In the wake of COVID-19, CURB, California Coalition for Women Prisoners and The DROP LWOP Coalition join with public health officials, families of incarcerated people, incarcerated people, and community advocates in demanding that Governor Newsom and the state legislature take immediate action to execute their legal responsibility to protect vulnerable people in prisons, especially older and sick people, including those serving Life Without Parole sentences (LWOP), by commuting their sentences and/or expediting their release. We endorse the demands made by the Justice Collaborative Letter to Governor Newsom, especially those highlighting the impact COVID-19 will have on aging prison populations. To learn more about the inhumanity of Life Without Parole sentences, read the DROP LWOP Campaign Fact Sheet.
Take Action Tomorrow: #ClemencyCoast2Coast
Tomorrow, March 27, please join us, California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), The Parole Preparation Project and Releasing Aging People In Prison (RAPP Campaign) as organizers in California and New York call on both Governor Cuomo and Governor Newsom to grant clemencies and other releases IMMEDIATELY for elders in prison and others in prison who are vulnerable to COVID-19.
Below are three tweets and images directed at both governors with actions we will take throughout the day. If your schedule allows, plan to join us for our “twitter power hour” at 12 pm PST/3 pm EST. We will dedicate this time to call and tweet as much as we can. If you cannot join for that time, tweeting and calling whenever you can throughout the day also is great.
Here is a link to this toolkit to share with your networks and here are the actions we ask you to take:
1. Twitter Selfie Campaign: We are combining our Cuomo Selfie Campaign with California’s and calling on both governors to grant #ClemencyCoast2Coast. Instructions on how to participate are below:
Tweet: TAKE ACTION: I am joining the movement to call on @NYGovCuomo and @GavinNewsom to grant #ClemencyNow to elders and others vulnerable to #COVID19. This is a public health crisis and it is beyond time to #LetThemGo! #ClemencyCoast2Coast
What Tweet Will Look Like:
2. Call-in Campaign: Call both governors and encourage others to do the same by tweeting the tweet and image below.
Tweet: URGENT: Call @NYGovCuomo & @GavinNewsom on behalf of thousands of incarcerated NYers and Californians who are vulnerable to #COVID19. Prisons, jails & detention centers are no place to quarantine or protect people from this pandemic. Tell them to #LetThemGo! #ClemencyCoast2Coast
Image:
3. Tracking Clemencies: Lastly, we will show how little both of our so-called “progressive” governors have done to release incarcerated people during this crisis.
Tweet: Since the outbreak of #COVID19, @NYGovCuomo & @GavinNewsom have used their clemency power to release ZERO people. Where are our “progressive” governors? We need action NOW or preventable deaths will become death by incarceration sentences. #ClemencyCoast2Coast #ClemencyNow
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