Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter and JusticeLA
JusticeLA town hall meeting with White People For Black Lives, the ACLU of Southern California and Hollywood United Methodist Church in Hollywood on ending mass incarceration in L.A. County and fighting the $3.5 billion jail expansion plan.
JusticeLA, a community-driven coalition of organizations against the expansion of L.A. County’s jail system, White People For Black Lives, the ACLU of Southern California and Hollywood United Methodist Church to host a town hall meeting targeting non-people of color in L.A. County in an effort to enlist them into the fight against a planned $3.5 billion jail expansion and ending mass incarceration.
JusticeLA, a community-driven coalition of organizations against the expansion of L.A. County’s jail system, White People For Black Lives, the ACLU of Southern California and Hollywood United Methodist Church to host a town hall meeting targeting non-people of color in L.A. County in an effort to enlist them into the fight against a planned $3.5 billion jail expansion and ending mass incarceration. Participants include Patrisse Cullors (Co-Founder of JusticeLA and Black Lives Matter, Founder of Dignity and Power Now), Mark-Anthony Johnson (JusticeLA), Kim McGill (Youth Justice Coalition), Peter Eliasberg (ACLU So Cal), Kelly Lytle Hernandez (UCLA Bunche Center/Million Dollar Hoods), and Dr. Melina Abdullah (Black Lives Matter Los Angeles).
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a massive jail construction project conservatively estimated to cost $3.5 billion. L.A. County’s jail system is already the largest in the nation and does not need new buildings. What it truly needs is drastic reform of an incarceration system that is not only woefully outdated, but also severely unfair to people of color, people living in poverty and women. Currently:
80% of inmates in L.A. County jails are Black or Latino.
51% have not stood trial or are awaiting sentencing. Many if not most of these inmates are locked up because they can’t afford to meet bail.
Part of the billion-dollar project would require moving women incarcerated at Lynwood to Lancaster, which is 40 miles away from Downtown L.A.—away from family and from organizations that provide programs and support to these women inside and outside of jail. No conclusive research has indicated that increased jail incarceration has a meaningful impact on crime reduction. The taxpayer funds earmarked for this misguided project would be far better spent on criminal justice and bail system reforms, plus community-based programs that have been shown to be effective in many parts of the country. The town hall meeting is a second in a series of events being held in each of L.A. County’s five supervisorial districts and focuses on L.A. County’s 3rd District represented by Sheila Kuehl which encompasses 431 square miles stretching from the ocean to Los Feliz, and from Venice up to San Fernando including the communities of Beverly Hills, Malibu, Pacoima, Van Nuys, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Woodland Hills.
ABOUT JUSTICE LAIn partnership with community organizations working with directly impacted communities affected by incarceration, JusticeLA was formed to reclaim, reimagine and reinvest what L.A. County could do with the $3.5 billion allocated to building two new jails. JusticeLA was formed by Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and anchor organizations: Californians United for Responsible Budget (CURB), Community Coalition, Dignity and Power Now, Immigrant Youth Coalition, Revolve Impact, TransLatin@ Coalition and Youth Justice Coalition. For more information, visit justicelanow dot org.