧 Broadcasting Thursday, Jan 22nd at Noon on KOYS-LPFM 94.1. 📻🕛

Welcome to the Season 5 Premiere of iChange Justice! In this landmark episode, hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball celebrate an incredible milestone with our dear friend and international collaborator, James White. James is a member of Community Living British Columbia, serves on the Board of the Restorative Community Coalition, and founded the ESATTA Cooperative (Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action) over 40 years ago. Trailblazing anew, it’s achieved a distinctive level of civic leadership! Focusing on 2026, James identifies this as the Year of the Fire Horse—his own Chinese astrological sign—signaling a time of high energy, passion, and rapid advancement. A globally recognized mentor in the international learning community for person-centered practices, James is guiding us to use this "on fire" energy to move away from cold, transactional bureaucracy and back to the heart of Human Connection. Inside this Premiere, he introduces tools and demonstrates action: The "Who Am I?" One-Page Profile: James details how ESATTA uses this tool to help people move past labels and "ableism." It’s a blueprint for building symbiotic, life-giving friendships and professional support systems based on who we actually are, rather than institutional "pigeonholes." The Mission, B.C. Success Story: We dive into the "Reimagining Community: Welcome Home" project. Using the power of World Cafés, James shows how he helped bridge the gap between city councils, 27 diverse tribes, and everyday citizens in British Columbia to create a roadmap for true civic inclusion. Breaking Down Barriers: Following the theme of "Nothing About Us Without Us," we discuss how to challenge systemic barriers and return control to the individuals most impacted by the justice and care systems. Moving from Logic to Legacy: This episode sets the stage for a series of five intensive trainings James will be leading in 2026. We are moving from the “logic” of the system (the data, the labels, and the rules) to a “living restorative legacy”—utilizing the powerful "Fire Horse" energy of the year to create a world where everyone is treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.