Olayemi Olurin

Olayemi Olurin is a Bahamian-Nigerian lawyer, political commentator, writer, and abolitionist thinker. Olurin also hosts a YouTube show, "Olurinatti The Show," and a podcast, "Olay & Friends.". She contributes to outlets like Teen Vogue and maintains her own Substack, "Olurinatti," where she writes about socio-political issues.

Early life and education

Olurin was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas, and moved to the United States in 2008 to attend high school. She is Yoruba on her father's side and Bahamian on her mother's side. She experienced racism from other students at the school.

She holds a BA in Political Science, African American Studies, and Law, Justice & Culture from Ohio University and a JD from St. John's University School of Law in 2018.

Career

From 2018 until 2022, Olurin worked as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society in New York City, representing those who cannot afford legal representation. In 2021, she gained significant attention by posting a video on Twitter showing an NYPD officer kneeling on one of her client's necks, which led to the charges being dismissed.

Commentary

Olurin is an advocate for criminal justice and prison reform, particularly emphasizing systemic issues in the legal system and the need for abolition. She has focused on issues at Rikers Island, which she describes as a pretrial detention center plagued by systemic failures and human rights abuses. She also addresses issues of systemic racism and the prison-industrial complex, frequently critiquing media misrepresentation of criminal justice matters. Her work often covers topics such as deadnaming in the transgender community.

As an abolitionist, she argues that the current criminal system perpetuates inequality rather than addressing crime. Mass incarceration, which she describes as akin to slavery, benefits economically but fails to enhance safety. She advocates for reallocating resources from policing and prisons to address poverty and social issues, aiming to create a more effective and equitable system over time.

She criticized the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict on The Hill's "Rising" show. She argued that the verdict undermines the modern understanding of self-defense, suggesting it is problematic for someone to bring an illegally obtained gun to a protest, act as unauthorized security, and then claim self-defense after killing people. Olurin highlighted that Rittenhouse was the only one to kill despite the protest's chaotic nature and argued that his actions incentivize violence. She contrasted this with the behavior of Black Lives Matter protesters, who maintained peace without resorting to lethal force.

In an op-ed, she argues that diversifying police departments alone cannot address the systemic racism and inherent violence within policing. It highlights the case of Tyre Nichols, suggesting that his killing by Black police officers underscores how systemic racism transcends individual officers' racial backgrounds. The piece contends that structural changes are needed beyond racial diversity to fundamentally reform policing practices and eliminate systemic racism and violence.

She wrote an opinion piece that argued Donald Trump's felony convictions should not be used as a reason to push for felon disenfranchisement. She argued a recently passed crime bill in Washington, D.C., reflected a continuation of "tough on crime" policies advocated by Black politicians. She has argued that more police are not the solution increases in crime and mass shootings.

Interview with NYC Mayor Adams

In an interview on “The Breakfast Club” on Power 105.1 FM with Mayor Eric Adams, Olurin challenged Adams on his administration's policies. Her Instagram posts of the interview have garnered millions of views. Adams faced intense questioning from her about his tough-on-crime policies. She challenged him on issues like Rikers Island, the migrant crisis, homelessness, and bail reform, backing her points with statistics and reports. The interview highlighted Adams's struggles with low approval ratings, a federal investigation, and a sexual assault lawsuit.