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Ep 325 - One Million Experiments Part 15: Philadelphia Community Bail Fund with Candace McKinley

·1 hr 1 min·5 clips
Larry Krasner threw a bail report across the table, showing data won't change the system.
The episode begins with hosts KISS and Eva Nagao introducing Candace McKinley of the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. McKinley explains the fund started in May 2017 as part of National Mamas Bailout Day, aiming to end cash bail in Philadelphia. She describes the initial hypothesis: that demonstrating people return to court after bail would convince lawmakers to change the system. After bailing out 890 people and spending $7 million, little changed, leading to a shift in theory of change. McKinley recounts meetings with progressive prosecutor Larry Krasner, where data on bail practices was ignored, highlighting the limits of reformist approaches. She details how cash bail is set unaffordably high in Philadelphia, causing job loss, housing instability, and family separation. McKinley explains cash bail is often weaponized in interpersonal conflicts, increasing intracommunal harm. The fund took a hiatus to reassess strategy, moving from service provision to power-building and leadership development. She discusses burnout post-George Floyd, when donations surged but volunteer capacity strained, leading to internal conflict. McKinley reflects on the Atlanta Solidarity Fund RICO case, realizing bail funds face real government repression. She advises new bail funds to research local rules, start small, and connect with the National Bail Fund Network. McKinley concludes that bail funds help people believe a different world is possible, offering a revolutionary vision of care. The hosts encourage listeners to support local bail funds and share resources from Interrupting Criminalization.

As heard by us

A clear, searching conversation on bail fund work, urgent need, and abolitionist strategy.

A guest from the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund brings the pressure point of abolitionist organizing into focus: immediate aid can change the terms of someone's day while still raising hard questions about the direction of the work.

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Why you'd press play

Want to hear how a community bail fund thinks beyond release toward leadership and abolition?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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