Decarcerate Kansas City
Summary and Findings of the Jackson County Jail Grand Jury Report
Discussion
The Kansas City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America endorses the 2019 Kansas City Black Mama’s Bailout. We recognize that the legal system unfairly punishes and criminalizes people of color and the poor. As we work to dismantle the prison industrial complex, we also support freeing as many people as possible from the inhumane conditions under incarceration. This Mother’s Day we commit to freeing moms and sending them home to their families. ____ Kansas City DSA's Bowling for Bail Fundraising Event: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/2019-bowling-for-bail/ ____ This year Reale Justice Network & Social Justice Doulas International is teaming up with National Bail Out to bring a Black Mama's Bail Out to Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City Kansas. Since 1980, the number of incarcerated people has grown by 500%. Fed by a racist War on Drugs, that our current Attorney General Jeff Sessions is trying to resurrect, millions of people have been taken from their families. Pre-trial incarceration has catastrophic impacts on our communities in particular. Black people are over two times more likely to be arrested and once arrested are twice as likely to be caged before trial. Our LBGTQ and gender nonconforming family are targeted and caged at even more alarming rates, and once in jail are significantly more likely to be sexually and physically abused. For instance, one in five transgender women have spent time in prison or jail and one in three of them reported being sexually assaulted while there. Every day tens of thousands of people languish in jail simply because they cannot afford bail. In addition to the over $9 billion wasted to incarcerate people who have been convicted of no crime, pretrial incarceration has catastrophic impacts on families and communities.Even a few days in jail can ruin a person’s life. They may lose their job, their family may lose housing and some even lose their children. “When mothers languish in jail because of money bail, our families and communities suffer. Women and femmes often lose their jobs, housing or even children only to be found innocent. Some, like Sandra Bland, have lost their lives. The cost to the children Black women and femmes nurture, the partners they love and the communities they hold is incalculable”, NBO. We can buy their freedom and push against mass criminalization and modern bondage. We are working with community groups, organizations, grassroots orgs, nonprofits and businesses to raise money to bail mama's out for mothers day. We plan to bail moms out from Jackson County jail first and then Wyandotte County and then other surrounding counties until funds are depleted. Donations will cover bail and other support services. ___ Learn more about the national campaign that we are participating in: http://nationalbailout.org