NME: Listen to Fiona Apple’s powerful first song in five years, ‘Pretrial (Let Her Go Home)’
Fiona Apple said in a press statement: “I was a court watcher for over two years. In that time, I took notes on thousands of bond hearings. Time and time again, I listened as people were taken away and put in jail, for no other reason than that they couldn’t afford to buy their way free. It was particularly hard to hear mothers and caretakers get taken away from the people who depend on them.”
“For the past five years, I have been volunteering with the Free Black Mamas DMV bailout, and I have been lucky to be able to witness the stories of women who fought for and won their freedom with the tireless and loving support of the leadership,” she continued. “I hope that this song, and the images shared with me, can help to show what is at stake when someone is kept in pretrial detention. I give this song in friendship and respect to all who have experienced the pain of pretrial detention and to the women of the group’s leadership who have taught me so much and whom I truly love.”
Donations to help those affected by pre-trial detention pay their bail and reunite them with their families can be made here. Additionally, you can find out more about the Free Black Mamas DMV here, and register here to volunteer for court watching to ensure fair rulings.
