On March 26th at 2:30 pm community organizations in Broome County had a car protest rally outside the grounds of the shared county jail and emergency service facility. A press conference was held on site, and a speaker shouted out to a rousing crowd in their cars, one person to a car. A media video report is here.
The pressing demand: “Release Them Now”
Confronted by the coronavirous, community organizations, sheriffs, and public prosecutors across the state and country are calling for jails to release and safely rehouse as many persons as possible. They know that jails are deadly incubators of the virus, and that it always spreads out into the community. Individuals from Citizen Action, Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier, and Truth Pharm called on the county to:
- Immediately release anyone at high risk for infection
- Release anyone held on non-violent charges
- Provide testing, sanitation supplies, medical treatment, and adequate nutrition
- Make phone/video calls free and end predatory commissary pricing
- Ensure those coming home have a discharge and treatment plan, including medical and housing resources
- Implement fully bail reforms, no roll back
- Provide transparent, public dissemination of these measures
Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier
#FREEBCJ
Justice.Southern.Tier@gmail.com
www.justicest.com
@BingamtonJUST
FB: tinyurl.com/JUST-ST
