A car door slams shut. Giggling and drunk, two college students request a ride to their dorm building. Long hours and late nights-that’s what Paul Peterson, 38, has grown accustomed to since starting his job as an Uber driver last year. But it’s better than sitting in a jail cell, which is what he did for seven years before his release in 2013. Peterson is one of millions of Americans with a criminal record. According to the U.S Department of Justice, 2.3 million Americans are currently behind bars. Re-entering society after prison comes with a myriad of challenges­. Ongoing legal battles and finding housing and work are among the most reported difficulties convicts face. Peterson is one of the many ex-cons who struggled to find a job after prison. “It was very difficult to find a job when I came home because I’m a convicted felon and a lot of people do background checks,” Peterson said. Lately, politicians and mainstream entertainment put a spotlight on prison reform, which has contributed to a larger discussion of America’s justice system. President Barack Obama visited a federal Oklahoma prison last month and discussed sentencing laws, rehabilitation programs and what can be done to create a smoother re-entry process. “My hope is that if we can keep on looking at the evidence, keep on looking at the facts, figure out what works, that we can start making a change,” Obama said. The popular Netflix television show,“Orange is the New Black,” is based on a memoir detailing one woman’s year-long stint in prison. The series became a spotlight for activism after Piper Kerman, author of the memoir, spoke out against job discrimination against ex-cons in an interview earlier this summer. Time behind bars for conspiracy to distribute narcotics left Peterson, like Kerman, reeling to find steady work when he re-entered society, he said. Uber gave him the second chance he needed. “I feel like Uber gave me the chance to provide for my family right now,” Peterson said. For seven years, Peterson bounced around federal prisons all over the country. He spent time in the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Fairton, N.J., the FCI in Ashland, Ky. and was released from the FCI in Cumberland, Md. in 2013. Peterson spent the past year driving for Uber and rubbing elbows with the dregs and elite of the District. The time he spent dealing drugs served as practice, he said. “[With] my background, I think I’m able to socialize and, like, basically deal with all walks of society,” he said. “The things that I did, as far as the drug selling, I sold drugs to the lowest forms to, there’s been times when I’m pretty sure the people I was selling drugs to could have been in the Senate or Congress.” Peterson hopes to open ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAp6cea9cM8

LIVE: Protesters at the White House demand the closure of Guantanamo Bay prison, which still contains unindicted detainees after 20 years of operation. Filmed by Ford Fischer ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieFACgSaxqY

Citing his experience as a Sheriff, Representative Troy Nehls told an audience "I believe Ashli Babbitt was murdered that day," during Tuesday's Congressional Field Hearing on January 6. "I know a little bit about use of force, and what disturbed me about that investigation into Lt. Byrd is that it never went to a grand jury." "That shooting should go to a grand jury, and that's my commitment to you," Rep Nehls said, addressing Ashli Babbitt's mother Micki Witthoeft in the audience. Filmed by Ford Fischer NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION Please contact Ford Fischer at fordfischer@news2share.com or call (573) 575-NEWS to license video. Photos and additional footage may be available upon request. Support News2Share on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FordFischer Special Thanks to Patreon Contributors Jessica M and Judith Lucca Shane See more at http://News2share.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UczBZsBm3Kk

Heather Hulon, sister of Anthony Hulon, expressed her intent to continue pressing forward with activism. Hulon, 54, died on April 11, 2020 in the Lansing jail after four Lansing Police Department officers pinned him on his stomach for several minutes while he was handcuffed. Heather Hulon gave a speech and spoke to News2Share's Ford Fischer at a rally in Lansing commemoratoing her brother and demanding justice one year later. "This right here is a start," she said. "I'm gonna keep fighting, fighting for my brother, fighting for everyone else." "Together we rise, together we change." "It's all of us," Heather Hulon told News2Share in an interview after the rally. "It affects everyone." "I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everybody coming out for us," she said. Given that charges are not being pressed against the officers involved, she added that justice would mean the officers involved at least being fired. "We don't want this to happen to somebody else," she said. As to broader police reform, she points to qualified immunity, a doctrine that shield police officers from individual civil liability when they may not reasonably know that their actions were illegal. "Retraining I don't think is really the answer. I mean yes, they need to be trained better, but they've been trained, that's their job," she added. "I think it really lies in changing the laws with qualified immunity, but to do that, it takes everybody to get out and vote." Filmed by Ford Fischer NO REUSE WITHOUT PERMISSION Please contact Ford Fischer at fordfischer@news2share.com or call (573) 575-NEWS to license video. Photos and additional footage may be available upon request. Support News2Share on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FordFischer Special Thanks to Patreon Contributors Ardel David, Dustin Gagne, and Emily Molli See more at http://News2share.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4C6YnWMMo