Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN

06/17/2026

Two Minnesota inmates just pulled off something no one else has...

For the first time in U.S. history, two incarcerated students have earned law degrees from an American Bar Association-accredited law school while still serving their sentences at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee.

CC for the full story

06/16/2026

🚨 COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND PRESS CONFERENCE 🚨

This Wednesday, June 17th, The Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-Sentenced Families Council-MN and The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice will be holding a community discussion and press conference addressing the acquittal in the killing of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, the conviction and appeal of Karmelo Anthony, the reversal of convictions connected to the death of Elijah McClain, and the urgent need for continued organizing ahead of the Juneteenth National Day of Action. ✊🏾

Recent events have once again placed the humanity of Black people on trial.

We witnessed the acquittal in the killing of Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a Black teenager whose life was taken after allegations involving bottles of water. We witnessed the conviction and sentencing of Karmelo Anthony, who at just 19 years old, is still a teenager. His case serves as another reminder that Black youth are too often denied the presumption of innocence, compassion, and humanity that others receive. At the same time, we witnessed the reversal of homicide convictions connected to the death of Elijah McClain, a development that came only because communities refused to stop demanding accountability and justice.

These cases force us to confront the same question:

Why must Black communities constantly fight to prove our humanity?

📢 Black children deserve to live.
📢 Black youth deserve fairness.
📢 Black families deserve justice.
📢 Black communities deserve safety, dignity, and self-determination.

Come bring your voice, your signs, your energy, and your solidarity. 🖤

✊🏾 Join us.
🗣 Help us demand justice and accountability for Cyrus Carmack-Belton, Karmelo Anthony, Elijah McClain, and all Black youth.

06/11/2026

The verdict in the Karmelo Anthony case has sparked strong reactions across the country, and regardless of where people stand, one thing remains true: every person deserves a fair trial, due process, and equal treatment under the law.

As an organization that advocates for the wrongfully incarcerated and over-sentenced, we know all too well that justice in America is not always applied equally. We have seen firsthand how race, resources, media narratives, and public pressure can influence outcomes in ways that leave communities questioning whether justice was truly served.

This moment should challenge all of us to look beyond headlines and ask deeper questions about accountability, fairness, sentencing, and the systems that decide who receives mercy and who receives punishment.

We continue to stand for truth, transparency, and equal justice under the law. Our hearts remain with everyone impacted by this tragedy, and we encourage people to stay informed, think critically, and remain engaged in the pursuit of a justice system that serves all people equally💯

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06/10/2026

✉️💌 LETTERS FOR LIBERATION SUMMER CYCLE 💌✉️

Swipe through to meet some of our incarcerated friends participating in this cycle of Letters for Liberation.

Behind every DOC number is a human being. A son. A daughter. A parent. A sibling. A friend. Someone with dreams, talents, hopes, and a story that deserves to be heard.

One letter may seem small, but for someone living behind prison walls, it can mean everything. A letter reminds people that they are not forgotten, that their community still cares, and that they still matter.

And here’s the thing, you don’t have to wait for our next letter-writing cycle to reach out. We encourage you to write whenever you can. Liberation is a practice, and building community with incarcerated people is part of that practice.

The prison system relies on isolation. We rely on connection.

Take a few minutes. Introduce yourself. Share about your day. Ask a question. Send encouragement. Let someone know they are seen.

If you’d like to be connected with one of our incarcerated friends, send us a message and we’ll help you get started.

📬 Write a letter.
🖤 Build community.
✊🏾 Practice liberation.

Because our community doesn’t end at prison walls.

06/03/2026

✊🏾 Last week, members of WIAOFC-MN showed up at the DFL Convention loud, visible, and determined to speak truth to power.

We didn’t come to play politics. We came to remind delegates exactly who Amy Klobuchar is and the legacy she left behind as Hennepin County Attorney.

For impacted families like mine, her record isn’t just history, it’s something we continue to live with every single day.

As Hennepin County Attorney, Amy Klobuchar helped oversee a system that aggressively prosecuted Black and Brown youth, pursued extreme sentences, and contributed to the mass incarceration crisis that continues to devastate our communities. Families are still separated. Loved ones are still behind bars. Entire generations are still living with the consequences.

My fiancé, Cornelius Jackson, was just 19 years old when he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Twenty years later, our family is still fighting for justice. We are still fighting to bring him home.

While many delegates celebrated and campaigned, we stood outside reminding people that political power comes with accountability. We carried signs, shared stories, challenged elected officials, and made sure impacted families had a voice in a space that often excludes us.

We refuse to allow the pain of our communities to be erased. We refuse to stay silent while politicians seek higher office without ever addressing the harm they caused.

Whether people agreed with us or not, they heard us.

The fight for justice doesn’t stop at a convention. It doesn’t stop at an election. It continues every day that innocent and over-sentenced people remain behind prison walls.

Thank you to everyone who stood with us, amplified our message, and helped ensure the voices of impacted families were present.

📸🎥 Photos and videos from our time at the convention below.

06/03/2026

We are proud to announce an exciting new educational series in partnership with The Legal Revolution! This summer, we are providing a series of three educational events for families who seeking support and guidance in pursuing commutation for their incarcerated loved ones. These events are FREE and open to the public. Legal experts will be available to provide education, resources, and support with getting started with the commutation process. Childcare provided. Please register in advance using the QR code or bit.ly/commutationclinic

💚 Session One: Commutation 101
🗓️ Saturday June 20th 1-3pm at Webber Park Library

💛 Session Two: Getting Started with the Application
🗓️ Saturday July 11th 1-3pm at Lucy Parson’s Center

❤️ Session Three: Application Writing Workshop with legal experts available
🗓️ Saturday July 25th 1-3pm at Lucy Parsons Center

06/01/2026

✉️🖤 LETTERS FOR LIBERATION IS BACK! 🖤✉️

The next cycle of Letters for Liberation is officially underway, and we’re looking for community members who want to help remind our incarcerated loved ones that they are not forgotten.

Too often, people behind prison walls are reduced to a DOC number instead of being seen as the human beings they are. Through Letters for Liberation, we work to break that isolation by building meaningful connections, sharing stories, and reminding people that their lives matter.

This project is about more than writing letters. It’s about restoring humanity, building community, and creating opportunities for people inside to share their experiences, dreams, challenges, and hopes with the outside world.

Whether someone has been incarcerated for months or decades, everyone deserves to know that people care.

💌 Want to become a letter writer?
💌 Interested in supporting an incarcerated loved one?
💌 Looking to learn more about the realities of incarceration and how you can help?

Join us for this next cycle and help us build bridges of solidarity, compassion, and liberation.

Because nobody should be forgotten behind prison walls.

CommunityCare Solidarity JusticeForAll LiberationForAll ✊🏾🖤

05/30/2026

🚨✊🏾 THURSDAY’S BANNER DROP WAS MORE THAN A DEMONSTRATION, IT WAS A DECLARATION. ✊🏾🚨

This past Thursday, community members, family, friends, and supporters gathered on the Washington Avenue Bridge to mark a painful milestone: 20 years since Cornelius Jackson was taken from his family and community.

For two decades, Cornelius has lived behind prison walls. Twenty years of missed birthdays. Twenty years of missed holidays. Twenty years of watching loved ones grow older from a prison cell. Twenty years that can never be returned.

Our banner drop was significant because it reminded Minnesota that Cornelius is not forgotten.

Thousands of people traveling below saw our message. They saw his name. They saw our demand for justice. They saw a community refusing to be silent.

We stood there not only for Cornelius, but for every person who has been wrongfully incarcerated, over-sentenced, or buried beneath a system that too often values convictions over truth and punishment over humanity.

As Cornelius begins his 21st year behind bars, we renew our commitment to fighting for his freedom. We will continue organizing. We will continue educating. We will continue applying pressure. And we will continue showing up until justice is done.

Thank you to everyone who came out, held banners, shared posts, honked horns, raised their voices, and stood in solidarity. Every action matters.

20 years is too long.

Still human. Still worthy. Still deserving of freedom.

05/27/2026

Congratulations Marvin🫶🏾

In the largest award of its kind under a relatively new state law, a former Minnesota prison inmate will receive $4.5 million dollars from the state under the “Imprisonment and Exoneration Remedies Act.” - Amy Klobuchar WE DEMAND YOU APOLOGIZE AND YOU PREVENT THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN‼️ WE DEMAND YOU WORK WITH OUR PRISON REFORM COALITION AND FIX OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM TO STOP MASS INCARCERATION‼️