Banner Drop #NoNewYouthJail #PeoplesMoratorium
#NoNewYouthJail in the news #TheSpectator
An update on the No New Youth Jail Coalition
Rania Kaur
Apr 15th, 2018
Two blocks away from Seattle University, at 12th and Yesler, resided the Youth Juvenile Justice Center. However, a few months ago the this facility was torn down to build a $210 million youth jail, known as the Children and Family Justice Center. The No New Youth Jail Coalition (NNYJC) has demanded a moratorium on construction, and a new series of direct action protests has gained the six-year movement a lot of traction.
On Monday, March 19, the NNYJC delivered a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine’s Office demanding a moratorium on construction.
“We demand a moratorium on construction until the County repurposes the site for meeting the needs of youth and families and eliminating any plans for courts or jails on the site,” the letter states. “You are trying to push this project to completion in a rush because it is unpopular, unfunded, and illegitimate.”
The project began six years ago in 2012 with King County Executive Dow Constantine taking the lead to raise money for the jail, a tax levy was put on ballots that same year. The tax levy passed and the End Prison Industrial Complex (EPIC) sued King County for the awed language used in the levy. It went to the court of appeals which, in 2017, deemed that the language was clear, but that the method for collecting the funding was invalid. It is now in the court of appeals at the Washington State Supreme Court.
Despite it being in the court of appeals, the construction is still ongoing. Under this new building, family courts which are currently located in downtown Seattle will also be combined in the juvenile detention center. Associate Professor at the Seattle U School of Law, Dean Spade, said that shortening the project to a youth jail misses the deeply systemic racism in these structures.
“The family court system and the child court system in the United States is targeting Black and Native families. It separates families from their children. It’s immensely racist, so we should be opposing both the family courts and the youth jail part of this,” Spade said.
The NNYJC is also proposing ideas for other uses for the building, pointing to different non-profits in the area that could collaborate to create a more positive environment.
March has been highly active for the No New Youth Jail Coalition. On Monday March 26, the NNYC protested at the entry points of the construction site causing construction to be stopped for the day.
The next day, they protested peacefully at the Chinook building where Constantine’s office is located. And on the following day, they launched their social media campaign to get more than 1,000 signatures on a petition for the moratorium.
On Thursday, March 29, they dropped a No New Youth Jail banner from the East Olive Way Bridge over Southbound traffic.
“The bottom line is should we be building new jails for youth and places for youth to separate youth from their families or should we be pouring these hundreds of millions of dollars into things that we know make young people safer and more well,” Spade said.
This past Friday, April 6, the NNYJC protested by occupying the main entry point of construction.
Dayanara Almon, a middle school student at Seattle Girls School is involved at the Youth Undoing Institutional Racism where she found out about this movement.
“I feel really bad because me and my friends that were in my old school, we could’ve all been in here because we’re all youth of color. I think we have a very big chance of ending up in here,” Almon said.
Robert Gavino, a senior Humanities for Leadership major—has been involved in this particular campaign for quite a while, but has done resistance work since his junior year of high school.
“For respectable immigrants like my family, who have some class privilege—it’s our property and our safety that got used to justify this jail and gets used to justify police targeting,” Gavino said. “I’m not going to use my life and their life, to be used to justify how the state targets low-income people, black youth or immigrant youth.”
The NNYJC hopes that King County listens, and follows the examples of cities like Victoria, B.C. where a former Victoria youth detention center became a homeless shelter.
“I want this building and so much more to be a space where people who are most targeted by these systems right now, to be able to dream of what they need it to be,” Gavino concluded.
Rania may be reached at
rkaur@su-spectator.com
Article Originally Appeared on The Spectator site April 15, 2018
No New Youth Jail Coalition Halts Construction This Morning with Community Breakfast for Community Solutions
Seattle, WA – Early this morning, youth jail opponents blocked entrances to the contested new youth jail and courts construction site with a Community Breakfast for Community Solutions. Free breakfast was served and organizers invited attendees to envision other uses for the construction site, including as a site for job training programs and housing. This action marks the end of the second week of The People’s Moratorium, which builds off six years of opposition to the project and demands that King County Executive Dow Constantine halt construction of the youth jail and repurpose the building for meeting basic human needs.
Youth jail opponents share food, make art, and explore real community solutions to mark the end of the 2nd week of the Peoples Moratorium.
https://media.king5.com/embeds/video/8068676/iframe
Constantine has continually refused to engage in substantive community dialogue about the project, despite widespread opposition and precarious funding sources for the $233 million jail (a WA Court of Appeals decision ruled the current allocation of funding illegal). His recent refusal to debate Nikkita Oliver on the subject of the youth jail in a public setting and his cancellation of his public State of the County address this week to avoid youth jail opposition emblematize his refusal to listen to and engage with communities impacted by youth incarceration.
“Dow Constantine is digging his heels in and speeding up construction on a project that is fiscally irresponsible, morally unjust, incongruent with public health data, and misaligned with the County’s own goal of zero youth detention,” said King County Public Health employee Kelsen Caldwell, speaking on their own behalf. “This is bad budgeting, bad planning, bad use of data, and bad for our youth. Our youth and our County deserve better.”
At the breakfast, people shared food and ideas about the different possible uses of the building, while also blocking entrances to the construction site. Ideas for repurposing the site ranged from low-income housing to arts and culture space to job training programs to space for restorative justice programs that replace the current, ineffective juvenile punishment system (which includes the courts and the jail). Community members also uplifted organizations such as Creative Justice, WA BLOC, Corner Greeters, and Youth Undoing Institutional Racism—all of which are already doing the work of creating a transformative justice system that insists that our youth deserve a better future than cages. No New Youth Jail Coalition member and Seattle Public Library worker Bean Yogi stated, “Many of these community-based programs were positioned to compete for $4 million in funding from Best Starts for Kids, which is a County initiative. Meanwhile, Dow is spending $233 million on a youth jail. Even though Dow wants to use progressive rhetoric and position himself as a champion for kids, if you follow the money, it’s clear that Dow’s version of a best start for many kids of color is a jail cell.”
Rush Hour Banner Drop
A second successful banner drop in front of Rush hour traffic! 
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Why is @kcexec in a Rush to build a youth jail that doesn’t address causes of violence & that he doesn’t have the funds for?
He won’t stop it, so we will.
This is Day 9 of the #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail
State of the County Address by Dow Constantine
“People’s Moratorium” blocks construction of new youth jail in Seattle
(Article originally appears on liberationnews.org)
“People’s Moratorium” blocks construction of new youth jail in Seattle
Apr 01, 2018
In the cold, early hours of March 26, upwards of 80 protesters from the No New Youth Jail coalition surrounded the construction site at 12th Ave and Alder where the Seattle youth jail was being built.
Mirroring the action which had taken place earlier in the month on March 6, protesters chained themselves together at every gate of the construction site, blocking supply trucks and equipment from entering and driving the supply of building materials to the site to a grinding halt. The protesters remained for eight hours; no arrests were made.
The People’s Moratorium
The action, referred to as the “People’s Moratorium,” was organized a week after the NNYJ coalition delivered a biting indictment letter endorsed by dozens of Seattle-based organizations to King County Executive Dow Constantine, demanding a halt to the construction of the youth jail.
“We demand a moratorium on construction until the County repurposes the site for meeting the needs of youth and families and eliminating any plans for courts or jails on the site,” the letter read. “Your lack of integrity is exposed by your disingenuous support for “zero youth detention” while simultaneously risking the County’s budget on an unfunded $210 million project designed specifically to detain youth. Stop the construction now and begin real negotiations with community stakeholders to repurpose the site for basic human needs and implement an end to youth detention.”
Constantine’s failure to respond to the letter prompted the day’s action, seen as both a continuation and escalation of previous actions. “Maybe Dow thinks that by ignoring us, we’ll go away,” said Chris, a protester at the site. “That isn’t going to happen. He wants to spend $210 million dollars on a racist youth jail instead of investing in things like housing or schools that will actually help low-income families and youth. It’s outrageous.”
A lesson in successful direct action
The strategy proved to be highly effective: within several hours, information began reaching the protesters that the workers had run out of building materials such as brick mortar; news that was greeted by a series of jubilant cheers from the demonstrators.
“People have been pretty supportive so far,” noted Chris. “Some folks didn’t even know what was being built here, and they appreciated our information. Others have even brought us coffee and food; it’s freezing out here.” The support was not limited to onlookers however: “We’ve even had words of support and encouragement from the construction workers. A number of them don’t agree with what they’re building here.”
Sustained pressure yielding results
The protest, lasting a full eight hours, was only the beginning of a more sustained action. The following day, protesters descended on Dow Constantine’s office, disrupting the flow of work and flooding the space with letters and balloons bearing the demands of the coalition. The day after that, a traditional and social media storm was organized, bombarding Dow’s office and that of other public officials with calls to halt construction of the jail and to instead fund peoples’ needs in Seattle and King County.
The unrelenting pressure of the campaign did not go unnoticed. By the end of the first day, King County Executive representatives met with the protesters and begrudgingly informed the crowd that Constantine had agreed to meet with representatives among the protesters for a debate on the youth jail.
Nikkita Oliver, former mayoral candidate with the Seattle People’s Party and an outspoken supporter of the NNYJ Coalition, accepted the invitation with the stipulation that the debate be open to the public and other measures to ensure the accountability and transparency of the debate. Unfortunately, Constantine was unwilling to agree to this reasonable request.
Nikkita Oliver refuses to debate youth jail without live audience
Article first appeared on kuow.org 31 March 2018
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No Youth Jail activists protested outside the county building in downtown Seattle. Inside a delegation were meeting with King County Executive Dow Constantine (Patricia Murphy for KUOW)
This week Dow Constantine, the King County executive, agreed to a debate on the Seattle Channel about the new youth jail. On Friday, activist and attorney Nikkita Oliver tweeted that she wouldn’t participate without a live audience.
Oliver published a text message exchange with someone from the Seattle Channel.
“I cannot with integrity participate in an in-studio debate,” Oliver wrote, “while the most impacted communities still have no opportunities for meaningful participation in the process.”
Constantine has been dogged for six years by a coalition opposing construction of a new Youth and Family Justice Center. Not much changed after a meeting Friday between Constantine and a delegation from the group, which included Oliver, the former mayoral candidate.
Oliver addressed activists protesting outside the county building after the meeting.
“What he [Dow] showed is that he doesn’t have the courage enough to put a pause and have a real conversation with impacted communities,” Oliver said.
Activist Senait Brown was also part of the delegation that met with Constantine. “The analysis of how racism plays into this is clearly missing,” she said. “The only solutions that are being thought about are Band-Aid solutions, Band-Aid approaches, and that’s not worth our time.”
Both Brown and Oliver urged the group to keep fighting and holding the county to its promise of zero youth detention.
Correction, 2:30 p.m., 4/2/2018: A previous version of this story misattributed a quote to Nikkita Oliver. It was by Senait Brown.
Restorative Justice Programs: Wa-BLOC Washington Building Leaders of Change
Often the question comes up, “What are examples of restorative justice programs that can divert young folks from incarceration?”
Well, let’s roll through some examples:
Wa-BLOC Washington Building Leaders of Change. WA-BLOC visions a South Seattle that is a thriving nucleus of Black and Brown excellence where community-connected, place-based intergenerational leaders Harambee [come together] for equity, transformative education, and liberation.
http://wa-bloc.org/
#RestorativeJustice is WA-BLOC’s powerful approach to discipline that builds healthy communities by focusing on repairing harm through inclusive processes that engage all parties involved. This holistic approach to behavior shifts the focus of discipline to from punishment to learning and from the individual to the community. WA-BLOC trains all staff in restorative conversation practices and uses a reflection room and restorative circles to solve conflicts.
Restorative Justice Programs: Seattle ACED! Artist Coalition for Equitable Development
Let’s continue with the question “What are examples of programs that can divert young folks from incarceration?”
Next up is Seattle ACED! Artist Coalition for Equitable Development is an assembly of autonomous artists, cultural organizers, and activists dedicated to preserving and nourishing the soul of the city through coordination, creative advocacy, and direct action. Seattle ACED advances an innovative approach to growth in Seattle that harnesses the power of arts and culture as a gauge, moral compass, and catalyst for equitable development.
We want our city and county to invest in art, music, and cultural programs that are intergenerational and community-led. Not youth jails. #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail
Recounting a week of direct action from the heart of the No New Youth Jail Campaign
by DJ Martinez
Originally published in the South Seattle Emerald
On Monday, March 19th, the No New Youth Jail Coalition delivered a letter to King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office demanding a moratorium on construction of the $210 million youth jail, known as the Children and Family Justice Center. The People’s Moratorium asserts:
“We demand a moratorium on construction until the County repurposes the site for meeting the needs of youth and families and eliminating any plans for courts or jails on the site. You are trying to push this project to completion in a rush because it is unpopular, unfunded, and illegitimate. Doing so exposes your disinterest in the wisdom and input from the people most impacted by this project. Your lack of integrity is exposed by your disingenuous support for ‘zero youth detention’ while simultaneously risking the County’s budget on an unfunded $210 million project designed specifically to detain youth. Stop the construction now and begin real negotiations with community stakeholders to repurpose the site for basic human needs and implement an end to youth detention.”
Subsequent days resulted in a steady and relentless week of action targeting the project and Constantine himself.
On Monday, March 26, the NNYJ Coalition showed up to the building’s 12th & Alder construction site and locked themselves down to 3 main entry points for nearly 8 hours, preventing deliveries of materials to enter, and causing construction delays. Included in those locked down was associate of law professor, Dean Spade, from Seattle University.
“It is hard to imagine a more wrong-headed approach to any of King County’s many problems with racial and economic justice than to build more jails and courts that tear apart families and traumatize young people. It is time to stop what has been proven harmful and focus on what we really need: housing, income support, health care, child care, and art. I am here to be part of telling Dow Constantine to stop this now,” said Spade.
These sentiments were backed up by the dozens of community members who showed up to offer their support. From those who came to pick up and wave a sign, folks dropping off and delivering pizza, to local activists groups like The Raging Grannies who spoke against caging children and sang a song that denounced the youth jail.
King County Deputy Government Relations Director, Celia Jackson came to answer questions, but was “not (t)here to give answers on behalf of Dow”, instead she was there to listen and “take everything back.” According to former Seattle mayoral candidate, educator, and attorney Nikkita Oliver, this was the first time Constantine has sent a representative to any community initiated event or protest or has reached out personally to start a conversation around the youth jail since the opposition began more than 6 years ago.
On the following the day, March 27, the NNYJ Coalition targeted Constantine himself, showing up and occupying most of the Chinook building’s lobby. Constantine’s office is located in the complex.
Filling the lobby with No New Youth Jail balloons, coalition members sang songs, and read passages from books written by distinguished abolitionist scholars & authors, including Dr. Angela Davis, who, during her Seattle Unity Day keynote speech last year, affirmed the No New Youth Jail Campaign’s opposition to the jail, stating, “If they build it, they will fill it. They always do.” Much like the previous day, Constantine did not address the coalition, again leaving Deputy Government Relations Director, Celia Jackson, to take questions.
On Wednesday, the coalition moved from the streets and took the fight online, taking to multiple social media platforms, achieving their goal of obtaining more than 1,000 signatures on a petition calling for Constantine to implement the moratorium on construction in less than 24 hours, filling Dow’s mailbox with opposition to the on-going construction, and creating a stronger social media presence.
That ushered in Thursday, Day 4 of the #PeoplesMoratorium, where members of the NNYJ Coalition dropped a No New Youth Jail banner from the E Olive Way Bridge over Southbound traffic in Downtown.
Nikkita Oliver has recently agreed to debate with the King County Executive, contingent upon making the debate more accessible to those most impacted.
As mentioned before, the #NoNewYouthJail campaign shows no signs of stopping. As a member of the campaign, I’ve witnessed firsthand that the momentum only seems to be gaining speed by those opposed to the construction of the youth jail, as the County steadily and hastily continue to build despite the Washington Court of Appeals finding inconsistencies in the tax levy’s implementation, putting the County’s general fund in danger, according to the coalition.
What will today bring? According to the coalition, those wanting to learn more about the campaign and see what the future holds for the People’s Moratorium should keep an eye on the coalition’s social media game:
All photos by DJ Martinez
CLOSE THE YOUTH JAIL NOW! 
