It's been awhile! I hope you all are well. Updates welcome!
I realize so many folks have moved away.*
This is a request for friends who live or work in SF especially (you are welcome to call in from elsewhere too!):
Tomorrow Friday 6/25 is the last chance to call into the SF Board of Supervisors to give public comment about the city's budget for 2021-2023.
I am new to calling in for public comment and although it's kind of scary (ok, or slightly terrifying), it's also an easy way to take action and have your voice be heard, representing those who aren't able to call in. If you want any support around it, please let me know.
I'm forwarding a note from my partner Jesse Stout, who has spent years collaboratively working to close SF County Jail 4 (850 Bryant) with No New Jails SF Coalition, and they succeeded last year!
The amount spent to keep that jail open was $24.7 million/yr. Shockingly, instead of SF's city budget refunding that money for essential community services, they are instead proposing to increase the Sheriff's budget by a similar amount. Please call in tomorrow to ask for that money to be refunded to community services!
Here's Jesse's memo, as well as the No New Jails newsletter below, for more info text alerts + talking points links.
Public comment starts at 10am, and we hope will go through the day, so please call in when you can:
Please make a call this Fri to defund the SF Sheriff? I spent much of the 6yrs 2015-2020 advocating to close SF’s big downtown jail, and last fall we succeeded.
Since then I’ve been trying to get SF to change its budget accordingly: that jail cost $24.7M/yr to operate, and we want those funds taken away from the Sheriff and reinvested in healthcare and human services.
This Fri 6/25 is the last chance to call into the Board Of Supervisors to give public comment about the budget.
If you click here we’ll send you a text message on Friday to remind you and give you some talking points.
If you’re busy Friday or you don’t live in SF, just click here to send an email.
Or for more info, read our letter about it below.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From:
NNSFJ Coalition <in...@email.actionnetwork.org>Date: Tue, Jun 22, 2021 at 8:30 AM
Subject: Rally Thursday / Call-in Friday / Let's Robinhood Some SHF$$
Friends of justice and foes of sheriffs/jails,
This is a big week for our City budget!
- Join us in front of City Hall to demand a budget that puts people over cops & cages with Budget Justice Coalition and the CART SF Coalition on Thursday, 6/24 at 11:30 a.m. RSVP/details here.
- RSVP/call in for public comment on Friday, 6/25 starting at 10 a.m.
This Friday, June 25, aka Public Comment Day, is the FINAL OPPORTUNITY to give real-time public comment to the SF Board of Supervisors before they vote on this year's budget. The hearing will start at 10 a.m. and will likely go into the late afternoon or evening. Please call in! Tell them: with the 850 Bryant jail closed, we want that money reinvested in housing and healthcare. It's past time to #RefundFrisco with the jail savings!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC COMMENT: The SF Budget Hearing starts with public comment at 10am.
Can’t make it to public comment?
- Use our email template to send the BOS an email comment.
- Participate in our letter campaign and join the support of 60 community organizations!
We hope you can join us in ensuring that previous Hall of "Justice" funds go to building robust community resources for all of us, instead of harmful carceral systems!
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NoNewSFJails Coalition · 427 S Van Ness Ave · San Francisco, CA 94103-3629 · USA
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