Rattling the Bars
@rattlingthebars.bsky.social
Rattling the Bars is a web series about prisoners' rights on TRNN and hosted by former political prisoner turned reporter Mansa Musa, who spent decades in the US carceral system organizing for liberation.
🏠 therealnews.com
📺 youtube.com/@therealnews
🏠 therealnews.com
📺 youtube.com/@therealnews
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
70+ free printable "How to Report ICE" zines with info on the SALUTE protocol and local hotline numbers for all over the country! Including some in Spanish!
There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
November 17, 2025 at 12:14 AM
70+ free printable "How to Report ICE" zines with info on the SALUTE protocol and local hotline numbers for all over the country! Including some in Spanish!
There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
One striking aspect of ICE resistance in Chicago, is how many people in the videos appear to be average, everyday residents out for walks or stepping out of their houses.
Like, this guy is barefoot, in Blackhawk hockey PJs! Or...
(*I've not personally talked to the people in these videos)
Like, this guy is barefoot, in Blackhawk hockey PJs! Or...
(*I've not personally talked to the people in these videos)
October 26, 2025 at 1:19 AM
One striking aspect of ICE resistance in Chicago, is how many people in the videos appear to be average, everyday residents out for walks or stepping out of their houses.
Like, this guy is barefoot, in Blackhawk hockey PJs! Or...
(*I've not personally talked to the people in these videos)
Like, this guy is barefoot, in Blackhawk hockey PJs! Or...
(*I've not personally talked to the people in these videos)
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
A number of local Chicago reporters/journalists have truly distinguished themselves over the past few weeks and I am so very grateful. It also shows that reporting is a public service when done well. Thank you all.
November 13, 2025 at 8:10 PM
A number of local Chicago reporters/journalists have truly distinguished themselves over the past few weeks and I am so very grateful. It also shows that reporting is a public service when done well. Thank you all.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Death behind bars, a story in 5 objects:
A receipt is a mom's last connection to her son
A man watches Knicks games w/ his brother's ashes
An estranged child, wonders about a father's lost bible
Travel books, for places un-visited
A muddy hat, too precious to pack away.
tinyurl.com/482hyknt
A receipt is a mom's last connection to her son
A man watches Knicks games w/ his brother's ashes
An estranged child, wonders about a father's lost bible
Travel books, for places un-visited
A muddy hat, too precious to pack away.
tinyurl.com/482hyknt
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
www.themarshallproject.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Death behind bars, a story in 5 objects:
A receipt is a mom's last connection to her son
A man watches Knicks games w/ his brother's ashes
An estranged child, wonders about a father's lost bible
Travel books, for places un-visited
A muddy hat, too precious to pack away.
tinyurl.com/482hyknt
A receipt is a mom's last connection to her son
A man watches Knicks games w/ his brother's ashes
An estranged child, wonders about a father's lost bible
Travel books, for places un-visited
A muddy hat, too precious to pack away.
tinyurl.com/482hyknt
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Baltimore Officer charged with attempted murder after viral video shows him trying to run man down baltimorebeat.com/baltimore-of...
November 14, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Baltimore Officer charged with attempted murder after viral video shows him trying to run man down baltimorebeat.com/baltimore-of...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
The Peculiar Patriot, performed in more than 35 US prisons, reveals the human cost of mass incarceration and the enduring ties between slavery and the prison system.
Inside the modern-day plantation: How theater confronts incarceration
The Peculiar Patriot, performed in more than 35 US prisons, reveals the human cost of mass incarceration and the enduring ties between slavery and the prison system.
therealnews.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The Peculiar Patriot, performed in more than 35 US prisons, reveals the human cost of mass incarceration and the enduring ties between slavery and the prison system.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Eddie Conway and the Black Panther Party remembered with art, music, and education baltimorebeat.com/eddie-conway...
November 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Eddie Conway and the Black Panther Party remembered with art, music, and education baltimorebeat.com/eddie-conway...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
If you’ve ever held a copy of Baltimore Beat in your hands, you can thank Olu Butterfly, Leo Gray, his dad, Andrew Gray, Latoya Moore, and Michael Morstein. baltimorebeat.com/our-drivers/
November 12, 2025 at 3:04 PM
If you’ve ever held a copy of Baltimore Beat in your hands, you can thank Olu Butterfly, Leo Gray, his dad, Andrew Gray, Latoya Moore, and Michael Morstein. baltimorebeat.com/our-drivers/
Check out my in-depth conversation w/ Liza Jessie Peterson about her acclaimed play, The Peculiar Patriot, and powerful documentary, Angola Do You Hear Us?
We explore how Black cultural production serves as a transformative force for self-determination.
youtu.be/rcDuOs80ya0?...
We explore how Black cultural production serves as a transformative force for self-determination.
youtu.be/rcDuOs80ya0?...
November 9, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Check out my in-depth conversation w/ Liza Jessie Peterson about her acclaimed play, The Peculiar Patriot, and powerful documentary, Angola Do You Hear Us?
We explore how Black cultural production serves as a transformative force for self-determination.
youtu.be/rcDuOs80ya0?...
We explore how Black cultural production serves as a transformative force for self-determination.
youtu.be/rcDuOs80ya0?...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Poet, actor, and playwright Liza Jessie Peterson is bringing her one-woman play “The Peculiar Patriot,” which has been performed in over 30 prisons across the country, to Baltimore Center Stage. The Philly native believes it’s the right place and the right time for this story.
‘The Peculiar Patriot’ takes Baltimore audiences behind the wall
The play has been performed in over 30 prisons across the country.
therealnews.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Poet, actor, and playwright Liza Jessie Peterson is bringing her one-woman play “The Peculiar Patriot,” which has been performed in over 30 prisons across the country, to Baltimore Center Stage. The Philly native believes it’s the right place and the right time for this story.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
The mainstream media said voters wouldn’t go for Mamdani and they said “socialism won’t sell.” But on the streets of New York, people were done listening to conventional wisdom.
Mainstream media tried to scare Mamdami voters with socialism—it didn't work!
TRNN was on the ground in New York City on election day speaking to voters.
therealnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:01 PM
The mainstream media said voters wouldn’t go for Mamdani and they said “socialism won’t sell.” But on the streets of New York, people were done listening to conventional wisdom.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
“In 2024 alone, 277 people died in Alabama prisons” Dakarai Larriett, US Senate candidate in Alabama, says. “Building mega-prisons, naming one after governor Kay Ivy, is not the solution.”
Why more mega-prisons won’t fix Alabama’s crisis
“In 2024 alone, 277 people died in Alabama prisons” Dakarai Larriett, US Senate candidate in Alabama, says. “Building mega-prisons, naming one after governor Kay Ivy, is not the solution.”
therealnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
“In 2024 alone, 277 people died in Alabama prisons” Dakarai Larriett, US Senate candidate in Alabama, says. “Building mega-prisons, naming one after governor Kay Ivy, is not the solution.”
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
‘The Peculiar Patriot’ Takes Baltimore Audiences Behind the Wall baltimorebeat.com/the-peculiar...
October 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
‘The Peculiar Patriot’ Takes Baltimore Audiences Behind the Wall baltimorebeat.com/the-peculiar...
In the latest Rattling the Bars, Natalie Cadena of @gravelandgrit.bsky.social discusses the coalition—farmers, teachers, Indigenous groups, and local sheriff—working to stop an Arkansas mega-prison. Plus, Bolts’ @laurengill.bsky.social challenges the myth that rural prisons boost local economies.
“75% of [Franklin County] voted for Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And I have people who are telling me, ‘I never really thought about incarceration before,’” but now “‘I’m finding out more about how incarceration works, [and] I’m really starting to question the way that the state locks so many people up.”
Rural America wants to break its economic addiction to prisons
“75% of [Franklin County] voted for Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And I have people who are telling me, ‘I never really thought about incarceration before,’” but now “‘I'm finding out more about how incarce...
therealnews.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:56 PM
In the latest Rattling the Bars, Natalie Cadena of @gravelandgrit.bsky.social discusses the coalition—farmers, teachers, Indigenous groups, and local sheriff—working to stop an Arkansas mega-prison. Plus, Bolts’ @laurengill.bsky.social challenges the myth that rural prisons boost local economies.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
20% of formerly incarcerated people experience food insecurity – 2x higher than the general population, with even higher rates among formerly incarcerated women & Black individuals
Pausing SNAP has life-threatening consequences for vulnerable populations
Pausing SNAP has life-threatening consequences for vulnerable populations
SNAP benefits to halt in some states amid government shutdown
SNAP serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans.
abcnews.go.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
20% of formerly incarcerated people experience food insecurity – 2x higher than the general population, with even higher rates among formerly incarcerated women & Black individuals
Pausing SNAP has life-threatening consequences for vulnerable populations
Pausing SNAP has life-threatening consequences for vulnerable populations
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
“Don’t be afraid to fight back when you think that you’ve been wronged by the prison system because it’s so important that more of us are doing this so that they’re held accountable just like they expect our loved ones to be held accountable.”
Nebraska inmate punished for speaking on wife’s podcast
"Don't be afraid to fight back when you think that you've been wronged by the prison system because it's so important that more of us are doing this so that they're held accountable just like they exp...
therealnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:24 PM
“Don’t be afraid to fight back when you think that you’ve been wronged by the prison system because it’s so important that more of us are doing this so that they’re held accountable just like they expect our loved ones to be held accountable.”
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
“We felt that there was a need for this organization because we didn’t see anywhere to go where someone could understand and could feel our pain with the loss of our children”
Their kids were all killed by police. Now, they’re leading a movement
“We felt that there was a need for this organization because we didn't see anywhere to go where someone could understand and could feel our pain with the loss of our children”
therealnews.com
October 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM
“We felt that there was a need for this organization because we didn’t see anywhere to go where someone could understand and could feel our pain with the loss of our children”
On George Floyd’s birthday, Tuesday, October 14th, the Coalition of Concerned Mothers and families of police violence victims rallied in D.C. to demand justice and accountability.
October 17, 2025 at 2:11 AM
On George Floyd’s birthday, Tuesday, October 14th, the Coalition of Concerned Mothers and families of police violence victims rallied in D.C. to demand justice and accountability.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
If the court dismantles Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and allows overtly racist gerrymanders, one report estimates that Republicans will be virtually guaranteed an additional 19 seats in the 2026 midterms.
Case before Supreme Court could destroy Voting Rights Act and cement GOP control of House ‘for at least a generation’
If the court dismantles Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and allows overtly racist gerrymanders, one report estimates that Republicans will be virtually guaranteed an additional 19 seats in the 2026...
therealnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:40 PM
If the court dismantles Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and allows overtly racist gerrymanders, one report estimates that Republicans will be virtually guaranteed an additional 19 seats in the 2026 midterms.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
“This is the same company that had policies allowing for chatbots to have ‘sensual’ conversations with kids, but discussing local law enforcement among neighbors is a bridge too far, huh?”
Siding with Trump, Facebook suspends Chicago community group issuing ICE alerts
“This is the same company that had policies allowing for chatbots to have ‘sensual’ conversations with kids, but discussing local law enforcement among neighbors is a bridge too far, huh?”
therealnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
“This is the same company that had policies allowing for chatbots to have ‘sensual’ conversations with kids, but discussing local law enforcement among neighbors is a bridge too far, huh?”
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
New from me at @therealnews.com: I am reporting from the ICE demonstration in Portland as federal officers escalate violence against demonstrators, and the threat of national guard troops could ignite the mass demonstrations.
therealnews.com/violence-at-...
therealnews.com/violence-at-...
Violence at Portland’s ICE facility is coming from one side: the officers
“People of all ages showed up on Sunday, some of which had a small picket line going, others blowing bubbles and using their voices to condemn [law enforcement’s] behavior. But it doesn’t matter what ...
therealnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 2:20 AM
New from me at @therealnews.com: I am reporting from the ICE demonstration in Portland as federal officers escalate violence against demonstrators, and the threat of national guard troops could ignite the mass demonstrations.
therealnews.com/violence-at-...
therealnews.com/violence-at-...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
The results are in! The Marc Steiner Show and Stories of Resistance with host @undertheshadow.bsky.social, have each won Gold in the 2025 Signal Awards.
We won!
The results are in! The Marc Steiner Show and Stories of Resistance have each won Gold in the 2025 Signal Awards.
therealnews.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The results are in! The Marc Steiner Show and Stories of Resistance with host @undertheshadow.bsky.social, have each won Gold in the 2025 Signal Awards.
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Watch the trailer for “The Beat Goes On: The Story of Baltimore Beat”
baltimorebeat.com/trailer-the-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkl4...
baltimorebeat.com/trailer-the-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkl4...
October 15, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Watch the trailer for “The Beat Goes On: The Story of Baltimore Beat”
baltimorebeat.com/trailer-the-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkl4...
baltimorebeat.com/trailer-the-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkl4...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
Ultimately, as a result of the judge's ruling, the thousands of people in Louisiana who may have been imprisoned past their release dates can proceed as a group – rather than having to file thousands of individual lawsuits.
Read more on this important win here: promiseofjustice.org/news/louisia...
Read more on this important win here: promiseofjustice.org/news/louisia...
Court Rules That Thousands of People Imprisoned by Louisiana Past Their Release Dates May Sue as a Class Action — The Promise of Justice Initiative
Baton Rouge, LA, September 25, 2025 – This week, a Baton Rouge federal judge took a major step in the long-running litigation about “overdetention” – a term referring to the constitutional viola...
promiseofjustice.org
October 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Ultimately, as a result of the judge's ruling, the thousands of people in Louisiana who may have been imprisoned past their release dates can proceed as a group – rather than having to file thousands of individual lawsuits.
Read more on this important win here: promiseofjustice.org/news/louisia...
Read more on this important win here: promiseofjustice.org/news/louisia...
Reposted by Rattling the Bars
In late September, a Baton Rouge federal judge took a major step in the long-running litigation about “overdetention" or when an incarcerated person is held in prison past the end of their legal release date.
October 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
In late September, a Baton Rouge federal judge took a major step in the long-running litigation about “overdetention" or when an incarcerated person is held in prison past the end of their legal release date.