Twelve Oakland faith leaders, including Faith in Action East Bay Executive Direct Dr. George Cummings, have formerly called for accountability over negligence, deaths at Santa Rita County Jail.
The move is part of a larger, growing movement for Alameda County justice system reform.
Alameda County’s Santa Rita jail, run by Sheriff Gregory Ahern, has been the target of multiple lawsuits over jail conditions and has had the most in-custody deaths in Northern California: at least 58 in-custody deaths since 2014, including 19 suicides.
As a result, the county continues to hemorrhage millions of taxpayer dollars on settlements and legal fees for this mismanagement – the most recent costing upwards of $300 million.
A demonstration is planned for Tuesday May 24 at 11:30 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors on Oak and 12th streets in Oakland to protest a culture of death at the jail and this dysfunctional incarceration system.
The full list of faith leaders who have signed can be found here and registration for the demonstration is here.
Learn about the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Our Jails.