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John, Hurricane Milton is set to hit Florida today, and Ron DeSantis has not lifted a finger to ensure the protection of ALL incarcerated folks in jails or prisons in dangerous areas that the storm is hitting.
Right now, a few facilities have already been evacuated and relocated — but more is needed. This cannot be a county-by-county decision. We need clear action across the state — no incarcerated person can be left behind. Thousands are still vulnerable.
Hurricane Milton is predicted to be catastrophic, and Governor Ron DeSantis MUST have an evacuation plan in place for every single person currently in jail or prison that are vulnerable to the hurricane. If he does not act, Governor DeSantis will have the blood of thousands on his hands.
Florida is the third largest state prison system in the country, and Black people are overrepresented in the population by huge numbers.
To make this inhumane system even worse, a large number of those in prisons or jails across the state are pre-trial, in holding, can't make bail, or in for misdemeanors. Keeping them in facilities that will be hit by Hurricane Milton is a death sentence.
Can you join us to demand that Governor DeSantis act, and share a plan to evacuate and relocate all of those in Florida’s prisons and jails to safe areas? We refuse to watch as Ron DeSantis continues to shirk his responsibility. We don’t have time to waste, and Hurricane Milton is now being categorized as a category five Hurricane.
We know when it comes to natural disasters like this, it is the least visible who are hit the hardest.
It’s leaders like Governor DeSantis who only think of their own safety. While they flee to a safer area of the state, they leave thousands at the mercy of the storm.
We saw this during Hurricane Katrina – many people fled, but people in prisons and jails were forgotten about and left to die.
People incarcerated during Katrina recall being left for days in dirty water up to their necks with no food or water. They were maced and had dogs set on them for attempting to drink water. Many more prisoners died in their cells waiting for staff or the state to act.
The carceral system is always a symbol of white supremacy. The treatment of Black and brown people as disposable and worthless was strikingly clear during Katrina, and is now in certain counties in Florida, too — the prison system stole thousands of lives by refusing to act.
The prison industrial system doesn’t protect us, it doesn’t care about us. It exists only to reinforce white supremacy and to tear apart families and communities.
We cannot let history repeat itself in Florida. We will not allow the same negligence in New Orleans to occur in Florida.
DeSantis must act now before it’s too late. Hurricane Milton has hit, and we need to demand that he put an evacuation plan in place for all of the incarcerated population of Florida.
We dream of a world in which prisons, jails, and the entire carceral system are abolished. We dream of a world in which we are free and lives are protected before natural disasters hit.
Whether it’s New Orleans or Florida, all forms of incarceration are in opposition to our collective Black future.
In solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
Our grassroots movement is pushing for Black liberation every single day. We are striving to create a world where Black people do so much more than just survive. It’s time we thrive.
As an organization one of our biggest hurdles is consistency.
A recurring contribution of anything you can afford goes a long way as we plan for the months, years, and even decades ahead. This is the most effective way for small-dollar donors (like you) to power our Black liberation work.
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