David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez was sentenced as a “juvenile lifer” at 17, and served 31 years, mostly in state prison, before being released in 2017.  While there, Gonzalez committed to becoming a voice for the voiceless - he earned a BA from Villanova University and worked as president of LACEO, a Latino organization that has given away 152 scholarships funded by prisoners from their own wages. 

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Gonzalez, though not visited by PVS, speaks powerfully about the importance of human connections during his time inside.  He has continued community-based work since his release, as Director of Nu-Stop Resource center, an organization that offers assistance to individuals transitioning from prison to life outside. He is the cohost of both the "Suave" and "Death by Incarceration" podcasts.

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He is also a street artist, with “his art mirroring his advocacy work: critical of injustice, but exploding with compassion for those forced to carry its burden.”

Gonzalez was a 2018 Reimagining Reentry Fellow through Mural Arts Philadelphia and is represented by the Morton Contemporary Gallery there.

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Attendees who make a suggested donation of $15 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an original piece of Suave Gonzalez’ artwork, painted expressly for PVS, courtesy of an anonymous donor.