Julieta Martinelli
Appearances
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
In January, I meet up with Suave in Atlanta, where I live. Suave's in town to speak at a criminal justice reform conference. Over the last five years that I've been producing Suave, I've gone to Philly a lot, but we've never really hung out in my turf. So we are in front of a Waffle House right in front of Centennial Olympic Park.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And while he's in town, we've been invited to an artist showcase at the infamous Stanconia Studios. Suave seems really excited.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Stanconia is the most Atlanta of all Atlanta places. I mean, it's just this legendary studio where Outkast recorded a bunch of classics. Honestly, it's pretty iconic, Maria. Everyone from TLC to TI to Ludacris have recorded there.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Yeah, he was, you know. And anyway, so we decide to meet there. And that night, as I'm getting ready to head out, Suave just suddenly stops responding to all my phone calls.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And it turns out, he did go. But he was out of there so fast, and he just didn't know how to explain it to me. So he just ignored my calls. So I ask him why. I mean, like, what's up? What happened? We had all these plans, and then he just left me hanging.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And the thing is, you know, a lot of people in Atlanta carry a gun. It's kind of become normal for me. You know, open carry is legal here in Georgia. So I had never really considered that Suave might find it risky or even, like, upsetting until this moment.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And of course, he has to think about his lifetime parole.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
I mean, think about what he said about the guns. Before he went to prison, he used to be one of these guys, packing, talking bold, just fearless. You know how he is. But now he really can't be that way anymore. The risk is too big. So it's interesting and also even a little confusing. Suave has to live by all these rules, but he also pushes back on them regularly.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Suave, formerly one of the hardest guys on the block at Greaterford Prison, now a doting cat dad.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Later that day in Atlanta, Suave and I sit across from each other at the hotel lobby. He's wearing a cream hoodie with a pair of matching joggers, cream and mint green sneakers, and of course, a Yankees hat. And he tells me a story about a friend from inside who just got out of prison.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
He was able to work out a release without lifetime parole.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
But then the conversation went into some pretty interesting territory.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
You said he came home, he's not on parole. That's dangerous. That really caught my ear.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Oh, that's a loaded sentence. I want to talk a little more about that. Because we've been talking about, you know, how to get you off life in parole.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
So what if you had to come home without parole? Are you saying that you wouldn't be in, that you would be in a worse position? I'm really curious about this.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
For so long, Suave has talked about parole as something getting in the way of his ability to succeed and feeling truly free. Another hurdle, another tie to the past.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And you know, that's kind of a complicated concept for me to grasp in that moment. I have never heard you say this. This is really shocking for me.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
I have to ask you, is there a part of you that maybe fears getting off of lifetime parole? Let's be real.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
OK, so maybe fear is not the word, but is there a part of you that maybe feels like it's a little safer in this moment for now to stay on lifetime parole?
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Suave found a way to free himself from his cage, only to find himself trapped in a completely new one. As long as he's on parole, he'll never be able to just do what he wants, take a spontaneous trip, drive without looking over his shoulder, even take a little weed gummy for sleep. But what does it mean for Suave that this new cage is also kind of a safety net?
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Is total freedom what he really desires after all? All those years in a jail cell, many of them in solitary confinement. I mean, it has to change you pretty profoundly. And one of the hardest things for Suavez since getting out is navigating relationships.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Suavez's studio apartment is pretty tiny. But after decades in a small cell, Suavez says it felt kind of palatial when he moved in.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
That's next time on Suave. Suave. Suave is a production of Futuro Studios. To binge every episode of Suave Season 2 right now, plus exclusive bonus episodes, subscribe to Futuro Plus. The senior producer, reporter, and host is me, Julieta Martinelli. Our associate producer is Liliana Ruiz. We're edited by Marlon Bishop. Our production managers are Jessica Ellis and Nancy Trujillo.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Our post-production producer is Dan Riveros. Scoring and sound design by Stephanie LeBow. Mixing by Stephanie LeBow, Julia Caruso, and JJ Caruven. Our fact checker is Amy Tardif. Production help from Joaquin Kotler, Juan Diego Ramirez, Nicole Rothwell, Joey Del Valle, Evelyn Fajardo-Alvarez, Glorimar Marquez, and Tasha Sandoval.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Our executive producers are Mariano Josa, Luis Suave Gonzalez, Marlon Bishop, and Maria Garcia. Futuro Media was founded by Maria Hinojosa.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Special thanks to Maggie Freeling, Audrey Quinn, Antonia Serejido, Fernanda Echavarri, Neil Rossini, students at the I Am More program at the Community College of Philadelphia, the Abolitionist Law Center, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. Season 2 of Suave was made possible by the Mellon Foundation.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Mellon makes grants to support the visionaries and communities that unlock the power of the arts and humanities to help connect us all. More at Mellon.org. Season 2 of Suave was made possible in part by Public Welfare Foundation, catalyzing transformative approaches to justice that are community-led, restorative, and racially just.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Unlike a prison cell, though, there's a big fluffy bed here. Also, it's kind of Bella's bed. But after sleeping on a three-inch mattress over a metal slab for three decades, he can't really get comfortable on this bed.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
It turns out it's harder than it seems to break some prison habits.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
And Maria, you've offered him some advice that has helped you sleep.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
From Futuro Studios, this is Suave. I'm Julieta Martinelli. In 2017, David Luis Suave Gonzalez was released from prison after 31 years serving a life sentence without parole. He was one of thousands of juvenile lifers granted a second chance at life. This is his story about life after incarceration and the search for the true meaning of freedom. This is season two.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
You're right, because seven years out, Suave is still on parole. And he will be forever. And that's because he has lifetime parole.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Yeah, and he can be so nonchalant about it. I mean, but the reality still is that freedom is a privilege for Suave, and that privilege can be taken away pretty much for anything.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Right. So he's banned forever from visiting anyone in prison that he was incarcerated with, even if it's family.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Yeah, that means that even the most mundane of things that you and I never think of in our daily life can become really, really scary for Suave.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
It's a weekday, and Suave usually takes the SEPTA bus to get to work at Community College of Philadelphia. But today he's got so many errands, it's just not feasible to take the bus.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
It's a sunny day and Suave is riding in his gray Hyundai. He's wearing a gray suit with a black shirt underneath. He's sitting close to the wheel and he's holding it pretty tight.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
The anxiety is so bad that Suave ends up asking a friend to drive him home that night. But there is some hope for the future. Technically, there is some legal recourse that could allow Suave to get off of lifetime parole, even if it's kind of a long shot.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
Commutation just means that the remaining term of his sentence is completely forgiven. But it's not easy to get.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
The Board of Pardons doesn't state just how long after a conviction they'll consider a pardon. They just mention that they do consider the length of time.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
But a report by the Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, who work with clients that are going through this process, confirms that the majority of people who are successful have been out of prison for about five to 10 years, depending on the offense.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
It might be impossible, but maybe, just maybe, would that feel like true freedom?
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
But Suave doesn't always enjoy getting together with his prison friends. Part of it is parole, and it can be risky to be around people that are drinking or smoking weed around you. But that's not really it. It's because it can get complicated for him emotionally.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
After telling me that, Suavez sits with this thought for a minute. Then he backtracks. It's not about not wanting to see the guys.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
So former juvenile lifers like Suave, they're all on parole. But most people who go to prison, they're going for shorter terms. So they're actually coming out with a clean slate after their sentence. And many of Suave's prison buddies don't really have to worry about parole. After decades of supporting each other in prison, the roles that guide their lives are now very different.
Suave
Parole & The Pursuit of Happiness - Ep. 2
It sounds harsh. But I wonder, what does it feel like to know the people on the outside can't ever really understand how you feel? And then Suave's prison friends, who are supposed to understand, well, they're moving on themselves.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
One day in November, Maria and I come down to Philly to visit Suave. Suave is working with young people as a support coach of I Am More. That's a program for formerly incarcerated students at Community College of Philadelphia.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Being here just a few minutes, it's clear that Suave is that teacher. You know the one. He's got dozens of Jordans in all the colorways. He rocks a fly-ass suit with a Yankees cap to work.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So today we are at Suave's school and we're really trying to record a catch-up interview with Suave.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
But before we get there, let's start with happier times. We're standing outside Columbia University's historic Lowe Library in New York City. It's October 20th, 2022, and spirits are high. Most of the team behind the Suave podcast is here, including journalist Mariano Rosa.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Yeah. I mean, and now here you are in Philly sitting in his classroom and he's so excited for you to meet his students.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
But before you can really get into this further with Suave, his phone rings.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
I mean, it's, like, nonstop. Yeah, I mean, every 15 minutes, it just goes off.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So Suave later tells me that one of his jobs when he was in prison was actually working the ice cream at commissary, which he may or may not have skimmed a little to sell on the side. And now his friend Freddie has his old gig.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Nearly seven years out of prison, Suave is still deeply involved with the prison system. Maybe even more in new and different ways than he ever was before.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
That night, November 20th, 2023, we celebrate the anniversary of Suave's release from prison at Freddy and Tony's. It's this little Puerto Rican joint in North Philly, the neighborhood where Suave grew up. He has a virgin piña colada, mofongo, and a steak and cebollado.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
And Suave, a man who, for a long time, never imagined that he would ever leave a prison cell, let alone be here at the ceremony for the Pulitzer Prize.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Suave did the unthinkable. He beat a life sentence, but he's not yet free. Coming up on this season of Suave.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
I just don't want to see you back locked up, Suave. Like, that scares the fucking shit out of me. That's coming up on season two of Suave. Suave is a production of Futuro Studios. To binge every episode of Suave Season 2 right now, plus exclusive bonus episodes, subscribe to Futuro Plus. The senior producer, reporter, and host is me, Julieta Martinelli. Our associate producer is Liliana Ruiz.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
We walk up the iconic Columbia steps, through the doors, past statues of Zeus and Apollo. It feels like standing in a Greek temple. None of the other journalists here invited their sources to the ceremony. In a sea of black bow ties, Suave is rocking this bright blood red tie. One by one, the winners are announced. They called him suave, like the shampoo, but whatever.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
We're edited by Marlon Bishop. Our production managers are Jessica Ellis and Nancy Trujillo. Our post-production producer is Dan Riveros. Scoring and sound design by Stephanie LaValle. Mixing by Stephanie LaValle, Julia Caruso, and JJ Caruven. Our executive producers are Maria Hinojosa, Luis Suave Gonzalez, Marlon Bishop, and Maria Garcia. Futuro Media was founded by Mariano Rosa.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Special thanks to Maggie Freeling, Audrey Quinn, Antonia Serejido, Fernanda Echavarri, Neil Rossini, students at the I Am More program at the Community College of Philadelphia, the Abolitionist Law Center, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. Season 2 of Suave was made possible by the Mellon Foundation.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Mellon makes grants to support the visionaries and communities that unlock the power of the arts and humanities to help connect us all. More at Mellon.org. Season 2 of Suave was made possible in part by Public Welfare Foundation, catalyzing transformative approaches to justice that are community-led, restorative, and racially just.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
In case you're interested, here's a little more of the Mr. Pulitzer song we played earlier. It's performed by Suave's friend, Joey DeVille.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Hey, Suave listeners, it's Julieta here. Are you tired of waiting each week for new episodes to come out? Well, you can listen to the whole season of Suave right now, plus exclusive bonus episodes by joining Futuro Plus. And you'll be helping support the independent journalism that we do here at Futuro. Join now at futuromediagroup.org backslash join plus.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
On stage, we hold hands, and Suave holds the award. Suave decides immediately he's gonna be the one to keep it. After dinner, there's a reception. There's lots of very polite mingling happening over wine. Pretty boring, to be honest. So we sneak off outside for some fun of our own. Right on the Columbia steps, we sip on our drinks. Maybe even a little joint gets sparked.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
In this moment, everything is perfect. A man who was in prison for more than 30 years just won the highest award in journalism. That was the night that Mr. Pulitzer was born.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Mr. Pulitzer living his best life. It's happily ever after, right? From Futuro Studios, this is Suave. I'm Julieta Martinelli. In 2017, David Luis Suave Gonzalez was released from prison after 31 years serving a life sentence without parole. He was one of thousands of juvenile lifers granted a second chance at life.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
This is his story about life after incarceration and the search for the true meaning of freedom. This is season two. Maria, how are you?
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Yes, of course. So you are legendary journalist, Mariano Rosa, the host of Latino USA and the founder of Futuro Media.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Yeah. Hi, so I'm Julieta. I've been covering criminal justice pretty much all of my career. And I'm actually the co-producer of season one of Suaves. So I was always there in the background reporting and writing for the show. And you might have even heard me here and there in that season, most notably on episode six while running down the street. Like running. Threw me off.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Well, clearly he lives in that house. and we should hurry the fuck up and get out of here.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Yeah, and you know, I applied for the job to work on season one because the prison system has always been really real for me, right? It's always been a part of my life. I grew up around a lot of people that were affected by the carceral system. And, you know, one of the first memories I have is of my dad being accused of a crime.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
And my mom wanting to separate us from all of that and bringing us to the U.S. And here I was undocumented. I grew up in a community around a lot of undocumented people. So heavy police presence. You know, I've seen a lot of people lose their freedom. And I think that really taught me that people are very complex, that people can be good and do bad things.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
And I don't think that we're always telling the story about those gray areas, right? And so the story we're telling this season, it's a little different from last time.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
It's about the long shadow of prison, about the challenges that no one warns you about when you get out, and about how after spending the majority of his life locked up, freedom for Suave has not been everything he imagined it would be.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So, you know, Maria, when season one ended in 2021, Suave was focused on starting his new life in Philadelphia. And I think we could have stopped documenting there. I mean, we definitely thought about it, right?
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Early on in reporting, I asked Suave what he thought this season should be about. But as I've been thinking about writing season two, in season one, we ended with you really wanting like some stability, wanting to get a stable job, like a relationship. That's kind of where you were when we ended. I see you laughing and it's killing me.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So my question is... If I use this tape here in the episode one, what does Suave want to achieve in season two?
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
This is the voice of a man who's found himself at the end of his rope. A man who survived more than 30 years in a max security prison, got out, became successful, built what many would consider is a dream life. And now, seven years later, was risking it all.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
I think that the juvenile lifer decision is... The live podcast recordings are a big success.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
Yeah. And maybe it's fed into his tendency that he already has to be a little bit of a diva, for lack of a better word.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So Joey DeVille, a younger friend of Suave that he mentors, he told us a story about one of those moments that Suave had at a restaurant where they were eating.
Suave
Roses and Manure - Ep. 1
So what you're saying is, like, if a white man comes in and, like, doesn't like what he's being served, nobody's going to call him a diva for complaining?