A 15-year-old Black girl was sent to jail for not doing her homework.
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
#FreeGrace: Demand she is released now!
[ [link removed] ]FREE GRACE!
John,
Have you heard the story about Grace?
15-year-old Grace, a Black girl from Michigan, was sent to jail during the
height of the pandemic because she didn’t complete her homework.^1 Rather
than implementing a humane plan to get her back on track, Judge Mary Ellen
Brennan decided to punish her with months in a cage.
How did we get here? And why was jail time the only remedy for a
15-year-old girl?
Simply put, the school to prison pipeline is real.
Far too often, schools, prosecutors, and elected officials take a “zero
tolerance” approach when dealing with behavioral problems in schools.
Minor infractions like cursing, not completing homework, fighting with
classmates, and missing class are seen as “criminal offenses” in the eyes
of the court. And because Black communities and schools are overpoliced,
Black children are disproportionately arrested and sent to juvenile
detention for these minor issues.
We shouldn’t have to say this, but here we are: Kids. Do. Not. Belong. In.
Cages.
[ [link removed] ]#FreeGrace: Demand Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper drop all
charges against Grace immediately.
At a May probation hearing for Grace, Judge Brennan, the presiding judge
of the Oakland County Family Court Division, sentenced her to juvenile
detention for violating her probation. Judge Brennan argued that Grace was
“guilty on failure to submit to any schoolwork and getting up for school.”
Our criminal legal system is hellbent on doling out punishment to Black
kids in court -- their safety and wellbeing be damned. Even in the height
of a deadly pandemic, Grace was separated from her family and sent to a
jail facility where she’s now at a higher risk of contracting and dying
from COVID-19. And that decision was upheld last week when Judge Brennan
denied Grace’s tragic pleas to be released from jail.^2
As shocking as her story is, there are thousands of Graces across the
country -- young Black girls who’ve been arrested, caged, and punished
instead of receiving the counseling, mental health treatment, and academic
support they need.
[ [link removed] ]Tell Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper: Free Grace Now!
Too often, Black and Brown kids are funneled from their schools to
juvenile detention centers for matters that should be handled at school --
minor offenses like disciplinary issues, tardiness, and truancy. What
Black students actually need are trained professionals who can support
them through high-stress environments. That means more counselors,
therapists, and mediation experts.
Judge Brennan and the Oakland County court would rather invest in
criminalizing a young Black girl than in her academic success and mental
health.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name now: Stand with us to #FreeGrace.
The criminal legal system should not have a role in disciplining our
children. But because of the lack of investment in schools, teachers, and
counselors, overfunded police departments, correctional systems, and jails
are used as an intervention for Black kids. And the numbers speak for
themselves. Black girls are six times more likely to be suspended than
their white counterparts. And in Michigan, Black youth are incarcerated
more than four times as often as white youth.^3
Elected leaders invest hundreds of millions of dollars into policing our
communities -- but what would it look like if this money were given to
counselors and teachers? What would it look like if resources were spent
on investing in the mental health of our kids? We have to stop the
systemic criminalization of Black youth starting with releases those who
are needlessly incarcerated.
[ [link removed] ]Grace must be released.
Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, Ernie,
McKayla and the rest of the Color Of Change team
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References:
1. "A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to
Juvenile Detention."
ProPublica. [ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. "Michigan judge denies release of teenage girl who was jailed after not
doing homework." NBC
News. [ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. "A Teenager Didn’t Do Her Online Schoolwork. So a Judge Sent Her to
Juvenile Detention."
ProPublica. [ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. "Cops and No Counselors."
ACLU. [ [link removed] ][link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.
[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation
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