3 years ago, MIQUELLE WEST joined the The National Council in the fight for clemency for 100 women, including her mom, Michelle.

To this day, Miquelle, Michelle’s friend, Kemba Smith and andreaFreeHerjames are still leading the charge to #FreeMichelleWest and #EndMandatoryMinimums .

Today, Premal Dharia concludes our symposium on Jocelyn Simonson's *Radical Acts of Justice,* by discussing a crisis of purpose in public defense - whose workers must contend with the reality that a better world may obviate the need for their labor.

lpeproject.org/blog/a-crisis-…

Grateful to LPE Blog for the opportunity to share these thoughts and to continue urging everyone to read Jocelyn Simonson's book, Radical Acts of Justice!

This is a public service announcement brought to you by the good brother Aamer Rahman :

Criminalization makes it harder to get folks back into housing. IDs, paperwork, life-saving meds, and important possessions all get thrown in the garbage truck.

Senators @Aishabbwahab Steven Bradford Senator Scott Wiener Nancy Skinner, please vote #NOonSB1011 .

THREAD. Across the U.S., hundreds of thousands of children have been banned from visiting their parents who are awaiting trial in local jails. Why? A conspiracy to make money. We just filed two landmark civil rights lawsuits to stop it, but the story is unbelievable.

Thank you Working Partnerships, Young Women's Freedom Center, SV De-Bug, & the TechEquity Collaborative

At our Racial Justice and Poverty Town Hall, Raj Jayadev, founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug SV De-Bug says Silicon Valley’s policing, prosecution and incarceration has “invisibilized” the pain of racial injustice. Latinos arrested 3x and Black people at 8x the rate of white people.

Being given false or misleading information by a law enforcement official can compound the trauma and pain a victim of crime may be experiencing, and does nothing to help them heal.

We are proud to stand with Ash Kalra 🌱 in support of #AB3021 .

Read more:
latimes.com/california/sto…

CBS News Bay Area covered opposing views on the installation of 500 new cameras in Oakland and along East Bay freeways. Community activists sounded out against community surveillance which inevitably leads to a return of over-policing of Black and Brown communities.

More information here on our landmark lawsuit on behalf of children challenging the alleged kickback conspiracy between Sheriffs and jail telecom monopolies to ban kids from visiting their parents. nytimes.com/2024/03/28/us/…

What an incredible trip to Las Vegas! Last March 22-24, Rob and I conducted the Participatory Defense training.

But the best part? Spending quality time with my amazing big sister @sharonmitchell and her wonderful family.

#FamilyIsEverything

People are dying at record rates in California jails.

They’re dying in big jails and small jails, in red counties and blue counties, in rural holding cells and downtown mega-complexes.

Almost everyone who died was awaiting trial. 1/5

'Thus far, there’s been little to no evidence of a zero-bail induced crime wave.' -Josh Cain L.A. Daily News ⤵️

When Raymond Goins relative needed housing and services after she came home from prison, he thought Santa Clara County reentry support would assist. But every county program turned her away. Read about the first 48 hours of searching for support in crisis:
siliconvalleydebug.org/stories/search…

Silicon Valley residents are worth $1.5 trillion, but San Jose leads the nation in youth homelessness.

Why?

My 4/6 Town Hall will explore the Silicon Valley Pain Index & our region’s equity gap.

We want to hear from you!

Become part of the solution.

Register: sd15.senate.ca.gov/event/join-my-…

Breaking: Civil Rights Corps alleges two MI counties banned in-person jail visits to profit from videochat fees. “That video visitation is going to work,” one official said. “A lot of people are going to swipe that Mastercard and visit their grandkids.” theappeal.org/michigan-count…

We are living through a revival of internationalism and another extended moment of mass protest. Even as we tire in the face of exhausting odds, a hulking imperial ship that refuses to acknowledge our power as it trembles, we must persist.