MEDIA ADVISORY – MAY 2, 2013
CONTACT: Isaac Ontiveros – 510-517-6612
When: Thursday, May 2, 2013 at 12:00pm
Where: San Francisco State Building, 455 Golden Gate Avenue (between Larkin St & Polk St)
San Francisco–In anticipation of the the release of Governor Brown’s court-ordered plan to reduce the state’s prison population, family members, advocates and former prisoners are gathering at the San Francisco State Building at noon. Advocates will be demanding swift and resolute action that would bring people home from prisons. Many anticipate that the Governor’s plan will not include parole and sentencing reform measures, but instead will increase the outsourcing of California prisoners to private facilities inside and outside the state.
“We are demanding a plan that includes real and immediate reductions to the number of people locked up in California” says Roger White, Campaign Director for Critical Resistance and one of the organizers of Thursday’s rally. “We have lived through California’s prison crisis for over a generation now. Lives have been destroyed, communities have been destroyed. We want our loved ones home where they belong, and we want to make so they never have to go back.”
“We are calling on the legislature to step up and demonstrate the leadership the Governor has failed to provide. Cancel all prison construction plans, make real reductions to the prison population, and end the practice of out-of-state and in-state transfers to private prisons.” says Emily Harris of Californians United for a Responsible Budget.
Today’s rally will include signs, banners, and information on the statewide effort to reduce the prison population, as well as related local fights against jail expansion. Spokespeople will be available throughout the day for interviews.
