On May 24 local faith leaders and community members protested deaths at Alameda County Jail and presented demands to the County Board of Supervisors.
There have been more than 58 in-custody deaths at Alameda County Jail since 2014. Several of the deaths were murders and 18 have been suicides. The Sheriff’s spokesman deplores the deaths, but claims they can’t be prevented. The Board of Supervisors cannot stand by and allow the deaths of mostly Black and Brown people to remain invisible. They need to take action now!
11:30 Memorialize those that have died by placing flowers and photos on an altar
11:40-12:50: Speakers from family members, the clergy, and attorneys for the deceased,
11:45-12:45: Reading of the names of an estimated total of 63 people that have died
WHO: The Interfaith Coalition for Justice in our Jails (ICJJJ) is a program of Faith in Action East Bay (FIAEB): a multi-faith, multi-ethnic federation of congregations, schools and community organizations representing thousands of families in the East Bay. Together, we work on issues such as conditions in the Alameda County Jail and reducing the incarceration of seriously mentally ill people. www.icjjalamedacounty.org
FASMI: Alameda County Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill. acfasmi.org
Sponsors:
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill East Bay and Alameda County Chapters
Legal Service for Prisoners with Children; All of Us or None
East Bay Supportive Housing Collaborative
Bay Area Faith Leaders Working Group, California Poor People’s Campaign