Decarceration Day of Action Thursday!

The Gamaliel Network calls on state and national leaders to decarcerate in light of growing pandemic

CHICAGO, Illinois—The Gamaliel Network will host a Facebook Live event on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 pm ET calling for immediate decarceration of vulnerable populations in our jails, prisons, and detention centers.
 
“With the rapid spread of COVID-19,” said Rev. Dr. John Welch, Chair of the Gamaliel Board of Directors, “No individual, community, or institution is invulnerable to its effects, and that includes the jails, prisons, and immigrant detention centers in this country which are particularly vulnerable as a result of overcrowding, limited health care options and supplies, and the constant movement in and out of these facilities by corrections staff.  It is essential that we take steps immediately to protect the most vulnerable among us—including those who are incarcerated—and limit this potentially historic pandemic.”
 
The Facebook Live event will include testimonies from impacted people, as well as a demand for action with immediate steps that key decision-makers can take to drastically reduce the incarcerated population and reduce the potential for wider spread of the coronavirus.
 
The event is open to the public.  To join, go to the Gamaliel Network Facebook page:  facebook.com/gamalielnetwork
Members of the media are asked to register at:  https://forms.gle/tHjKwrbfsy1XGmUK8
 
“This is no time for business as usual,” said Welch.  “We have a moral obligation to act immediately and aggressively to stop the spread of the virus and protect ALL of the members of our communities.”

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 Chattanoogans In Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence (CALEB() is an institutional coalition of faith-based, labor, and community groups working to build power to affect change in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, TN. CALEB is a Gamaliel affiliate.
 
Gamaliel is a faith-based, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and non-partisan grassroots organizing network located in 15 states and 44 communities whose mission is: a) to train ordinary people, primarily in low-income communities and communities of color, to effectively participate in the political, environmental, social, and economic decisions affecting their lives; and b) to build a diverse corps of grassroots leaders committed to transforming the systems and structures that perpetuate racial and economic inequity.