PEOPLE’S MORATORIUM ONLINE DAY OF ACTION: Halt Construction on New Youth Jail and Courts!

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PEOPLE’S MORATORIUM ONLINE DAY OF ACTION

It’s Day 3 of the People’s Moratorium on construction of the youth jail, demanding King County Executive Dow Constantine halt the building of the jail until the site can be repurposed away from incarcerating youth and towards meeting basic human needs.

On Monday, we blocked construction at the youth jail and courts on 12th and Alder.
On Tuesday, we held the lobby of the King County Building where Dow’s office is located.
Today, we’re calling for an online day of action for #NoNewYouthJail!
Today, we’re asking Dow #WheresTheMoneyComingFrom?

1) Help us reach 1,000 signatures by the end of the day! Sign and share our petition telling Dow to implement a moratorium on construction on the youth jail and courts! https://action.mijente.net/petitions/the-people-s-moratorium-no-new-youth-jail-seattle

2) Let’s fill Dow’s mailbox. Call, email and tweet at Dow Constantine and tell him to halt construction and get to work on repurposing the building site away from caging youth! Ask Dow where the $210+ million dollars will come from to build the youth jail!
Phone: 206-263-9600
Email: kcexec@kingcounty.gov
Tweet: @kcexec

Sample Phone Message:
I am calling you to demand a moratorium on building the youth jail at 12th and Alder. For the past six years, individuals and organizations have been opposing this project. The opposition to the jail is widespread. 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.

Sample email:(this is just a sample, please add your own experiences and thoughts!)
Dear Dow Constantine,
I am writing you to demand a moratorium on building the youth jail at 12th and Alder. For the past six years, individuals and organizations have been opposing this project. The opposition to the jail is widespread, and based on many shared understandings:
King County’s policing and imprisonment systems are widely understood to be racially targeted and to criminalize poverty.
The child welfare system in King County targets Black and indigenous families and produces terrible health, education, and employment outcomes for foster youth.
The County’s rationale for the $210 million project was a lie. The project was labeled a “Children and Family Justice Center” on the tax levy, when in reality it is a jail and courts that will target and harm low-income families of color.
The funding for the jail is now in jeopardy, since the Washington Court of Appeals found that the tax levy was unlawful.
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.

Sincerely,
Your name

Sample Tweets:
-@kcexec where will the money come from to fund the youth jail? #PeoplesMoratorium
-@kcexec now’s the time! #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail
–#StopCagingYouth @kcexec implement a moratorium on the youth jail and court construction! #PeoplesMoratorium
–#WheresDow? @kcexec Show up for youth and shut down the jail construction! #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail
-@kcexec Our future shouldn’t involve jails! #LoveTheYouthStopTheJail #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail
-@kcexec As a XX(fill in, mother, teacher, KC employee, youth..) I am against the youth jail. #PeoplesMoratorium #NoNewYouthJail

— contacting Dow Constantine, King County Executive.

 

No New Youth Jail activists block construction at detention center site

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Article first appeared on seattle.curbed.com 26 March 2018

By Sarah Anne Lloyd Updated
In 2015, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance supporting a vision of zero youth detention in Seattle, and individual city councilors—including Kshama Sawant and Bruce Harrell, two that aren’t always aligned politically—have both spoken out about the project itself.King County Executive Dow Constantine, explicitly called out by organizers of the protest, has also supported zero youth detention. Back in November, the executive’s office announced that youth detention oversight would be handed over to public health. Constantine has said that the new facility, which replaces the existing worn-down detention center, has fewer beds and more space wraparound services that could keep the court out of many cases.

But No New Youth Jail organizers maintain that halting construction with any facility with detention beds is the most immediate way to advance that goal. Last week, the coalition delivered a letter asking for a moratorium on construction.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Constantine said that he read the letter and is “aware of the activities at the Children and Family Justice Center.”

“We continue to invite all those interested in youth welfare and juvenile justice to join a full dialogue with King County and our community partners as we do the difficult work to further reduce the number of youth in detention,” Constantine continued. “I do not believe keeping kids in the current decrepit and disrespectful facility is the right solution. Moving young people to adult jail also takes us in the wrong direction. In fact, I issued an Executive Order directing that all young people charged as adults be moved to the juvenile facility so that they can receive more age-appropriate services and programming.”

Constantine said the county will continue “a public health approach to support youth and families before, during, and after they are involved with the justice system,” and announced an upcoming debate on the project to air on the Seattle Channel.

The project, which has an estimated cost of $210 million, is estimated to be completed in 2020.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNoNewYouthJailSeattle%2Fvideos%2F1607750269262956%2F&show_text=0&width=267

This article has been updated to update the protest’s timing and to add a statement from King County Executive Dow Constantine.

Youth Jail Protesters Locked Down to Construction Site Entrances of New Facility

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This piece originally published on thestranger.com 26 March 2018 10:53am

by Sydney Brownstone
Youth jail protesters have been blocking construction site entrances at the new youth detention center facility since 7:30 this morning.

Youth jail protesters have been blocking construction site entrances at the new youth detention center facility since 7:30 this morning. SB

Eighteen protesters are locked together in front of three entrances for the new Children and Family Justice Center as it undergoes construction.

“King County is making the wrong decision by continuing to invest in harmful systems,” activist Dean Spade, 40, said. Spade and other protesters have been singing and chanting outside the construction sites since 7:30 this morning.

The activists, or No New Youth Jail Coalition (NNYJC), say today’s action marks the beginning of the “People’s Moratorium” on construction for the new Children and Family Justice Center. Last week, the same group of activists wrote to King County Executive Dow Constantine asking him to stop construction himself.

King County is making the wrong decision by continuing to invest in harmful systems, protester Dean Spade, sitting atop the sign, said.

“King County is making the wrong decision by continuing to invest in harmful systems,” protester Dean Spade, sitting atop the sign, said. SB

Activists say they’ve shut down construction at the site, but some construction workers had evidently made it through and were continuing to work. In early March, a group of protesters affiliated with the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW) and European Dissent locked down in the middle of intersections on Fourth Ave in downtown Seattle, outside of Constantine’s office.

Voters approved a $210 million levy to fund the construction of a new juvenile justice facility, including a jail that would hold 154 beds, in 2012. But after activists challenged the language of the levy, a Thurston County appeals court partially overturned the ballot measure last year. (As I wrote previously, the court found that the ballot measure did not authorize the county to calculate its tax rate based on the increased tax rate in the first year of the levy.) King County has appealed the higher court’s ruling, and now the fight will go to the state Supreme Court.

No New Youth Jail protesters shut down 12th Ave work site

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Originally posted on www.capitolhillseattle.com 26 March 2018

With reporting by Alex Garland

Activists seeking a halt on construction of the new King County’s Children and Family Justice Center brought their protest to the work site Monday morning.

The construction site protest blocked work entrances at the 12th and Alder site and marked what organizers said was the beginning of a “People’s Moratorium on construction at the site.”

“We have fought this fight on many fronts -– in the courts, in county and city council chambers, in the press, and on the streets,” one activist said in a statement posted by a coalition opposing the new facility. “At every point, the county has refused to listen, so today, we’re stopping the construction with our bodies.”

The announcement did not describe the group’s plans for continuing to block the work site gates. Some protesters were chained together. Inside the fences, some work continued. Police were at the site and monitoring the situation with more units being dispatched in the area.

20180326073836_0Q6A5727-600x400-1

Contracting company Howard S. Wright is leading construction at the site. King County officials have not yet responded to our inquiries on the status of work today at the site and have not yet responded publicly to the call for a moratorium on construction.

The protest was being broadcast live on the group’s Facebook page.

The action follows a protest earlier this month that targeted King County Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Administration building as activists blocked 4th Ave before clearing out in time for the afternoon commute — but not before raising the ire of Seattle commuter culture.

Construction of the project has continued despite a legal decision that thrust a major component of the center’s $200 million-plus budget into question. King County petitioned the state Supreme Court to review the decision, the Seattle PI reported last week, but the court has not yet said it will consider the case.

The new facility is under construction on the same campus as the existing juvenile justice center along 12th Ave about a block south of Seattle University. The county has been looking to replace the courthouse and administrative buildings for years and is building a new jail along with them.

The recession of 2008 held up plans for the expensive project, but the county passed a roughly $210 million levy in 2012. CHS reported here on the county’s efforts to show its changing approach to juvenile crime and justice. In 2016, the proportion of black youth in jail decline from 58.5% to 49.9%, county officials say. According to U.S. Census figures, about 7% of the county population is black and another 5% identified a multiracial.

King County plans for the new facility to be open by 2020.

UPDATE: King County Executive Dow Constantine issued a statement on the protest:

I am aware of the activities at the Children and Family Justice Center, and I have read the recent correspondence from the No New Youth Jail Coalition. We continue to invite all those interested in youth welfare and juvenile justice to join a full dialogue with King County and our community partners as we do the difficult work to further reduce the number of youth in detention.

I do not believe keeping kids in the current decrepit and disrespectful facility is the right solution. Moving young people to adult jail also takes us in the wrong direction. In fact, I issued an Executive Order directing that all young people charged as adults be moved to the juvenile facility so that they can receive more age-appropriate services and programming.

While we complete the CFJC, we will continue to modify the new, smaller detention consistent with a public health approach to support youth and families before, during and after they are involved in the justice system. I have accepted an invitation to debate this issue on the Seattle Channel, and I look forward to a lively exchange of views.

Protesters Locked Down Now

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Dean Spade is one of the protesters locking down now at the construction site of Dow Constantine‘s racist children’s jail. Here’s why they’re putting their body on the line today:

28954615_1608127635891886_8576264139268440405_o“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.”

Locking Down Now

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Carey is one of the people locking down today to shut down construction of Dow Constantine‘s racist jail. Here’s what they have to say:

29063932_1608151809222802_345822287999714424_o“I’m here to stop construction of the new youth jail, because caging kids should never be an option. This jail would inflict harm and trauma, perpetuate systemic racism, and cannot exist in the world we are fighting for, let alone in the sanctuary Seattle claims to be. I’m here to yell along with the countless organizations and communities who for years have told Dow and King County that we must do better – no new youth jail!”

Take Action NOW

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Another person putting their body on the line today is Jed. Join Jed and the others at 12th and Remington right now!

29064486_1608166135888036_2584852946805081913_o

“I am part of an incredibly fierce and loving movement that has been working for more than six years to stop the new youth jail in Seattle. It’s unacceptable for King County to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new jail for our young people, where they will be physically, emotionally, and sexually abused. We must end the systems that punish and isolate our community members and build real solutions that provide safety, justice, and care.”

Lock Down In Progress

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For Immediate Release:

Seattle, WA March 25, 2018

BREAKING: Youth Jail Opponents Shut Down Construction in Protest,
Locking Down at Youth Jail and Court Site
Activists Begin “People’s Moratorium” on Youth Jail Construction, Call for Repurposing of Site Away from Caging Youth

What: Activists Locked Down at Youth Jail Construction Site
Where: Lockdowns at 12th and Alder and 14th and Alder, King County Juvenile Detention Facility
When: Starting at 7:30 AM, Monday March 26th

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Early this morning, members of the No New Youth Jail (NNYJ) coalition shut down construction at the youth jail building site, demanding that King County Executive Dow Constantine halt all building activities at the new youth jail and courts. Starting at 7:30 AM, activists blocked entrances to the construction site on both 12th and 14th avenue using ladders, chains, lock boxes, and their bodies. This marks the beginning of the People’s Moratorium on construction at the site. “We have fought this fight on many fronts – in the courts, in county and city council chambers, in the press, and on the streets,” stated Carly Brook, member of the NNYJ coalition.” At every point, the county has refused to listen, so today, we’re stopping the construction with our bodies.”

Members of the NNYJ coalition are demanding that Constantine and King County not spend one more penny on a harmful court and jail-building project, and instead repurpose the site away from incarcerating youth and towards meeting basic human needs. For the past six years, opponents of the jail have been fighting a vital battle to stop the construction of the youth jail and court complex, changing the conversation about youth imprisonment in Seattle and King County, and pressuring both to adopt a goal of zero detention for youth. Last week, the coalition delivered a letter asking for a moratorium to Constantine. In light of continued building activities at the site, today’s action institutes a People’s Moratorium on construction.

The People’s Moratorium follows the 2017 Washington Court of Appeals ruling finding that King County has been unlawfully collecting property taxes for the proposed youth jail, a ruling that effectively eliminates the majority of the funding for the project. Following the ruling, without any alternative funding source in place, King County broke ground on the $210 million project, effectively punching a hole in the County’s budget that puts at risk other vital county services.

The continued construction at the 12th and Alder site runs directly counter to Constantine’s stated commitment to zero detention for youth, instead committing the county to a building designed to cage youth for the next fifty years. “As if building a new youth jail and courts targeting youth and family of colors wasn’t enough, Dow Constantine is planning to sell off the county-owned land surrounding the new jail to private developers,” stated Dean Spade, one of those locked down at the site. “Is the county really going to surround the youth jail filled with Black children with real estate development that displaces even more Black families from the Central District?”

Organizers blasted the County’s misleading language and positive messaging surrounding the project, emphasizing that the construction of the facility would uphold racist systems and strengthen the school to prison pipeline. In the past 10 years King County has reduced youth detention by nearly 75%. However, despite making up only 10% of the King County population, more than 50% of incarcerated youth are black, and the planned facility holds more than double the number of cells currently in use, cells that will be filled with youth of color. “We are here today, because we know a different future is possible,” stated Andrea Marcos of the NNYJ Coalition. “It’s not too late to put King County on a different path, one premised on supporting our youth and families, not locking them up and separating them.”

For Live Updates, Visit www.facebook.com/NoNewYouthJailSeattle
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King County Executive Dow Constantine Agrees to Debate Youth Jail on Seattle Channel

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by Sydney Brownston
King County Executive Dow Constantine responded to protests from No New Youth Jail activists today, agreeing to a debate on the Seattle Channel.

King County Executive Dow Constantine responded to protests from No New Youth Jail activists today, agreeing to a debate on the Seattle Channel. Washington State Department of Transportation

King County Executive Dow Constantine has agreed to a debate over the construction of a new youth detention center on the Seattle Channel next month, he announced today.

Constantine’s announcement came after weeks of pressure from local activists, who have blocked intersections and entrances to the new facility’s construction site over the last month.

“I do not believe keeping kids in the current decrepit and disrespectful facility is the right solution,” Constantine said in a statement, acknowledging the letter activists sent him asking him to block the site’s construction. Constantine added that he does not support detaining youth in adult facilities, which is why he issued an executive order for youth sentenced as adults—under a statute known as “auto-decline” or “auto-adult”—to be housed with adults.

Minors in Washington State weren’t sentenced as adults until 1994. That year, the Washington State legislature passed a law dictating that 16- and 17-year-olds should be tried in the adult court system if accused of committing a serious violent felony. In 1997, legislators added first-degree robbery and burglary to the list of charges that could place youth in the adult criminal justice system. According to a report by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy for the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice, handling youth cases in adult court under this law is linked to an increase in recidivism.

“While we complete the CFJC, we will continue to modify the new, smaller detention consistent with a public health approach to support youth and families before, during and after they are involved in the justice system,” Constantine added in his statement.

The Seattle Channel has not yet announced who Constantine will be debating next month, but we’ll update when we know more.