It’s official: County Jail 4 in 850 Bryant St has closed its doors! There are no people being imprisoned there, and we have officially shut it down.
On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at the SF Sentencing Commission’s Safety & Justice Challenge Subcommittee meeting, city leaders including representatives of the SF District Attorney and the SF Public Defender released the first draft of the subcommittee’s “Final Report” on the successful completion of the operational plan to close County Jail 4.
We couldn’t have done it without each of you. You met us in the streets. You met us at City Hall. You showed up and called in to give public comment. And, as of September 5, County Jail 4 has officially reached a “zero” jail count, effectively closing its doors for good. We want to take a moment to appreciate your support and dedication over the years, and especially over the past several months. Our people power and persistence is what passed legislation, introduced by Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer in tandem with the No New SF Jail Coalition, to close County Jail 4 after decades of inaction by our city. The legislation also prohibits San Francisco from transferring imprisoned people out-of-county and restricts the city from building a new jail.
Despite the pandemic, wildfires, and countless other urgent matters, our supporters also showed up to even more digital actions and public comment sessions after Sheriff Paul Miyamoto announced initial plans to keep using the jail to house kitchen and laundry workers, as well as continue using the jail’s holding cells. While the Sheriff will temporarily continue bringing incarcerated workers to cook meals and do laundry for County Jail 2, the closure of the jail without exceptions for the use of holding cells or for housing kitchen and laundry workers is nothing less than a People’s victory. Our coalition remains committed to monitoring this closure until “closed” means “closed” for every single person, including the 17 incarcerated kitchen workers who are expected to keep cooking meals at County Jail 4 until early next year.
The Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street has been slated for demolition since 1996, and has since gotten more dilapidated. In 2013, then-Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi sought to build a new replacement jail – a move that was met with swift opposition from community members, formerly imprisoned people, and housing and healthcare advocates. As a result of pressure from the No New SF Jail Coalition, the Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected the idea of a new jail in 2015.
We are so proud of the work we have done together. Our victory demonstrates that we can make real, material gains against the prison industrial complex through committed and sustained organizing. We hope you will keep an eye out as we send updates and plan our Coalition’s next steps in the ongoing fight toward abolition. In the meantime, we invite you to continue joining us at our Abolition in Action event series to engage in political education and keep up the abolitionist momentum. All power to the people! Free them all!
We look forward to continue strengthening our movement for a jail-free San Francisco with you.
With Gratitude,
No New SF Jail Coalition
No New SF Jails 