‘Bring Down the Walls’ Uses Nightlife to Create Prison Reform Awareness

Last weekend marked the inauguration of Bring Down the Walls, a month-long project in NYC that couples conversations and workshops centered on the U.S. Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) with a nightclub and house music album. The project, conceptualized by artist Phil Collins, operates in conjunction with Creative Time, the public art organization best known for the 9/11 memorial Tribute in Light, and The Fortune Society, which for decades has advocated for people with incarceration histories through employment services, healthcare, education, and more.

PAPER spoke with one of the vocalists featured on the album, Amanda Cruz, to learn more about her experience with Bring Down the Walls, from recording the cover of the iconic Chicago house track “Love Can’t Turn Around,” originally delivered in 1986 by the legendary Farley “Jackmaster” Funk with Daryl Pandy on vocals, to what it means to bring real experiences and critical conversations about the prison industrial complex to a public forum.