On May 13th, the City of San Francisco Work Group to Re-envision the Jail Replacement Project met for the third time. The group will be meeting monthly until October, when they plan to make proposals to City leaders about how to close the jail at 850 Bryant and create alternative programs to imprisonment.
Several members of the No New SF Jail Coalition have joined this City Work Group and we are also encouraging members of the public to attend the monthly meetings in order to provide public comment and ensure we stay on the right track!
Recap of the May meeting:
At the May meeting, the Work Group was presented with proposals addressing what they are calling “Intercepts 1 and 2”, the points at which people come into contact with law enforcement and a person’s initial arrest and detention. Members of the Work Group and members of the public also responded to the introduction of “Intercept 0” which has been added into the Intercept Model in order to point to the need to change conditions before contact with law enforcement. While we applauded the introduction of this point into the framework, members of the No New SF Jail Coalition and others stressed the need for real policy change, resources, and funding to address Intercept 0, rather than just a theoretical framework. Additionally workgroup members stressed the need to integrate an understanding of the ways policing and jailing target people of color and poor people in order to really address this type of structural oppression.
No New SF Jail Coalition members introduced our “8 Guiding Steps Towards Ending Jailing” to the City Work Group and members of the public in attendance. The guiding steps were well received, with Work Group members discussing in small groups throughout the meeting and using the steps as a reference point when developing concrete proposals.
Upcoming meeting:
The Coalition hopes to continue to contribute specific feedback and research towards a jail-free San Francisco. We are currently working on our own decarceration plan for the city and researching issues such as bail bond reform and pre-trial release programs in order to give concrete recommendations.
We encourage you to join us at these meetings. San Francisco is currently engaged in an historic process. Come be a part of it!
Next Meeting: June 10th from 2-5pm
25 Van Ness, Room 610, Near SF Civic Center
We need your public comment at these monthly meetings to continue to uplift community based alternatives to imprisonment! Contact nosfjail@curbprisonspending.org for more info.
No New SF Jails 