[Peace-discuss] Should AWARE sign on to statement against a new Champaign County jail?

[Carl G. Estabrook]

Sounds like a good plan, Stuart.

I'd object to signing in AWARE's name only because it's removed from AWARE's remit - opposition to the war and its attendant racism. 

Perhaps AWARE members should sign as individuals. --CGE


On Feb 20, 2013, at 12:15 PM, Stuart Levy <stuartnlevy at gmail.com> wrote:

> Question for AWARE: should we sign on to the statement below, even though we won't have had time to discuss it in person?
> 
> C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice and others have been organizing against Champaign County going forward with plans to build a new jail, and looking instead at alternatives to incarceration and better ways to protect public safety.
> 
> On Feb. 21st, 7PM, the County Board will meet with the jail-needs consultant.   CUCPJ will be reading statements of support from local organizations.   We could be one of them.
> 
> Should AWARE sign on to this?   Unfortunately it came out too late to be considered at our Sunday meeting.
> 
> Proposed process: If anyone is at all uncomfortable with either the statement below, or with our making a decision by e-mail rather than in person, then I think we should decline.   If no one objects and we get at least as many positive responses as we'd get at a well-attended meeting (say eight people), then we can say Yes.   How about that?
> 
> You can write back either to the list, or to me.
> 
>> The Champaign County Board is considering a proposal to spend $20 million on new jail cells.  Under this proposal, the Board would pay for this jail construction from our public safety sales tax which currently brings in about $4 million per year.  We, the undersigned organizations, believe the County must change its priorities in terms of public safety.  Instead of building new jail cells, public safety tax revenues  should go to fund preventive services and programs that will keep people out of jail. These           include:  youth job training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, re-entry programs for people returning home from prison and measures to address the racial discrepancies in the jail population.  We urge the Board to work with the community to make these alternatives to incarceration a reality.
> 
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