[ [link removed] ][IMG]

John,

Did you know that Color Of Change has a billboard in Times Square right
now calling on Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance to stop sending
people to their death on Rikers Island?

We have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the ongoing humanitarian
crisis at Rikers and throughout NYC jails. And the situation is only
getting more desperate as the crisis drags on.   

14 people have died just this year:

Say their names: Stephan Khadu, Tomas Carlo, Thomas Braunson III, Jose
Mejia Martinez, Brandon Rodriguez, Segundo Guallpa, Isa Abdul-Karim,
Javier Velasco, Richard Blake, Robert Jackson, Wilson Diaz-Guzman, Esias
Johnson, Victor Mercado, and Anthony Scott. 

Enough is enough. Join us in calling on the 5 NYC District Attorneys to
use their power to act now and safely decarcerate Rikers Island. 

[ [link removed] ]send a letter: demand nyc district attorneys let our people go

John, since we last emailed our members about the crisis at
Rikers, we have 

- Coauthored a letter with the Vera Institute for Justice demanding that
District Attorneys take action

- Published an Op-Ed in the New York Daily News titled "Free More People
from Rikers Right Now"

- Got a billboard in Times Square to educate people on the issue and push
them to take action

Now John, we need your help to continue putting on the pressure
till our people come home.

[ [link removed] ]take action: let's decarcerate Rikers Island now 

John, this crisis doesn’t impact all people equally. Close to
90% of the people at Rikers Island are Black or Latinx.

What's happening at Rikers is a racial justice issue fueled by mass
incarceration. And people are being sentenced to death before even being
convicted of a crime. 

64-year old Victor Mercado contracted and died from COVID-19 while sitting
in jail because he couldn't afford the exorbitant $100,000 bail set for
his case. He had been granted compassionate release 1 hour before he died.

DAs keep asking for bail, and in amounts that defendants can’t pay,
condemning people - almost all Black and brown, to what officials have
described as hell on earth.

This is despite evidence from court data and community bail funds that
show that most people will return to court if released pretrial. 

Let’s be clear, no one should have to sit in a jail cell because they
don’t have the financial means to pay bail. 

^[ [link removed] ]no one deserves to die because they can't afford bailUntil Justice is
Real,

Scott, Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Malachi, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Ariel,
Madison, Trevor, Erick, Ana, Kristiana, McKayla and the Color Of Change
team



This email was sent to [email protected].

If you're absolutely sure you don't want to hear from Color Of Change again, click here to unsubscribe:
[link removed]