The February 19, 2023 Episode of Mic Check was In Memory of Donny Simmons and Sade Billie, who both tragically passed away early this year.

This program revisits host Mike Merli's December 16, 2018 conversation with Donny and Sade about their work with the Housing Not Jails Collective in New Haven. The version of that conversation here is lightly edited, and includes the introduction from last night (Sunday February 19, 2023).

Housing Not Jails was an initiative under the Connecticut Bail Fund that was led by homeless / unhoused folks in the community. They organized, strategized, mobilized, and drafted policy proposals. They held rallies and press conferences, spoke out, and fought for their rights and the rights of everyone experiencing homelessness.

Donny and Sade were two of the lead organizers with Housing Not Jails. They loved each other, and they loved their people. They fought hard against criminalization, profiling, and constant police harassment, while organizing for the homeless community in New Haven to be treated with dignity, respect, and equal access to housing, healthcare, and the right to vote.

Sade passed away on January 27, and Donny passed away several days ago.

Sade's mother has a GoFundMe page still active, where donations can be made to her family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-sade-billie

It was an honor to be in conversation with Sade and Donny that night on the radio, and to hold space for them to share their stories as they spoke powerfully about their lives, experiences, and the organizing work they were engaged in as unhoused community members in New Haven.

Below are links to articles from 2018 that touched on the work that Sade, Donny, and the rest of the Housing Not Jails Collective were engaged in:

https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/Anti-homelessness-advocates-demand-New-Haven-take-13473396.php

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/homeless_rights

https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/housing_activists_demand_task_force_listen_up

Below is a link to a WNPR / CT Public radio interview with Sade and Donny from 2020 about the impact of loitering laws on unhoused folks in our communities in Connecticut:

https://www.ctpublic.org/politics/2020-03-06/pmja-2020-loitering-laws-hit-connecticuts-most-vulnerable-residents

The original interview can be found here:

https://soundcloud.com/wpkn895/mic-check-12-16-18-donny-and-sade-housing-not-jails-collective

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