Ronald "Shaka" Howard is a former crack cocaine addict who spent 25 years in the California Department of Corrections. During an altercation with another inmate, Shaka was shot by prison guards and lost his leg. Released after 25 years, Shaka is today trying to rebuild his life and treat the ongoing PTSD he suffers as a result of the shooting. His interview reflects a profound understanding of the penal system, and the wisdom of a man who has learned from his mistakes.

Lynda Adams is the wife of Ken Adams (TENP #26), and like him, has battled an addiction to crack cocaine for over 30 years. She has spent her entire life surrounded by drugs and violence. Through a conversation with Director Charles Shaw, Lynda shares her powerful story with The Exile Nation Project.

Ken Adams of Oakland, CA has spent the last 30 years battling an addiction to crack cocaine. He has served a total of 12 years for drug related offenses. He has also spent the last 20 years advocating for the homeless as the co-founder of the San Francisco homeless newspaper, "The Street Sheet," and as a spokesperson for Harmonic Humanity. When we caught up with Ken in the Summer of 2010, he had just completed 90 days clean and sober.

The city of Oakland in California has become the militant heart of the occupations movement in the US following a brutal police crackdown. Alex Andrews for openDemocracy talks to Brad Johnson, an activist who lives and works in Oakland, about the events there, the general strike called by the occupation and the prospects of the movement internationally.