Vidal’s speaking topics include the following :
Solitary Confinement : "I know people who go into solitary confinement and don't come back in the same form as they went in," Guzman said. "I still have memory loss, a lot of my coworkers know when I ask them something or forgot something it's not because I don't remember it's because of what solitary confinement has done to me."
Vidal’s quoted in the Patch article “Protesters Demand End To Solitary Confinement In City Jails “
Homelessness : “We slept under a staircase in Washington Heights; her arms wrapped around me. I was only 5, but I remember the noises my mother’s stomach made when she would skip a meal just so I could eat. In those days, she would take me to school and we would share my breakfast. She made sure I had perfect attendance.”
Vidal’s op-ed “SNAP is a dignified lifeline worth preserving “ appeared in AM New York Newspaper.
Gang Culture : Vidal Guzman was a former Bloods , Vidal believe Gang raids and sending people to jail – where someone is actually more exposed to gang life – fuels mistrust in the community and make things worse. For example, someone who has been put through the criminal justice system has a harder time finding employment/housing when they come home, making it much more likely that they'll go back to the streets for survival. Police and media demonize gangs w/ no understanding of social factors (poverty, criminalization, violence) that lead some people to join gangs. How can you try to deal with an issue that you don't fully understand?
Ending Mass incarceration : Vidal is a part of the campaign called #CLOSErikers campaign since it first started in 2016 . On October 21, the New York City council voted to close Rikers Island by the year 2026 . The City Council voted in favor of shrinking New York City’s jail capacity by 75%, demolishing 12 jails & establishing four replacement facilities with improved conditions for anyone who is still detained, and making a set of investments in mental health care, alternatives to incarceration, housing, and violence prevention that responded to parts of the #buildCOMMUNITIES Demands . A #buildCOMMUNITIES platform that he was apart of creating the platform .
