By Silicon Valley Debug
Please see the summary document and check out the introductory video for this submission around a Divest/Invest framework for the County. The report is authored by families whose loved ones are in the jails and juvenile halls, the formerly incarcerated, and those whose loved ones were killed by law enforcement. In the document you will see a vision to redefine safety and justice in the county. As the introductory language says:
“We are families of Santa Clara County who have been severely harmed by the criminal punishment system. Our loved ones have been snatched away forcefully and violently by law enforcement, our children are growing up without their parents, our loved ones’ names are dragged in the media. We fear our loved ones will die in jail during a lethal pandemic. In the memory of those we have lost to the system, including the spirit of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and countless names across the country that has created this transformative moment, we want to present this vision of hope and justice – a new definition of safety for Santa Clara County. For weeks, we gathered — parents of those locked up in jail and juvenile hall, the formerly incarcerated, those of us whose loved ones were killed after calling 911 for mental health support — to talk about our shared experiences. From this community process we created analysis and turned pain into solutions. We authored this report as a tangible local policy expression of Black Lives Matter. We call on the Board of Supervisors to divest from the harms of the criminal punishment system, and to invest the resources into Black and Brown community led models of safety, restoration, and healing. We know what it takes to be safe. Safety, and how it is defined, belongs to us. We present the following public safety proposal.”
Click this link to download and read the full Protect Your People Budget by SV DeBug: https://indd.adobe.com/view/0a7caf9e-b3c9-4d32-999f-ef6686bb0b8e