Juneteenth is about recognizing how long the road to freedom really is More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln declared “all persons held as slaves…forever free,” with the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation, white Texans continued to hold Black people in chattel slavery. There was no Twitter, no internet, not even telephones, and most enslaved Black…

Dear LARRP Family, As we move into April, Second Chance Month, I’ve been thinking a lot about what that really means-and what it’s meant in my own life. A lot of you know my story. I spent years cycling through homelessness and incarceration-many of those nights on Skid Row, some behind bars. I was stuck…

As I reflect on LARRP’s journey, I am filled with gratitude for the collective dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment of our network. Over the years, we have stood together to address the complex challenges faced by justice-impacted individuals in Los Angeles County-amplifying voices too often silenced and building pathways toward equity, opportunity, and healing. In…

Receiving the Champion of Justice Award at the 4th Annual Reentry Summit hosted by Ronnie’s House was truly an honor that made me reflect deeply on our journey with the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership (LARRP). The event brought together so many incredible organizations, all working towards the same goal of justice and equity in…

“Everything was just starting to hit me, like all the pain, fear, and hurt that I imposed on people’s lives was hitting me. I felt like every single person that I ever hurt in my life was right there in front of me, facing me.” The meeting began as all of our meetings do with…

By Lynne Elena Lyman, LARRP Cofounder and Seeting Committee Member Over the past decade we have seen, and indeed we have helped to usher in, a massive network of resources and services for people returning from incarceration and living with criminal records—our beloved reentry community. For those who may be newer to this work and…

Can you believe we’ve hit the 100th General Meeting milestone? It feels like just yesterday when we started these gatherings…13 years ago, in an effort to convene and organize the reentry community to better serve our loved ones coming home. Every month, since August 2011, whether in person or online, an average of 100 reentry advocates…

Letter from Troy Vaughn It is with a heavy heart that we reflect on the many Angelenos who have died in LA County jails already this year, most before they were convicted or sentenced for a crime. As Vera Institute’s Michelle Paris shared in her August 4th LAT Oped on this tragedy, “Most of the…

As I sit in my study to write this month’s executive statement for the newsletter, my mind and heart is moved to speak about the probation reform that is still needed in our county. On June 16th we will celebrate Juneteenth in this nation, and that’s a good thing. I think about the fact that…

2-1-1 is the number that over 400,000 people in Los Angeles County call every year when looking for food, shelter, and other crisis and disaster services including during the ongoing COVID pandemic when calls for assistance nearly doubled. 211 LA is the non-profit organization that has provided this 24/7 helpline service since 1981 when it…