And in New York City, prison reform activist Five Mualimm-ak has been released from jail after he and a fellow activist Joseph “Jazz” Hayden were arrested while attempting to mediate a police confrontation with a homeless man on Tuesday. The arrest came only moments after Mualimm-ak and Hayden left a book launch event, where Mualimm-ak had read his essay “Hell is a Very Small Place,” about his five years in solitary confinement. Mualimm-ak spoke after being released Wednesday night.

Five Mualimm-ak: “I have just been released after being incarcerated for a day or two, after a big event that we had at Soros Foundation. The other night, we had a big book launch, 'Hell is a Very Small Space,' with Solitary Watch and Soros Foundation, and when we came outside, Joseph 'Jazz' Hayden, who is the founder of Incarcerated Nation Corporation, our collective of projects, was videotaping an arrest of an emotionally disturbed person. And I felt committed because I’m on the mayor’s behavioral health task force, and we’ve created a system to basically avoid the occurrences that a person has going through the system. There’s a special way to treat people with emotional disturbances that was not being respected that night. Jazz being arrested, I stepped in, to not intervene but to try to mediate the problem, and was arrested, accosted, assaulted, as well, injured to the point that I’m getting medical attention. And we will be defending charges that are placed against us.”

To see our extended interview with Five Mualimm-ak and Jazz Hayden after the release from prison, go to democracynow.org.