Racial Justice Action Center

2020 is coming to a close, why hasn't the jail?! CALL TO ACTION! Tweet Councilmembers to demand they keep their promise and demolish ACDC today! Click to tweet: http://bit.ly/3mSGipk #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL

Did you get the latest email from the #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign? We need YOU to take action today! TWEET COUNCILMEMBERS WHO VOTED TO ROLL BACK BAIL REFORM AT: bit.ly/32qZ26Q We must keep the pressure on our City Council and let them know: there is a new electorate in town and we are watching. We will NOT forget that all but 3 City Council members voted last Monday to disregard the 230 people who called in for public comment and pass a bill that will loc...k more Black and Brown people in cages for longer. We also want to thank everyone who quickly mobilized to defend our communities - in the midst of rising Coronavirus cases, a looming housing crisis, and a volatile national election! We know it's heartbreaking to have to defend our victories when we were already in a fight for our lives, but your efforts forced Buckhead Betties to have to put up a fight!

The 287g program has been defeated in TWO counties COBB and GWINNETT! This is a people's VICTORY. Es la VICTORIA de nuestras comunidades. @SoyGeorgia #Pa'lCambio se hizo una realidad despues de 13 años de LUCHA! Hemos Ganado!

2020 is coming to a close, why hasn't the jail?! CALL TO ACTION! Tweet Councilmembers to demand they keep their promise and demolish ACDC today! Click to tweet: http://bit.ly/3mSGipk #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL

As M4BL and so many others have said, today is the day we leave it all on the field, Georgia. There are many ways to get to the polls today if you need a little help. Get your free ride with these codes! #FreeTheVote #BlackVotersMatter

THE LINES ARE OPEN, ATLANTA!Call 404-330-6001 before 7pm to tell Atlanta City Council they were only supposed to roll the clocks back *an hour* for daylight savings- don’t roll the clock back on years of progressive reforms! Call script below, more info & talking points at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/ CALL SCRIPT: ... Hello, my name is ____. [If you live or work in Atlanta, say where you live or work this is important!] I’m calling to demand that the City Council vote NO on proposed ordinance 20-O-1653, which attempts to roll back bail reform and jail more people. We of course all want solutions, but this ordinance does not provide any. In fact, there’s been no evidence offered to suggest that increased jail time will have any proven deterrent effect on car events. We shouldn’t prioritize the voices of North Atlantans over the rest of the city we all deserve to feel safe, and a policy that caters to one community while harming another is unacceptable. It’s crucial that the City Council show some real leadership and work with the community in finding non-punitive and lasting solutions. Please vote no on this ordinance.

Atlanta City Council, if a Buckhead Becky asks you to jump and all you can say is how high?; if you care more about people doing donuts in the street than you do about people getting shot by the police; if you think increased criminalization is the answer during a pandemic, economic and housing crisis, and volatile national election, then maybe we need a new Council! TODAY, Sunday 11/1 between 4pm and 7pm call 404-330-6001 to let Atlanta City Council know that the people de...serve a Council who takes action on the issues that affect all of us, instead of catering to the concerns of our city’s wealthiest and most privileged by proposing non-solutions that have no demonstrated impact on the problems they’re trying to solve & turning back the clock on hard won reforms! Talking points and more info at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/

Did you get the latest email from the #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign? We need YOU to take action today! TWEET COUNCILMEMBERS WHO VOTED TO ROLL BACK BAIL REFORM AT: bit.ly/32qZ26Q We must keep the pressure on our City Council and let them know: there is a new electorate in town and we are watching. We will NOT forget that all but 3 City Council members voted last Monday to disregard the 230 people who called in for public comment and pass a bill that will loc...k more Black and Brown people in cages for longer. We also want to thank everyone who quickly mobilized to defend our communities - in the midst of rising Coronavirus cases, a looming housing crisis, and a volatile national election! We know it's heartbreaking to have to defend our victories when we were already in a fight for our lives, but your efforts forced Buckhead Betties to have to put up a fight!

The 287g program has been defeated in TWO counties COBB and GWINNETT! This is a people's VICTORY. Es la VICTORIA de nuestras comunidades. @SoyGeorgia #Pa'lCambio se hizo una realidad despues de 13 años de LUCHA! Hemos Ganado!

As M4BL and so many others have said, today is the day we leave it all on the field, Georgia. There are many ways to get to the polls today if you need a little help. Get your free ride with these codes! #FreeTheVote #BlackVotersMatter

THE LINES ARE OPEN, ATLANTA!Call 404-330-6001 before 7pm to tell Atlanta City Council they were only supposed to roll the clocks back *an hour* for daylight savings- don’t roll the clock back on years of progressive reforms! Call script below, more info & talking points at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/ CALL SCRIPT: ... Hello, my name is ____. [If you live or work in Atlanta, say where you live or work this is important!] I’m calling to demand that the City Council vote NO on proposed ordinance 20-O-1653, which attempts to roll back bail reform and jail more people. We of course all want solutions, but this ordinance does not provide any. In fact, there’s been no evidence offered to suggest that increased jail time will have any proven deterrent effect on car events. We shouldn’t prioritize the voices of North Atlantans over the rest of the city we all deserve to feel safe, and a policy that caters to one community while harming another is unacceptable. It’s crucial that the City Council show some real leadership and work with the community in finding non-punitive and lasting solutions. Please vote no on this ordinance.

Atlanta City Council, if a Buckhead Becky asks you to jump and all you can say is how high?; if you care more about people doing donuts in the street than you do about people getting shot by the police; if you think increased criminalization is the answer during a pandemic, economic and housing crisis, and volatile national election, then maybe we need a new Council! TODAY, Sunday 11/1 between 4pm and 7pm call 404-330-6001 to let Atlanta City Council know that the people de...serve a Council who takes action on the issues that affect all of us, instead of catering to the concerns of our city’s wealthiest and most privileged by proposing non-solutions that have no demonstrated impact on the problems they’re trying to solve & turning back the clock on hard won reforms! Talking points and more info at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/

As 2020 comes to a close in just under a month, so too will the Racial Justice Action Center. As we announced at the end of 2019, we believe that this is the right next step for generating the new growth and new ideas we need for a radically transformed Atlanta, nation, and world. Our legacy will live on through the work of the organizations we helped incubate: Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative - SNaP Co., Women On The Rise and the Atlanta/Fulton County Pre-Arrest Divers...ion Initiative. (Consider making a gift to them this #GivingTuesday!) Read more about our sunset & watch the video at the link below!

We want to see [Atlanta City Detention Center] demolished, says Marilynn Winn, Women On The Rise... #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL

2020 is coming to a close, why hasn't the jail?! CALL TO ACTION! Tweet Councilmembers to demand they keep their promise and demolish ACDC today! Click to tweet: http://bit.ly/3mSGipk #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL

Shouts out to Georgia STAND-UP & all the powerful organizations part of the #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign who are getting Black voters registered & mobilized for January!

The 287g program has been defeated in TWO counties COBB and GWINNETT! This is a people's VICTORY. Es la VICTORIA de nuestras comunidades. @SoyGeorgia #Pa'lCambio se hizo una realidad despues de 13 años de LUCHA! Hemos Ganado!

Did you get the latest email from the #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign? We need YOU to take action today! TWEET COUNCILMEMBERS WHO VOTED TO ROLL BACK BAIL REFORM AT: bit.ly/32qZ26Q We must keep the pressure on our City Council and let them know: there is a new electorate in town and we are watching. We will NOT forget that all but 3 City Council members voted last Monday to disregard the 230 people who called in for public comment and pass a bill that will loc...k more Black and Brown people in cages for longer. We also want to thank everyone who quickly mobilized to defend our communities - in the midst of rising Coronavirus cases, a looming housing crisis, and a volatile national election! We know it's heartbreaking to have to defend our victories when we were already in a fight for our lives, but your efforts forced Buckhead Betties to have to put up a fight!

Despite 230 calls urging Atlanta City Council not to roll back bail reform and criminalize more Black young people in Atlanta (in the midst of a pandemic, insecure housing, unstable jobs - and ALL while trying to get out the vote!), Atlanta City Council Member Carla Smith and Councilman Antonio Brown were the only ones to hold it down last night. 'It is really trying to turn back the clock. It’s going backwards,' said Xochitl Bervera, the director of the Atlanta-based Racial... Justice Action Center, referencing the city’s 2018 elimination of the cash bond requirement for some low-level offenders who otherwise would sit in jail because they can’t afford bail. Activists like Bervera would prefer a more community-oriented approach, like helping the drivers find a sanctioned space where they could safely gather." Thanks to everyone who called in and made this an actual fight where Councilmembers had to show their true colors. Today we rock the vote for the presidential election... and then all eyes are back on you, Atlanta City Council. The times are changing and the lock 'em up crowd is seeing its last days.

As M4BL and so many others have said, today is the day we leave it all on the field, Georgia. There are many ways to get to the polls today if you need a little help. Get your free ride with these codes! #FreeTheVote #BlackVotersMatter

See the meeting agenda & tune in for the livestream in 15 minutes as Atlanta discusses rolling back bail reform - light up the comments & Councilmember's social media feeds to tell them to VOTE NO on 20-O-1653!

THE LINES ARE OPEN, ATLANTA!Call 404-330-6001 before 7pm to tell Atlanta City Council they were only supposed to roll the clocks back *an hour* for daylight savings- don’t roll the clock back on years of progressive reforms! Call script below, more info & talking points at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/ CALL SCRIPT: ... Hello, my name is ____. [If you live or work in Atlanta, say where you live or work this is important!] I’m calling to demand that the City Council vote NO on proposed ordinance 20-O-1653, which attempts to roll back bail reform and jail more people. We of course all want solutions, but this ordinance does not provide any. In fact, there’s been no evidence offered to suggest that increased jail time will have any proven deterrent effect on car events. We shouldn’t prioritize the voices of North Atlantans over the rest of the city we all deserve to feel safe, and a policy that caters to one community while harming another is unacceptable. It’s crucial that the City Council show some real leadership and work with the community in finding non-punitive and lasting solutions. Please vote no on this ordinance.

Atlanta City Council, if a Buckhead Becky asks you to jump and all you can say is how high?; if you care more about people doing donuts in the street than you do about people getting shot by the police; if you think increased criminalization is the answer during a pandemic, economic and housing crisis, and volatile national election, then maybe we need a new Council! TODAY, Sunday 11/1 between 4pm and 7pm call 404-330-6001 to let Atlanta City Council know that the people de...serve a Council who takes action on the issues that affect all of us, instead of catering to the concerns of our city’s wealthiest and most privileged by proposing non-solutions that have no demonstrated impact on the problems they’re trying to solve & turning back the clock on hard won reforms! Talking points and more info at https://www.schr.org/help-us-protect-bail-reform-in-atlanta/

ACTION ALERT! We need YOU to protect our wins and STOP the rollback of criminal justice reforms in Atlanta. This is at best, a knee jerk lock em up non-solution and at worst, a blatant attempt to keep the Atlanta City Detention Center open! Can you take 2 minutes to call 404-330-6001 on Sunday between 4-7pm to urge City Council to vote NO on 20-O-1653? Call script at the link!... #CloseTheJailATL #CommunitiesOverCages

BREAKING NEWS: LA Times reports accounts of 19 mostly Black and Latinx immigrant women who suffered medical abuse while detained at Irwin Detention Center in Ge...orgia Since Nurse Dawn Wooten spoke publicly last month about the medical violence, including unwanted and unnecessary gynecological procedures, happening at #Irwin Detention Center, many who survived it are also sharing their stories. Read more in the article below and sign the petition to #ShutDownIrwin! bit.ly/ShutDownIrwin Georgia Detention Watch GLAHR South Georgia Immigrant Support Network https://www.latimes.com//women-allege-medical-abuse-georgi

This is not about addressing the issue of street racing, it is about turning back the clock on the progress the city has made on criminal justice reform. URGENT! Can you call 404-330-6022 TODAY, Sunday, 10/25, between 4pm-7pm and leave a comment for the Public Safety Committee, urging them to kill ordinance 20-O-1653, make NO new amendments to bail reform, and stop turning to the criminal legal system to solve every challenge? Script below!

ACTION NEEDED Call in THIS SUNDAY 10/25 from 4-7pm, 404-330-6022 to demand that the Public Safety Committee kill the effort by Michael Julian Bond to roll back bail reform. #HandsOffBailReform #PumpTheBrakesATL SAMPLE SCRIPT: I’m calling to demand that the Public Safety committee kill proposed ordinance 20-O-1653 which attempts to roll back the city’s hard-won bail reform. This is an attempt to criminalize mostly Black and Brown youth, and it is unacceptable that the cit...y has not even attempted to find other solutions yet, such as engaging the car enthusiast community and finding new and safe spaces for car related activity. More criminal penalties and caging people before court have no proven deterrent effect on car events; the only thing we know for sure is that this ordinance will result in more young Black people in jail. We need real solutions, not more punishment. See more

Atlanta City Council, ignore Councilmember Bond’s latest attempt to roll back bail reform and criminalize our communities - which is just another way to fill ACDC’s cells again and hold up movement on repealing the remainder of broken windows offenses that land our folks inside. Councilmember Bond, stop listening to Buckhead Betties & start listening to the community. We need REAL community safety, not criminalization. SOLUTIONS:... Work with the car enthusiast community to creatively problem-solve; reach out to the organizers of car shows to educate them and develop new solutions together. Provide a safe alternative for young people by designating a specific location where they can gather. Modify streets to discourage the activity. See more

TONIGHT! Atlanta City Council is once again too distracted by white tears to invest in Black Lives. Council, lead by Michael Julian Bond has been threatening a new bill to rollback bail reform and criminalize street racing in the city. This focus on street racing is, in part, what has held up any movement on repealing some ordinances that land people in ACDC. This isn't public safety, this is appeasing Buckhead Betties! 7pm at 2176 Donald Lee Howell Pkwy with Atlanta's In Defense of Black Lives

Take the Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative - SNaP Co. survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SAFERATL To me, #ASaferATL means to divest from the institutions that harass, arrest, jail and deport our loved ones and instead invest in a radically reimagined system of safety and care for all of our communities. Take the survey!" - Xochitl Bervera, Director of Racial Justice Action Center (RJAC)

Our Director will be sharing lessons learned from Atlanta & the #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign at the 2nd Annual Alabama Summit on Reimagining Justice: Exploring Policy Solutions surrounding Alabama’s Criminal Legal System. Join TOMORROW, Wednesday, October 21, 2020 from 9 AM3 PM CST! Click here to register: http://bit.ly/ALSUMMIT