Our friends at the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights have organized a rally to propose criminal justice reforms to help solve California’s budget crisis and we encourage you to attend! The rally is at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 30, at the Elihu M. Harris State Building, 1515 Clay St., in Oakland, near the 12th St. BART Station. RSVP via email or Facebook.
Like EJS, the Ella Baker Center is deeply concerned with the Governor’s recent proposals to balance the budget on the backs of children, disabled folks, the elderly, students, and teachers — the people of California. California’s corrections budget has increased by 450% over the last two decades, doubling its proportion of the General Fund, even as the system consistently fails to meet constitutional standards or increase public safety.
The rally will call public attention to the harm that the Governor’s proposed (or enacted) budget will cause. It will also promote an alternative to deep cuts in vital social services: The People’s Budget Fix, a series of smart criminal justice reforms that will increase public safety, protect the social safety net and save the state $12 billion over five years.
The People’s Budget Fix alone will not solve the economic crisis. The message of the People’s Budget Rally is to stress how our proposed reforms to California’s justice system will help protect essential state services and keep us on track to not only recover, but to begin building an equitable and prosperous California together.
Please RSVP if you can attend the People’s Budget Rally on July 30 in Oakland. If you can, please forward this email and invite others to attend. To RSVP or for additional information, response on Facebook or contact Jennifer Kim at Jennifer@ellabakercenter.org or 510-285-8234.
Sponsored by: Books Not Bars, A Campaign of the Ella Baker Center; American Civil Liberties Union; Drug Policy Alliance and Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes.