Imagine following a story for almost 30 years - the ups, the downs and the relationship that evolves between reporter and source. The punishment is now banned in half the states and in a handful of states, no one is serving the sentence. As Suave adjusts to his new life on the outside, the challenges that come with his newfound freedom and the expectations from everyone around himhe ponders if things are too good to be true. Journalist Maria Hinojosa who has communicated with Gonzalez for nearly 30 years also realizes there are limits to how much she can help as he navigates the realities of conditional freedom. Suave moves to a transitional housing unit at SCI Graterford where he will spend the next few months as he waits for his parole hearing. David Luiz: Brazilian defender reveals surprise new look aged 35 I mean, listen, I put it like this: our struggle and our journey in the prison system prepare us for this. At the start of 2020, there were 1,465 juvenile lifers nationally. David Guez - Wikipedia David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was one of those individuals who had their case opened. Maria Hinojosa, Maggie Freleng, Julieta Martinelli, Stephanie Lebow, Audrey Quinn, and Marlon Bishop the production team behind Suave, When I heard the news that Suave won the Pulitzer Prize, I felt like a tectonic shift happened, saidMaria Hinojosa, President and Founder of Futuro Media. Suave fromFuturo StudiosandPRXwas also awarded this year in theIDA Documentary Awardsfrom the International Documentary Association. She has also mixed and done sound sweetening for indie films and documentary series, such as America By The Numbers and Miss Sharon Jones! Rahsaan New York Thomas reported this story for Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education. About Suave from Futuro Studios and PRX. Career. I mean, I was really struck by something you said in the first episode - that, quote, "We have this tool that we journalists can use, which is our humanity" - that if you give humanity, you're going to get it back. He was 17 years old when he was sentenced to life in prison. If we would just stop our chaos and look at people individually! No, no, no, he's not a friend. Doesnt matter if you doing good, if you got a job, it doesnt matterit could be snatched up in a heartbeat and theres nothing you could do about it.. So I started visualizing and putting myself in places that Id never been before. In August, journalist Rahsaan New York Thomas called Gonzalez from a phone booth on the ground tier of San Quentins North Block. On Monday, 22-year-old Giovanni Feliciano, of Garfield, and 21-year-old Jefersson Gonzalez, of . She previously covered the criminal justice system, policing and immigration for Nashville Public Radio. Were all dying in here. Congratulations to the team behind Suave., Journalist Maria Hinojosa and David Luis Suave Gonalez (Photo by Julieta Martinelli/Futuro Studios), Inremarksduring the announcement of this years winners, John Daniszewski of the Associated Press and co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board, stated: These stories sometimes right injustice, sometimes they illuminate a deeper context of the local communities in which we live. Maria worries about the lasting effects of lifetime parole on Suave and comforts him through some tough disappointments. I genuinely care. Eddie Gonzalez for Paterson Board of Education. She found her passion for radio at Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, as an engineer, producer, and on-air personality. Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was only 17 at the time, making him a juvenile, but he was tried as an adult and given a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of ever being released. After a decade reporting on music for various outlets, he served as Senior Editor on the public radio program Latino USA. Police say 34-year-old Luiz Martinez struck the victim in the face inside a bar in Paterson Sunday night, causing 54-year-old Agustin Arias-Gomez to fall backwards and hit his head on the ground. He is the cohost of both the "Suave" and "Death by Incarceration" podcasts. Suave is awarded as a distinguished example of audio journalism that serves the public interest, characterized by revelatory reporting and illuminating storytelling. The Pulitzers note that the podcast series is a brutally honest and immersive profile of a man reentering society after serving more than 30 years in prison.. And Maria Hinojosa is founder of the Futuro Media Group. So this is the particular thing about journalists' source - is that it doesn't look like just one thing. Podcast 'Suave' Explores 1 Man's Life After His Release From Prison Incarceration, Oral History & 'Suave' with David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez The story of David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez on Latino USA - Saturday at 6 Will Luis Suave Gonzalez and Other Juvenile Lifers Be Released from Prison? They [are] infatuated with this, man. So this is the particular thing about journalists' source - is that it doesn't look like just one thing. And I felt like I was breaking that bond. Everyone out there struggling to get through life, you need to find one thing to hold on to and never let go. A new podcast about the system that sentences juveniles to life in prison, a story of incarceration, redemption, and the unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". Suave - Latino USA She was an NPR Next Generation Radio fellow and 2019 Ford Foundation 50 Women Can Change the World in Journalism fellow. In 1988, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was found guilty of first-degree homicide. You know, these are things that I need to learn.Luis Suave Gonzalez. My God theres so many more important things in life. December 6, 1986. Co-Host/Inspiration. Hinojosa and David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, the namesake for the podcast, first met in 1993 while speaking at the Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania. You know the same way we grind when we hustlin on the corners, the same way you gotta hustle when you in the prison system. December 6, 1986. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. At his re-sentencing hearing, Jones told the Court, Im not the same person I was when I was 15 Ive become a pretty decent person in life. Acclaimed journalist Maria Hinojosa met Suave 27 years ago when she was invited to speak at a graduation ceremony at Graterford. The Story of The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" Spanish Lyrics. I believe in going as far as stopping for an injured animal and saving it to fixing a butterflies wing and helping it fly for a week until it flew away. That is until a Supreme Court ruling changes everythingand Suave suddenly gets a second chance to fight for his freedom. Maggie is an Adjunct Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and formerly the Producer-at-Large for Latino USA. Support for this podcast provided by the Art for Justice Fund, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and The Heising-Simons Foundation: Unlocking knowledge, opportunity, and possibilities. Like so many of the juveniles serving life without parole sentences, Jones was physically and verbally abused as a child. Thats true, but its also bullshit because I was a lifer and I did it. You know, and I say all the time, in 2017 when I stepped out that prison, not my family, not my community, not my friends - it was Maria Hinojosa that was there waiting for me. Additionally, Hinojosa was the first Latina to anchor a PBS FRONTLINE report: Lost in Detention which aired in October 2011 and was the first to explore abuse at immigrant detention facilities, garnering attention from Capitol Hill as well as both the mainstream and Spanish-language media. Ear Hustle from Radiotopia and PRX was a finalist in 2020. March 14, 2021 at 5:47 PM Sentenced at age 17, David Luis "Suave" Gonzalez was serving life without parole when he met reporter Maria Hinojosa. Prosecutor: After deadly shooting in Lodi, 3 NJ men arrested Youre a victim, so you victimize other people because youre hurt. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. It's impossible. People dying in the streets and that need a helping hand. Tragically, the majority of justices in the highest court in the land demonstrated they do not believe in second chances. GONZALEZ: And I always tell people, like, we never know who we're going to touch. So thats what I did. After the Montgomery v Louisiana ruling, Suave spoke with producer Michael Simon Johnson. How did that happen? GONZALEZ: And I always tell people, like, we never know who we're going to touch. Marlon Bishop is a Peabody Award-winning radio producer and editor with a focus on Latin America, immigration, identity and society, music and the arts. Im not gonna say I got a life sentence, so I cant go to school. FPL Lessons: David Luiz wins out in Sarri shake-up. Man arrested in Paterson death that resulted from single punch While there, Gonzalez committed to becoming a voice for the voiceless - he earned a BA from Villanova University and worked as president of LACEO, a Latino organization that has given away 152 scholarships funded by prisoners from their own wages. The Suave podcast was always scrappy from the start. Shes been invited to discuss her reporting on WBEZs Morning Shift, WAMUs 1A and NPRs Up First podcast. Did you hope that education would lead to finding you a way home? Suave's Story - Latino Rebels You can do that on your own. And even though I've been home three years, I'm still lost, you know, because this world moved fast. David Luis Gonzalez is an artist, TedX speaker, podcast host, and support coach for the "I Am More" program at Community College of Philadelphia. Marlon Bishop is a Peabody Award-winning radio producer and editor with a focus on Latin America, immigration, identity and society, music and the arts. At Graterford State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania, Suave joined the largest population of juvenile lifers in the countrymen considered by the justice system to be irredeemable for acts committed when they were just teenagers. "Suave" Podcast from Futuro Studios and PRX Wins A Pulitzer Prize I was on a suicide mission. Sometimes they surprise and entertain. CHANG: Now that he has been released from prison, the two of them are sharing their story in a new Futuro Media podcast called "Suave.". No, no, no, he's not a friend. In the corner of 8th and Somerset, Maria encourages Suave to talk about that night, which theyve never discussed in nearly three decades of friendship. All contents Fifteen seconds. Convicted of the first-degree murder of a. Back behind bars, Suave suffers flashbacks and struggles deeply to adjust, and Maria questions the entire parole system. Maria Hinojosa on 'Suave', her now Pulitzer-winning podcast: "We Do you feel that you are simply a source to Maria, or is there something more? At Futuro Media, Hinojosa continues to bring attention to experiences and points of view that are often overlooked or underreported in mainstream media, all while mentoring the next generation of diverse journalists to delve into authentic and nuanced stories. Kevin McCracken. The story follows David Luis Suave Gonzalez from boy to man, and explores incarceration, redemption, and the often unusual relationship between a journalist and a source. Additionally, Hinojosa was the first Latina to anchor a PBS FRONTLINE report: Lost in Detention which aired in October 2011 and was the first to explore abuse at immigrant detention facilities, garnering attention from Capitol Hill as well as both the mainstream and Spanish-language media.