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Photojournalist and emerging filmmaker, Lyric Cabral, produced this video for, The Game Changers Project, profiling the work of Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Founder of www.allthingsharlem.com. 

The Game Changers Project -  "The school-to-prison pipeline? I've lived it. Prisons? I've been there. Racial profiling? I've lived it." Meet Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Harlem's own. We sent our NYC-based GCP Fellow Lyric Cabral to capture the story of this well-known game changer. In a past life, he was known for his business partnership with the famed Harlem hustler Nicky Barnes, but these days the 71 year-old Hayden, a longtime Harlem community activist, films stop-and-frisks and then posts the videos to the Internet as part of his Copwatch program. His story is amazing! 

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Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Founder of allthingsharlem.com, speaks about the issues of mass incarceration at this Tedx Talk.  

TEDx Talks -   This talk was given at TEDxColumbiaCollege in November of 2012 at Columbia University in New York City.  In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

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Did you know that New York City students are being criminalized for being late to school?  This process takes place when the NYPD sets up checkpoints at subway exits that are in close proximity to public schools.  They stop the students and ask them a series of personal questions and record that information.  This video took place in Harlem, NY at the 135th street station. 

Below are a few questions we had and posed in the video.  Let us know what your thoughts and feelings are on this NYPD practice.  Share your thoughts in the comments section or twitter #schooltoprisonpipeline.

Why are cops stopping students on their way to school when in all public schools there is an officer at the front desk?

This stop took about 10 minutes. Doesn't this practice make students later for school?

Could these stops deter students  from attending on days that they are running late?

What is being done with the information collected by the NYPD?

How do parents feel about their children being stopped and questioned without their consent?

Are these students commuting by train because there isn't a good school in their neighborhood?

One of the most disturbing parts of this video is that the students appear unfazed. These police abuses have become Normalized. But this is not normal!

If young suburban students were stopped by police on their way to school you would likely see fear and tears in their eyes. Followed up by outrage from parents and the school board.

Jury selction began today in the trial against George Zimmerman who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.  He is facing second-degree murder charges.  All eyes will be on this trial we're hoping that the Martin familiy will get justice. 

Below is a video we shot during the Million Hoodie March for Trayvon Martin in New York City.  The energy of the group was strong that day and we need more of this unity.  The words of the speaker in the video(Brian Jones) continue to ring true.  The perception of black and brown men being criminals has pervaded our society.  The murder of Trayvon Martin is yet another tragic result of this.  From racial profiling and stop and frisk to mass incarceration and the school to prison pipeline the list of other negative results of this supported structural racism are too many. 

If you can stomach it, take a look through some of the comments in response to this video under the youtube link.  This video went viral with over 50,000 views and 900 comments.  A very large amount of the comments are blatantly racist and extremely nasty. Though racist comments are not rare to youtube it's important to note the number of varied authors of these comments.