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NEWS & LETTERS, November 2004'No New Jails' forum
Los Angeles--Four days after the Oct. 22 demonstration
against police brutality, the No New Jails Coalition (NNJC) held a forum at the
Watts Community Labor Action Center to defeat Los Angeles County Measure A in
the November election. Measure A would increase the sales tax, raising $500
million annually for more police, sheriffs and jails in L.A. County. NNJC is dedicated to reducing the number of people
locked up in L.A. County, and promoting alternatives to the tired, antiquated
and dehumanizing solution of prisons for the vast majority of offenders, as well
as a more humane alternative to the usual solution of more police. About 150 people, mostly young Latinos and Blacks, but
also many whites and Asians, attended and heard testimony and comments which
were 100% against Measure A. In contrast, some union leaders and progressive
newspapers have recommended a "YES" vote. A Latino youth from LA CAUSA spoke on how they help
motivate youth to get their high school equivalency as a way to stay out of
prison. A woman professor at California State University-Los Angeles said $500
million was cut from their budget last year, as tuition was raised three times
in the last few years. A speaker from Families Against Three Strikes spoke in
favor of related Proposition 66 which would reform the three strikes law. Tens
of thousands of nonviolent offenders (including parole violators, shoplifters
and drug addicts) are serving 25 years to life as their third strike.
Proposition 66 would allow these inmates to be resentenced. A Black woman said new prisons are being built,
supposedly to relieve overcrowding, but history has shown that each new prison
soon gets filled up with no improvements in the inhumane prison conditions. Sales taxes or other public funding would be better used
to provide Single Room Occupancy housing for the ever increasing numbers of
homeless, to keep clinics and hospitals open, to train and hire many needed
teachers, nurses and social workers, as well as funding substance abuse
treatment and restoring cuts in education. Funding to prevent recidivism is
non-existent. As a LOS ANGELES TIMES Oct. 28 opinion article stated:
"Major crimes in L.A. County have gone from 652,939 in 1993 to 349,590 in
2002. Homicides have dropped by half. If crime is going down, why should the
numbers of police and sheriff’s deputies go up? There are other problems with
Measure A. It would guarantee funds for ‘intelligence gathering’ by law
enforcement. Intelligence on whom? Terrorists? Gang peacemakers? Critics of the
police? The authorization is open-ended." --Basho On Nov. 2, Proposition 66 was unfortunately defeated 53% to 47%. Measure A thankfully failed.--Editor |
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