Jill Mangaliman just wrote an article for the Seattle Globalist about the proposed new youth jail and the recent protests against it.  Have a read!

First, Ariel Wetzel wrote a great article about opposing the new youth jail in the Stranger, in response to a dismissive post by Dominic Holden about our organizing work.  Thanks for putting the facts out there, Ariel, and to all the other organizers who helped Ariel with the article.

Second, yesterday’s Festival of Resistance was great!  People came through all day, from noon until evening.  Thanks to the wonderful people who put on workshops, brought food, led art making, provided childcare, and set up the film screening! Special thanks to Movitas for leading us on a march around the jail. It was great to hear the youth inside knocking on the walls to let us know they heard our noise and support!

Press Release:

July 26: Opponents of King County’s Proposition 1 Demonstrate against Plans to Reconstruct Youth Jail and Courts

On July 26, residents who oppose King County’s Proposition 1, the proposed $210M “rehabilitation” of the youth jail and courts on 12^th Avenue and Alder, will gather at an all-afternoon “Festival of Resistance” on the jail grounds.

Proposition 1 is a tax levy that will raise the revenue to tear down and rebuild the jail and court buildings, which are in terrible condition. Opponents argue that it is not just this dilapidated youth jail building that is dangerous for youth—being locked up is dangerous to the physical and mental health of youth, harms their access to education, and has lasting negative effects in their lives.  King County should stop investing in criminalizing youth of color and poor youth while basic needs and services, like child care, drug treatment, health care, housing and income support are underfunded.

The juvenile punishment system in King County also targets youth of color.  According to a March 2012 report by the Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System, black youth are twice as likely as white youth to be arrested.  Black and native youth are more than twice as likely as white youth to be referred to court and youth of color are less likely to be referred to diversion programs.  Black youth make up only 6% of the Washington youth population but 21% of youth sentenced to Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration facilities. 

This targeted imprisonment of youth of color is part of a broader national trend that people around the country are opposing.  The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world today, and more than any other country that has ever existed.  The US has 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prisoners.  Over 60% of people in prison are people of color. In King County, like elsewhere, the police target people of color, poor people, people with disabilities, indigenous people, and youth. There are many alternatives to putting people in cages in the name of justice, but our governments are too used to seeing problems (like the problem of a dilapidated dangerous youth jail) as best solved by more courts, jails and prisons.

Opponents of Prop. 1 have planned a “Festival of Resistance” for Thursday the 26^th from noon to 8pm, to get out the word to voters that this construction plan will not bring justice to youth and families, it will only further invest in criminalization and provide private developers access to more land in the gentrifying Central District.  The Festival will include live music, free dinner, a film screening and workshops addressing police violence and ways of resolving conflict and building safety without using the police or prison systems.  Community organizations will be tabling, including the Northwest Network, a national leader in addressing domestic violence, and an organization that opposes the new jail.

The public is invited to bring art supplies, music, food, tents, and ideas about getting at the root causes of poverty, racism, and violence in King County. 

Press Contact: Rose Harriet, 206 948 4548

Come hang out and meet your neighbors!

Schedule of events:
Noon: Gather to raise our voices against the criminalization of youth!
12-4: Music from Greg Lewis of the Wake Up God Dammit podcast
1-230: A conversation with the Capacity Project: Addressing Conflict and Harm Outside the Prison Industrial Complex
2pm: Workshop: Dealing with the Police
2-330: Workshop: Healing for Radical Transformation of the Self and Community
330-430: Workshop: Restorative Circles
430-530: Self Defense Workshop with Home Alive
6pm: Dinner
630: Movitas Marching Band (http://movitas.org/) and Noise Demo
7pm: Speakout
8pm: Screening of Visions of Abolition (http://www.visionsofabolition.org/)

All day there will be art making, writing letters to prisoners, organizations tabling (including the Northwest Network (http://nwnetwork.org/) and Free U, gardening, Please bring items for noisemaking, bannermaking, art supplies, snacks to share, and musical instruments.

King County is planning to spend $210 MILLION to “rehabilitate” the youth jail on 12th and Alder. The plan includes building commercial spaces that will further gentrify the Central District.

We say stop spending money to lock up youth of color! Our communities need health care, housing, jobs, childcare, income, and gardens, not more police violence, courts and cages!

On July 26, join us for a day-long Festival of Resistance at the youth jail! Help spread the message:

VOTE NO on the levy to raise money for the new youth jail on AUGUST 7!

STOP INVESTING IN CAGING YOUTH!

Festival starts at noon.  Come hang out and meet your neighbors! There will be food, music, workshops, activities for kids and more! Rally at 6pm!!

On July 9, activists co-organized a march connecting three important issues facing Seattlites: the proposal to put over $200 million into building a new youth jail and courts on 12th Avenue, the pollution caused by the Seattle Steam incinerator located near Pike Place Market, and the “redevelopment” of Yesler Terrace.  Over 100 people marched from the youth jail on 12th Avenue and Alder to Yesler Terrace and then downtown where we stopped traffic outside the adult jail.  At Yesler Terrace residents made speeches about their struggle against the Seattle Housing Authority. They shared information about their impressive urban farming project, and talked about the fear of retaliation, based in concrete experiences, that keeps many residents from raising their voices about the redevelopment.  Speakers made important connections, identifying that immigrant youth and youth of color living in low-income housing who are slated to lose housing soon are the same people who are targeted by police and end up in the youth jail.

The Black Orchid Collective posted this flyer their members have been spreading around town with their analysis of the jail “rehabilitation” project.