The Mysterious Rabbit Puppet Army rolls into Firestorm Cafe on the 4th of August as part of its whirlwind, month-long excursion across the continental United States to raise awareness about the prison system. The tour stop will include a few different shows. The feature show uses shadow puppets to outline the history of the Prison Industrial Complex, from antebellum slavery in the south to where it is today. The other two shows are a modernized Hansel and Gretel, as well as a  rock opera featuring Ted, the anti-technology turtle. All of the shows are child friendly.

The tour is to raise awareness about the Prison Industrial Complex and the ways in which police and policeing hurt our communities.

"Our goal in this tour is to use art to explore these relationships and brainstorm with our audiences how we can fight this brutally racist system." said Mysterious Puppeteer Michael Snacks.

The United States currently imprisons nearly 3 million people. About 6.5 million people are presently under some form of supervision within the criminal justice system. Racism continues to be a major factor in the United States, illustrated by policies and programs that sustain white supremacy. Racism, as it is used through criminal laws that target people of color, is essential to prisons, not accidental. The Prison Industrial Complex is also fueled by dramatic and racist reporting about "crime," "delinquency," and "rebellion," creating a culture of fear. As a result, people (primarily people of color, youth, and the poor) are locked in cages for longer and longer in the interests of "public safety." The way the many parts of the Prison Industrial Complex interact is exactly what makes it so powerful and destructive. In order to fight this system, we have to recognize what drives and shapes it.

The tour is being co-sponsored by the Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective, a part of the books to prisoners network. http://prisonbooks.info