John,

For decades, our nation has been complacent in allowing unarmed Black and Brown community members to experience ever-escalating police violence and ostracization. Laquan McDonald, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Jessica Hernandez, Tamir Rice, Jonathan Ferrell, Oscar Grant, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and many many others like Anthony Hill here in DeKalb County.

Innocent people, killed by the police, who should be alive today.

How do we begin to fix this? Overhauling a decades-old system built on the exploitation of half of our community may seem daunting, but the solutions are straightforward.

In fact, many of the reforms we need in our country right now can be implemented at the local level, through elections picking the District Attorney, Solicitor General, Sheriff, Mayors, and County Commissioners.

Here in DeKalb County I will lead on introducing legislation to support restorative justice measures, end the war on drugs, and establish new innovative policing models to enhance transparency, oversight and community involvement in public safety

SIGN ON TO MY CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FOR ALL OF DEKALB PLAN - [link removed]

That's why I'm introducing my Criminal Justice Reform for All of DeKalb Plan. A multi-pronged policy approach to reduce mass incarceration, remedy racial bias in policing, create a restorative justice-focused court system, and by recognizing the link between school performance and the prison population end the school to prison pipeline paradigm.

Here are the highlights:

-Decriminalize Marijuana Possession and deprioritize it as a policing strategy. Take a firm stance on ending the costly and racially unjust war on drugs
-End Cash Bail, by establishing a DeKalb Bail Fund modeled after Brooklyn the Fund, introduce civilian court watchers program, implement the National Association of Black County Officials' resolution on pretrial justice reform - [link removed]
-Establish a new civilian-led policing model; developing a permanent connective system between residents, business owners, and the public safety department. - [link removed]
-Support Incarcerated Women, by ensuring that they have access to communication with their families, trauma-informed care, and free basic hygiene products.
-End ICE cooperation, reaffirm DeKalb County's opposition to acting on behalf of Federal Immigration Authorities in enforcing federal law. Local police need to focus on stopping real crimes, not pushing families in the shadows of our community.
-Expand Police Athletic League Program (PAL); partner with every police jurisdiction (MARTA, DeKalb Schools, University and Colleges, and Municipalities), to expand universal afterschool program coverage through the PAL mentoring program.

John, we need to reform the criminal justice system in our country at ALL LEVELS, if you are concerned about mass incarceration, racial bias in policing, or an oppressive court system, will you help me pass my Restorative Justice for All of DeKalb policy platform?

The changes needed to the justice system are immense, and require advocacy and reform at the federal, state and county level. I will keep pushing for change at all levels, and I will lead at the local county level to make reforms now.

Together, we can move DeKalb forward. Our work will influence others to make change, and together we will build a critical mass of communities speaking with one voice, demanding fairness and justice for all. [link removed]

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- Ted

P.S. - After you've donated - Please sign on to our Restorative Justice for All of DeKalb Plan ([link removed]) and share with your friends. Help us recruit more people into our movement for a more just DeKalb County. Thank you!