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John,

HAPPENING NOW: 263 people have been released from the Fulton County Jail.
This morning, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners released a report
showing the population in the grossly overcrowded jail has been reduced by
7% since early September 2023. 

John, this a critical step forward in clearing the backlog of
people being held pretrial in the Fulton County Jail, but the fight isn't
over. 

The conditions in the Fulton County Jail continue to be so deplorable that
the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating.^1 More than 20 people
have died in the jail during the past year alone.^2

Lashawn Thompson, a 35-year-old Black man, died while incarcerated at the
Fulton County Jail. Lashawn was found on Sept. 13, 2022, in his cell,
covered with insect bites and feces. He had been in custody for three
months on a misdemeanor assault charge. Here’s the thing, John,
Lashawn was being held pretrial because he was unable to pay a $2,500
bail. No one should be locked in a cage simply because they can’t afford
to pay bail. It’s time for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to
clear the backlog and process cases in a timely manner.

[ [link removed] ]John, we need your help demanding that DA Willis clear the
backlog and ensure a speedy trial.

[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell fani willis to CLEAR THE BACKLOG

Lashawn isn’t alone. Fulton County is a national outlier in the number of
people held behind bars until their trial. There is a backlog of more than
10,000 cases. There are currently thousands of people who can’t work, take
care of their families or maintain their lives because they are too poor
to pay bail. 

Too many people are being held — and too many are dying — because of the
failures of DA Willis to process cases in a timely fashion. The impact on
Black communities is two-fold: Too many Black people are locked up because
of a disproportionate number of interactions with police officers. And
because they don’t have the money to pay bail, they stay locked up longer,
which hurts families and communities. Public officials like DA Willis have
the resources to invest in comprehensive public safety measures and
significantly reduce jail populations.

[ [link removed] ]We must demand better, John. Call on DA Willis to put an end
to the atrocities at the Fulton County Jail. That starts with clearing the
backlog and ensuring no one is being held pretrial because of their
financial status.

[ [link removed] ]SIGN THE PETITION: nO ONE SHOULD BE LOCKED UP PRETRIAL

With your help, we can make our demands clear. People’s lives are on the
line.

Thank you for joining us in this urgent fight.

Until Justice Is Real, 

The Government Affairs Team at Color Of Change

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References: 

1.[ [link removed] ][link removed]

2.[ [link removed] ][link removed]



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