COMMUNITIES RISING Bay Area Rally, Speak Out and March

SF City Watch was there to capture it all. The anti-drug war protest rally, the march and the aftermath.
Demands:
** Stopping All Prison and Jail Construction
There is "no realistic possibility that California will be able to build itself out of this crisis." Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Brown v. Plata decision Realignment

** Reduce Overcrowding and Release our Tax Dollars
At a time of multi-billion dollar structural deficits, California can hardly afford to borrow another $7 billion for more prison and jail cells when there are alternatives that produce better public safety results for a lot less money.

**Stop the War on Drugs and Decriminalize Drug Possession
The war on drugs has been "an unmitigated disaster, an abomination of justice and a self-perpetuating, trillion-dollar economy of wasted human capital, ruined lives and decimated communities." Charles Blow, New York Times

**Stop the Cuts and Invest in Our Future.
Spending on prisons has grown from five percent to ten percent of our General Fund spending, doubling just in the past decade locking up too many people for too long does not contribute to public safety and is draining essential resources from education and health care -- programs that make a real difference to Californians.


Join us during the 40th anniversary of the war on drugs and the one year anniversary of AB 900 (the world's largest prison construction plan) breaking ground to come together across communities, to bring statewide attention to shifting budget priorities away from prisons and reinvesting in health and communities services.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• rally
• protest
• march
• drugpolicy
• sfbulldog
• pottalktv
• dpa

[mikejamesbaldwin]

Thanks Tony!! I think the majority of "the people" realize it is time to decriminalize personal drug possession. The drug war has failed miserably, cost billions, and has ruined countless lives. We're up against the prison industrial complex, and they won't give up easily, but every day more Americans are realizing we've been had.It's only a matter of time.