Myshell Lyday

trying hard every day to be a better person and do what I can to make our world a better place

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

I am so excited about this project! Watch for updates - information - a podcast - and for all the ideas for moving our youth justice system to a model of connection and decriminalization coming from taking guidance from the wisdom of Indigenous culture and mother nature herself.

[Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative @GeorgetownJJI]

Meet one of our 2024 Ambassadors for Racial Justice, Myshell Lyday! She is the owner of Smith Law, PLLC in Missoula, MT.

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

So excited to be part of this amazing group of people working hard to eliminate racial disparity in the Youth Court system and pursuing the vision of decriminalizing adolescence.

[Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative @GeorgetownJJI]

We are excited to welcome the 2024 Ambassadors for Racial Justice! Hosted by GJJI & @GaultCenter, ARJ is a year-long program for defenders committed to challenging racial injustice in the juvenile legal system. Follow along over the coming weeks as we introduce each Ambassador!

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@GaultCenter Correction to the referenced article. Montana passed HB 500 - Eliminating Youth Court Fines, Fees, and Financial Obligations, including Cost of Care Contributions. This bill went into effect 10/1/2023 and also eliminated any existing outstanding cost-of-care obligations.

[Jo @JoJoFromJerz]

After a British gunman killed 16 people in 1987, the country banned semiautomatic weapons like those he had used. It did the same with most handguns after a 1996 school shooting. It now has one of the lowest gun-related death rates in the developed world.
They have mental health issues there too.

In Australia, a 1996 massacre prompted mandatory gun buybacks The rate of mass shootings went from once every 18 months to only one in the 26 years since.
They have mental health issues there too.

Canada also tightened gun laws after a 1989 mass shooting.
So did Germany in 2002, New Zealand in 2019 and Norway in 2021.
They have mental health issues in all of those places too.

There have been 389 school shootings in the United States since Columbine.
Since Sandy Hook — mass shootings here have nearly tripled.

103 people have been killed and 281 people injured from school shootings since Parkland.

And there have been well over 100 incidents of gunfire at K-12 schools since the Uvalde school shooting.

This. Is. An. American. Problem.
Yes, we have mental health issues here at home, but the difference… is the guns.

There are more civilian owned guns in this country than there are civilians.

It’s the guns.

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

Defend kids with the optimism of Nature. She never gives up. She keeps putting out billions of seeds, and spores, growing mountains, evolving new species. She is always creating. It's not just okay to feel optimistic, it's natural, and essential. #TheSharksPaintbrush #defendkids

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

Went to summer camp with all the cool kids. ⁦@GaultCenter⁩ ⁦@GeorgetownJJI⁩ #defendchildren

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@DannyTenenbaum Thanks for all the hard work. We are all better for it.

[Laura Smith @LauraForMT]

Thank you, @JenGross4MT for keeping kids safe even in the hardest week of the Session. Your work to pass this bill is what leadership is made of.

Thank you for showing us all how it’s done.

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

Montana is on the way to a #DebtFreeJustice system in Youth Court. Hooray!!

[Mitigation Specialist @Mitigation_Hope]

Why do we expect individuals who end up in the legal system largely due to poverty to then be able to pay fees, fines, & restitution. We should expect our systems to meet people where they are & help them to get where they need & want to be…

[Maryland Youth Justice Coalition @mdyouthjustice]

"Charging kids as adults is part of what's DRIVING crime." @jennylynegan

Do you want to lower youth crime rates? Make sure that kids get put into the system that's actually designed to rehabilitate them – the juvenile system.

[Jessica Feierman @JessicaFeierman]

More research showing fees and fines in the justice system harm children. 15 states have abolished some or all such fees with many more bills already introduced this year. Let’s keep working for #debtfreejustice! https://t.co/SbGUzVlL9t

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@DannyTenenbaum Montana is one of 12 states where 2/3 of the prison population are serving sentences of 10+ years. In fact, 70% of the prison population in 2019 was serving a sentence of 10 years or longer. https://t.co/QTTidfVK3H

[Coalition for Juvenile Justice @4juvjustice]

#JusticeIs Treating Kids as Kids. This means no child should be arrested at 4 or 6 years old, no child should ever be charged as an adult, and no child should go to prison for life. Repost if you agree! #YJAM2022

[Montana State Public Defender @MontanaOPD]

Native Americans account for 17% of the prison population and 19% of the arrests in Montana. The population in Montana? 7% - that should raise some serious questions. #IndigenousPeoplesDay https://t.co/rdBdzPBIrf

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@biglawgothgf I use a Sidetrack and love it.

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@DannyTenenbaum @ACLUMT I would be very interested in knowing how much it is costing to collect the money.

[Reese Witherspoon @ReeseW]

My whole life changed the day I realized this: What if my job wasn't about complaining about what systems exist ? What if my job is about making the existing systems BETTER

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@n_pntra Yes!!!!

[Myshell Lyday @mymymyshell]

@n_pntra I thought this said "family gaming" and I was soooo sad - but I am good now. :)