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John,
I'm going to be real with you: our town hall Wednesday changed lives.
I may have been sitting with the panelists, but I listened and learned as much as every volunteer, community member, and friend in the audience. We heard from Truth Tellers who spent years, even decades, incarcerated. As I addressed them myself, I said: "You were a person walking in the door, you're a person walking out. It didn't change because you went inside the system." |
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Everyone's stories matter, but the ones we heard Wednesday are the ones we rarely hear. Here are some of the most powerful moments.
Patty, Truth Teller: "I heard Cori talking about women are the fastest-growing population for prisons. Actually, Missouri is number one. It's been 700%. That's the increase in women since the 1980s."
Daryll, Truth Teller: "[In prison,] they got a grievance process, but it's a trick too. Because once you file that grievance, they coming for you. They'll harass you, retaliate; so now, a lot of people are scared. There's a lot of stuff that we never hear about, because they're scared."
Ronnie, Truth Teller: "One of the guys who was like a father figure to me had gotten injured... And he would go ask for help, walking like an old man, like everything in his body hurt. But what they implied was: 'you're faking. You've got life without parole, and you're just trying to get out.' ... Come to find out, he not only had those issues, but he had cancer as well."
Dominique, Panelist: "There are a lot of people still sitting in county jails that are pending charges. And at the end of the day that feeds into the prison-industrial complex as well. We hear the story of a young brother that lost his life, Kalief Browder, who sat inside of jail when he wasn't even convicted, sitting there for over three years."
Bruce Franks, Former MO State Rep: "Our prison population, wherever that prison is, it's counted as that county's population. That's a problem. Because some of these districts wouldn't even be districts if those prisons weren't there. Those prisons are there and they're counted as constituents but they don't have to do anything for them." |
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In Missouri, formerly incarcerated folks regain the right to vote after completion of probation and parole. Now, community organizations are focused on #UnlockingTheVote for 90,000 citizens on probation and parole across Missouri. Thanks to Patty's advocacy, 900 people have been released from Missouri correctional facilities after we finally put an end to minimum sentencing. This is just the beginning.
For some people, these stories hit close to home. For others, they were the first real-life stories they’ve heard about prison. But for all of us, their testimonies serve as a reminder of our moral obligation to dramatically reimagine and reform our prison system.
Wednesday night was just a taste of how powerful political change can be when it comes from the grassroots up. One of our Truth Tellers, Maria, said: "What I've been looking for is a force behind me to fight. They need to be held accountable, and I can't do this alone."
Come 2020, I'll be that force in Congress, fighting behind you and beside you, every step of the way.
If you are interested in a list of resources from our panelists and how to get involved in the prison reform movement, email [email protected].
In solidarity, Cori |
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Copyright © 2019 Cori Bush for Congress, All rights reserved. Paid for by the Cori Bush for Congress campaign
Our mailing address is: 75 North Oaks Plaza, St Louis, Mo, 63121 |
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