Press Contact:
Californians United for A Responsible Budget
Emily Harris (510) 435-1176
San Francisco – Yesterday, delegates of the United Educators of San Francisco, the union representing nearly 6,000 teachers and paraprofessionals in SFUSD, voted to oppose construction of the proposed new San Francisco jail. Over 50 union members signed onto the resolution in opposition to the jail. On May 7th, members brought it to the UESF Executive Board meeting, where it passed overwhelmingly. From there the resolution moved to yesterday’s UESF General Assembly meeting where it passed nearly unanimously.
“As teachers, we know that education can work, but incarceration does not. Today, I’m proud to stand with other educators in San Francisco who are committed to shifting the priorities in our city towards valuing an educated future, instead of dumping more money in a system that is failing our communities
said Kathy Rose, a UESF member and teacher at Five Keys Charter Schools, a school that serves incarcerated and formerly incarcerated adults.
UESF “urge members to: write letters to their local representatives, sign-onto the letters opposing the jail, meet with supervisors in SF to formally voice their opposition, and hold an event or a press conference to make the opposition public.”
Encouraged by overwhelming support from UESF, advocates intend to take a similar resolution to the Central Labor Council in order to galvanize further opposition from San Francisco workers to the proposed new jail.
“Last week Sheriff Mirkarimi said publicly that San Francisco might not even need a new jail, now the teachers have said resoundingly that they won’t accept the shortsighted jail proposal,” said Andrea Salinas a San Francisco resident and member of Critical Resistance. “As we await the updated jail population memo from the Controller, we expect further evidence that this jail is impractical, wasteful of city resources and taxpayer money, and grievous to the cities poorest and most disenfranchised.”
