Andres Pacificar, C.A.R.E. Coordinator
Pronouns: He / Him
Andres Pacificar is a recipient of The Forward Promise Fellowship for Leaders, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Prior to joining the Freedom Project team, Andres did community work throughout the Puget Sound area, and with Alive & Free, an Accelerator YMCA program that builds meaningful relationships with youth involved in gangs, violence and the juvenile justice system. Andres brings a growth mindset to his work with youth and their families each day. He demonstrates this by approaching each youth with an open mind and open heart, led by a passion to support them reaching their goals. Using personal experience, strong ties to the local community, and extensive training, Andres helps build a web of support to surround youth and support youth in identifying goals, such as engagement in education and employment, and overcoming the barriers to achieving these goals.
“Using my past traumatic experience, I lend tools of healing to the young men of color in my community. I provide meaningful support by meeting these youth where they’re at both emotionally and in life, and sharing my experience of when I was in their place. For many of these young men, it is the first time they have had this kind of support from an adult who truly understands the complexity of their lives and who truly believes in their potential.”
Aretha Sconiers, C.A.R.E. Coordinator and Operations Director, Freedom Project East
Pronouns:
Demarques McArthur, C.A.R.E. Coordinator
Pronouns: He/Him
introduction coming soon
Dyneeca Vincent, Advocacy Director
Pronouns: She / Her
As a community organizer, Dyneeca seeks to dismantle the Prison Industrial Complex. She actively participates in community outreach, resentencing hearings, pre-trial procedures, and advocates for legislation and sentencing reform. Dyneeca engages in a range of community advocacy activities, including Kids Are Kids, which fights for youth facing adult sentences. She also serves on the Pretrial Committee, where she offers opinions on procedures that may be harmful to people awaiting trial. She contributed to Seattle’s Cannabis Reform policy that was signed into law in 2022. She organizes directly with incarcerated leaders daily, and is committed to centering their voices in every space she is in.
Felicia Dixon, Legal Resource Director
Pronouns: She / Her
Felicia is the Legal Resources Coordinator for the Beyond the Blindfold of Justice Project at Freedom Project. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Sociology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Felicia is passionate about assisting others with the barriers they face in relation to incarceration, marginalization, and oppression. As an indigenous woman, she seeks to dismantle the harm caused by generational trauma and systems of colonialism. Felicia was incarcerated at the age of 18 and served a 16.5-year sentence. She utilizes her lived experience to support justice impacted individuals in accessing resources to assist in legal aid.
Franklyn Smith, Director, Community Resources
Pronouns: He / Him
Jermal Joe, C.A.R.E. Coordinator, Freedom Project East
Pronouns: He / Him
Meet Jermal Joe, our talented and passionate C.A.R.E. Coordinator at Freedom Project East. Jermal is based in Spokane, Washington and serves as our ambassador for the greater Eastern Washington region. Born and raised in Yakima, Washington, Jermal comes from a large family and proudly holds the role of eldest male grandchild. He is a natural born leader with a nurturing personality, showcasing exceptional talent in various sports. In his early teen years, Jermal gained significant recognition for his basketball skills, even starting as a freshman for his high school team.
However, at the age of 14, he made a regrettable mistake by co-founding a gang, leading to a downward spiral in his life. Tragically, Jermal took the life of another teenager, resulting in a prison sentence of 31 years and 8 months. Throughout most of his incarceration, he lacked accountability and ownership. It was during his pursuit of an associate’s degree in arts that Jermal participated in a debate class and discovered the concept of restorative justice. This pivotal moment marked a turning point in his maturity, as he embarked on a journey to repair the harm he had caused. Despite the severity of his crime, Jermal’s youthfulness prompted an early release, and since then, he has dedicated himself to healing those directly impacted by mass incarceration. For inquiries or to connect with Jermal, please email.
Joanie Fuller, Data & Logistics Manager
Pronouns: She / Her
Karen Chung, Ed D, Operations Director
Pronouns: She / Her
Karen developed a passion for prison abolition and advocacy for justice-impacted people after facing a conviction and serving time in Minnesota. Karen has a background as a mental health therapist and hold a PhD in Education, completing her dissertation on how peer mentorship aids in re-entry for justice-impacted women. Additionally, Karen works to support equitable employment for impacted people with Weld, as well as working with Washington Voices to support the humanity of those facing sex offense convictions.
