Smart Justice Spokane
Re-open Spokane County with justice, safety, and liberty for all

Will you add your voice to the call from the Smart Justice Spokane coalition? Urge local elected officials to re-open Spokane County with justice, safety, and liberty for all.

When you sign your name, we'll send your email with the message below to County Commissioner Kuney, County Commissioner French, County Commissioner Kerns,  County Commissioner Kuney, Sheriff Knezovich, Prosecuting Attorney Haskell, Mayor Woodward, Spokane City Council President Beggs, Council Member Burke, Council Member Cathcart, Council Member Wilkerson, Council Member Kinnear, Council Member Mumm, Council Member Stratton, Superior Court Presiding Judge Clarke, District Court Presiding Judge Smith, Municipal Court Presiding Judge Antush, Judge Moreno, SRLJC Vice Chair Bingham,  Dr. Bob Lutz, Law and Justice Administrator Yates, and Jail Director Sparber.

These decision-makers must use proven solutions to implement ongoing covid-19 strategy, keep our loved ones out of jail, end racial disparities, and increase access to treatment and services!

This is an action of the Smart Justice Spokane coalition which is being hosted by coalition member organization Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS). By using this action page, you will not be added to any email or text list unless you choose to opt in to the PJALS email alert or text alert lists.

 

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Contact Information
If you're signing on behalf of an organization, please include organizational info here.

By filling out your title and organization below, you're certifying you have the authority to sign this message on behalf of this organization.

Dear [elected official],

As our County and courts re-open, we call on you to use COVID-19 funds and other resources to fund proven solutions to implement ongoing COVID-19 strategy, keep jail numbers low, end racial disparities, and increase access to treatment and services. The long term COVID-19 threat must mean we do not increase jail beds with tents or a new jail. We call on you to ensure justice, safety, and liberty prevail for the most vulnerable members of our society: 1. Ensure racial equity in continued public health releases for the safety of our loved ones and community. 2. As courts re-open, work transparently with community members to keep our loved ones out of jail: a. Use proven solutions including jail diversion and increased culturally-appropriate treatment, recovery, and re-entry supports. b. Change arrest policies that criminalize poverty, homelessness, and addiction. c. End cash bail, fully fund pretrial services, expedite pretrial reform, and make sure public defenders have the resources needed. Stop forcing our family members to serve a sentence while still presumed innocent. 3. Prevent coronavirus exposure via the criminal justice system with measures including: a. Personal protective equipment including masks in accordance with the direction of the Spokane County Health Officer. b. Regular, consistent testing of all jail staff, everyone booked or incarcerated, and all criminal justice system staff. c. Coordination with the Health District for science-based best practices in all phases. 4. Apply race equity analysis tools and outcome measurements in all phases of this pandemic crisis response, in all areas of the criminal justice system and related governmental agencies. Publicly release analysis, plans, and actions to create racial equity, along with frequent and regular data on the numbers and racial demographics of who is in our jail and who has access to alternative programs. 5. Sustain active, intentional, and transparent engagement with credible impacted population community leaders. 6. Interrupt the implicit social conditioning to which we are all subject and from which none of us are immune, with tools such as Implicit Bias Bench Cards. This crisis is an opportunity to invest COVID-19 and other federal/state funding in historically underserved communities with culturally-appropriate treatment, support services, education, housing, jobs, and neighborhood resources to create a vibrant and healthy Spokane County where all families can thrive. When we give our loved ones the chance to recover from addiction, mental illness, and trauma, we make this a community where people come together from different places and different races to make things better for future generations.

Sincerely, [Your information here]

Smart Justice Spokane

This Smart Justice Spokane coalition action is hosted by Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane, a member of the coalition. Smart Justice Spokane is organizing to end mass incarceration and systemic racism in our Spokane regional criminal system.

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