Million Family Members and Friends of Incarcerated People March on Washington, DC
Family Members and Friends of Incarcerated People, an organization based in Montgomery, Alabama is calling for individuals and organizations to travel from their respective communities. Come to Washington, DC on Saturday, August 13th, in record numbers!
(PRWEB) May 11, 2005 -- The United States imprisons its citizens at rates
three to ten times higher than other democratic societies. Rigid sentencing laws
and 'get tough' policies have made prisons crowded, dangerous and don't make us
safer. The impact of continued punishment after a person's release from prison
adds to despair that keeps our communities weak.
The March on August 13th
and associated events will send a message to our leaders, and is an opportunity
for the world to support our demands. We must stop relying on incarceration,
give people an education and rehabilitate our communities. People who pay their
debt to society should be able to participate in society again.
Millions
of citizens can no longer vote. Laws that partially or permanently discourage
good citizenship from formerly incarcerated people cannot be supported by
evidence and is bad policy.
Please support the call of Family Members and
Friends of Incarcerated People, marking August 13th, 2005 a historical day. We
will no longer be silent victims of criminal justice policies that target the
most vulnerable citizens. We are meeting in Washington, DC to make a unified
demand for justice.
The United States is the world's leading jailer, and
our march on August 13th, 2005 is a long overdue event.
Abuse flourishes
in US prisons, and punishment has become an industry dependent on tax
dollars.
Punitive drug laws enacted in the 1980s, and to present day,
have resulted in 25% of all incarcerated people in the United States serving
time for a drug law violation. In the federal system, these people make up about
55% of the prison population.
In 1987, Congress abolished parole in the
federal system. People were given long, mandatory, fixed sentences, leaving the
incarcerated and their loved ones hopeless. State governments rushed to punish,
fill prisons and build still more. We can no longer afford the injustice, in
human costs or the financial burden.
Many of us work on a local level and
do a fantastic job, but this march will bring family members, friends,
activists, formerly incarcerated persons, and organizations together on another
level.
This is a day for us to meet each other, and show our leaders that
we demand justice.
Individuals and groups will begin meeting on Friday
evening, August 12th. On Saturday morning, August 13th, people will assemble at
Lafayette Park (north side of the White House). Programming will begin at 9am
and conclude at noon.
Please make plans to be there, and support a march
for family members and friends of people incarcerated in all the ways that you
can.
If you would like to be an organizer and bring a group to march in
Washington on August 13th, please register online at journeyforjustice.org or
write:
Roberta Franklin at
firstladytms©aol.com
Family and
Friends of Incarcerated People
Roberta Franklin, Director
2243 Ajax
Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36108
Phone: 334-220-4670;
334-834-9592
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb238687.htm