#CLOSEmsdf Second Anniversary Event
Saturday, July 13, 3pm – 7pm
St Benedict the Moor
1015 North 9th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
We will gather for food and fellowship, hear testimonies from national and local leaders.
Our keynote speaker this year is Phal Sok of the Youth Justice Coalition and Justice LA.Phal came to the States as an infant child of Cambodian refugees. At 16, his father passed away and he became parentless. The school system soon pushed him out and left him without resources. He ended up in the streets, taken into the juvenile justice system, and tried as an adult.
After 16 years inside, he became one of the first and few to benefit from legislative changes and won early release. But as an immigrant, he was taken into immigration custody and forced to navigate the system without an attorney. After nearly a year of detention, he was finally released, only to be taken back in for final deportation just four months later. He again managed his return to the community; uncertain of his future, he became a leader, fighting for the marginalized, pushing his experience as a tool for those most criminalized to build a better tomorrow for all.
Through his work, the community, and many elected officials’ support, he was pardoned by Governor Brown, closing his deportation case. Today, he continues to organize with the Youth Justice Coalition and Justice LA bringing truth to the human effects of mass incarceration and mass deportation.
Join us this Saturday to hear Phal’s story, engage with our panel of local leaders, and to take part in our march to MSDF and Aurora Sinai as we honor the eighteen lives lost inside MSDF.
We can’t wait to see you there.
Best,
The #CLOSEmsdf Team, CLOSEmsdf
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 