Today we are proud to release the #SmartSolutions Policy Platform!

Our public safety policy platform prioritizes measures that prevent crime and support people — not lock them up. #CAleg

Read our platform here ⤵️ ellabakercenter.org/smartsolutions…

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Ella Baker Center Smart Justice California and CJ advocates joined today with lawmakers, addiction treatment experts, and Yurok Tribe leaders to release the #SmartSolutions 2024 Policy Platform.

More from Sarah Grace Taylor in POLITICO California: politico.com/newsletters/ca…

Everyday we strive to uplift & honor Black history.

Ashley Chambers, our Senior Communications Associate was interviewed in Girls United's article, The Civil Rights Movement Would Be Nothing Without Black Women​

Read it here: bit.ly/3IkgLla

📷📷THIS IS BIG!

📷Facing a now estimated $73 billion budget shortfall, the state’s own Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) recommends California close 5 more state prisons.

Sign up now to join a meeting with your Assemblymember to help pass SB 94:

bit.ly/3wgMi4K

#SB94 would provide for judicial review for individuals serving life w/o parole for offenses committed before 6/6/1990 & who have served at least 25 years of their sentence.

I saw a legislator recently say they want to expand the three strikes law and that it will then reduce gun violence.

Reminder: the best way to reduce gun violence is by reducing the number of guns.

Today, we joined dozens of grassroots organizations, residents, & retail workers in telling the Select Cmte on Retail Theft that CA cannot go backward — we need #SmartSolutions .

❌❌This committee’s legacy cannot be that it was the instigator of another tough-on-crime era.❌❌

CA CO’s just got a billion dollar raise.
1st order of business? Their union is a major donor behind the effort to roll back prop 47.

State funds lobbying to lock more ppl up.

If they really want to stop retail theft, they should donate some of that raise to the community

NEW: Today in L.A. Times Opinion, our colleague Brian Kaneada with CURB lays out why California should keep its promise to close prisons.

'Gavin Newsom should be leading on this, not playing catch-up.'

#CloseCAPrisons

latimes.com/opinion/story/…

We need to put OUR OWN people in office! We have chose to fund prisons over our children’s education for too long!

Please join us for my wife’s campaign kick off and canvas tomorrow! Saturday, 2/3, at the Hayward Education Office, 93 Jackson Street, Hayward, CA 94544, at 10 AM.

'This bill addresses that gap and takes us one step closer to a democracy that includes everybody.' —
Isaac G. Bryan

#CAleg #AB544 #TheVOICEAct

The only thing better than winning, is winning with your team! #AB544 Onward!

If #CAleg is serious about safety, it needs to double down on #SmartSolutions that:

✅ prevent crime before it happens
✅ support survivors
✅ ensure people returning to our communities have a fair shot at reentry

New: LA sheriff released bodycam of an officer killing Niani Finlayson, who had called 911 saying an ex was attacking her. Deputy Ty Shelton fired 4 shots at her within 3 seconds of entering.

No deescalation, nearly instant lethal force against a victim: theguardian.com/us-news/2023/d…

64? 68? BILLION dollar projected deficit in CA, but Gavin Newsom still wants a 350 million dollar building at San Quentin State Prison
Can we please talk about reallocating that money into our communities? Or reentry support?

A recent federal report has found that retail theft is down about 7% in most major cities. That’s good news for Gavin Newsom who hopefully wants to stop wasting money on increasing law enforcement spending due to sensationalized, inaccurate reporting

Language is powerful and the media is biased. Case in point:

In virtually all mainstream media they report that Israel is releasing “prisoners” while Palestine is releasing “hostages”

'But according to the Marshall Project, the annual survey released by the federation shows that external theft represents only a portion of companies’ losses, with two-thirds of missing merchandise attributable to employee theft, process failures or unknown sources.'

We're so EXCITED to launch our new program, Affirmative Freedom Support Project! In partnership with Bonafide, we’re not just providing gender-affirming clothing, we’re supporting our folks as they re-learn their wants and needs on the outside.

bit.ly/3FgsbVw