My name is Eisha Love and I am a 26-year-old transgender woman of color.
In March of 2012 I began a journey of judicial, physical and mental abuse by the criminal justice system when I was arrested and kept in Chicago Cook County Jail’s all-male Division 9 for nearly four years without a trial. They are four years I will never get back again.
The Chicago newspaper Windy City Times covered my story which you can read about here. [More links here.]
I was finally released on December 16, 2015 after a campaign by social justice advocacy groups.
I have since been trying to put my life back together again. I am in temporary housing and actively looking for a job. My long-term goal is to speak out for and help any people of color who find themselves attacked by institutional racism and a culture of confinement which is unjust and nothing more than violent torture.
However, I need help to get back on my feet. The clothes I had back in 2012 no longer fit me. I will need more, particularly interview suits. I need to be able to buy a laptop so I can create a resume and engage in online job training. I need to be able to pay my phone bill every month until I can find work.
I am not looking for a hand-out or an easy ride because of what I went through. I learned to be a fighter during my experience and I will fight for a better life, not only for me, but for all of those people who are unjustly imprisoned. I will vindicate the faith of those people who campaigned for my release and in all of you who give to my campaign.
If there are any schools or colleges that would like to hear me speak on my own story or the criminalization of self-defense that is responsible for the mass incarceration of already vulnerable communities or if you have any questions, please email me at eishalove26@email.com
With all my heart I want to thank you. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me!
Eisha Love
