Louie Brash, Ensemble Member, Project Re/Frame, is a passionate advocate, artist, and dog trainer. He lives his life with compassion and empathy and has an unflinching belief in the goodness of people. Louie enjoys the simple things in life – family, friends, good company, and the outdoors. The younger of two brothers, Louie was born in Garden City, Michigan. At the age of four, he moved to Los Angeles with his mother and older brother. Soon afterward, Louie’s father passed away and he desperately sought guidance from his brother, whom he idolized. Faced with the challenges of being raised by a single mother, Louie and his brother were often left alone at home to fend for themselves. By the age of 12, Louie had followed his brother’s footsteps into gang membership. He spent much of his tumultuous childhood on the streets, addicted to drugs. Tragically, at 16, Louie committed his life-crime and took an innocent life. As a result, he was sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole and was sent to prison with no hope of ever getting out.
Louie spent the first 13 years of his incarceration committing disciplinary acts that resulted in numerous stints in solitary confinement. In 2008, he received the worst news of his life – his older brother had been violently murdered. This devastating loss opened Louie’s heart and mind to the pain that he caused to his direct victim and to the survivors of his crime. Propelled by remorse, he reflected deeply on his life-crime and on his own life. Even with no hope of ever being released from prison, Louie began working hard at transforming his life – receding from violence and gangs, making positive choices, and developing positive relationships. Helping others, giving back, and being of service became his guiding principles, giving his life a new meaning. In 2016, after two years of tireless work on Louie’s behalf by the dedicated students, staff, and professors at Loyola Law School, Louie was re-entered to a life term that made him eligible for parole during his 25th year of incarceration. With this newfound hope, Louie could finally imagine a world outside of prison. While he was at California State Prison-Lancaster, Louie continued to work hard and began developing leadership capacity – promoting, creating, and facilitating numerous self-help classes and participating in numerous theatre workshops. Due to his positive programming, Louie was transferred to the Progressive Programming Facility (PPF) on “A” Yard where he became a member of Paws for Life K9 Rescue (PFLK9R) and participated in Convicts Reaching Out to People (CROP–a youth diversion program) and TheatreWorkers Project’s Life Stories from the Inside/Out, collaborating with his peers to create and perform in two theatre pieces.
On November 6, 2019, Louie was found suitable by the parole board at his initial parole hearing. On April 10, 2020, on Good Friday, Louie was released from prison after serving 25 years. Since his release, Louie’s commitment to his transformation has not wavered. He continues to give back to the community by doing work in Restorative Justice and volunteering with PFLK9R. He has plans to finish school to earn a BA degree and looks forward to working with Project Re/Frame.
