This article originally appeared in the April 25th 2018 issue of Real Change Newspaper
And promptly get arrested.
Members of Seattle’s faith community were arrested Friday after locking themselves to steel beams to protest the construction of a new youth detention facility.
The action marks the fourth week of People’s Moratorium protests targeting the Children and Family Justice Center, a complex of courts and detention meant to replace existing facilities at 12th Avenue and East Alder Street in the Central District.
The No New Youth Jail Coalition has been opposing the facility for more than five years. They say it’s wrong to spend more than $210 million to build a detention center that disproportionately jails children of color in the middle of a neighborhood that was historically dominated by people of color as a result of racist redlining policies.
Friday’s action was just one avenue that the coalition has used to fight the project. Coalition members have successfully sued to challenge the source of funding for the project, a decision that is on appeal.
CLOSE THE YOUTH JAIL NOW! 