[ [link removed] ][IMG]
John, Biden told us he would be the President to end mass
incarceration. Instead, he’s sending thousands of our elders back to
prison.
These are mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children who were deemed
high risk for COVID-19 and released from prison to finish their sentences
on home confinement.
They’ve spent the past year getting reacquainted with family and friends,
and supporting their communities. But the Administration’s legal team just
decided to uphold a Trump-era policy that will force these 4,500 people,
many of whom are elders, to be re-incarcerated once the pandemic is
declared over.^1
John, this is where you come in. Biden can grant them clemency
and commute their sentences, but the White House is more worried about
political fallout than preserving justice.
[ [link removed] ]Sign our petition to demand clemency and let Biden know that the real
political fallout is ripping 4,500 people from their families.
When Biden took office, he vowed to overhaul the criminal justice system,
cut the prison population by more than half, and expand programs that
offer alternatives to incarceration.
But unless he grants clemency to those on home confinement, the
Administration will be presiding over the fastest expansion of the federal
prison population in history.
And John, it’s not enough to just keep folks on home
confinement to finish their sentences.
Home confinement is an extension of the prison system. [ [link removed] ]Our people
belong at home with their families without conditions.
Take Gwen Levi for example: a 76-year old mother, grandmother, and cancer
survivor who was finishing her sentence on home confinement when she was
re-incarcerated for missing a call from her case manager while taking a
computer skills class.
Thanks to her legal team and public outcry from over 55k Color of Change
members, Ms. Levi was sent home on compassionate release.
But thousands remain on home confinement with no certainty about what the
future brings. Should they enroll in school or try to get a job? Or will
they be sent back to prison in the near future?
[ [link removed] ]This is clearly about punishment, not public safety or rehabilitation.
We need Biden to grant clemency now!
Not only is clemency a vital corrective mechanism in a criminal justice
system that unfairly and unjustly criminalizes Black communities, but
clemency from Biden specifically can also serve as a starting point for
redress for his role in architecting the 1994 crime bill that has harmed
so many Black people.
President Biden promised to turn back the tide on decades of mass
incarceration that he once promoted.
John, if he refuses to use his clemency powers for this group
of people who have been successfully and safely living on home confinement
for the past year, then what hope do we have that he’ll follow through on
his commitment to justice?
Biden has not yet made a decision on what he will do, and there’s still
time to move him to action.
[ [link removed] ]Join us in demanding Biden grant clemency to 4,500 people on home
confinement today!
Until Justice is Real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Megan, Erika, Malachi, Ernie, Palika, Madison,
Ariel, Trevor, Ana, McKayla, and the rest of the Color Of Change team.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES:
1. [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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