Andrew Lee Nicole Cardoza Andrew Lee Nicole Cardoza

End cash bail.

In the U.S., it’s legal to be kidnapped and incarcerated without being convicted of any crime. You haven’t confessed. You aren’t considered dangerous or liable to flee before your court date. You have not been proven guilty so you must, by this country’s legal code, be considered innocent. You are nonetheless told you will be incarcerated indefinitely. Your trial date may be scheduled for a few weeks from now – – or, it may not arrive for years.

Happy Tuesday, and welcome back. This time last year, bail funds across the country were receiving unprecedented levels of donations as protests surged in support of racial equity. But how does cash bail work, and why were those donations so urgently needed at that time? Today, Andrew explains the role of cash bail in our criminal justice system and how we must work to abolish cash bail.

Thank you for your support! This daily, free, independent newsletter is made possible by your support. If you can, consider making a donation to support our team. You can start a monthly subscription on Patreon or our website, or give one-time using our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Have a great day!

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

  • Donate to bail funds to ensure nobody is incarcerated solely for their inability to pay. 

  • Oppose any expansion of the carceral state like increased police funding, jail construction, or mandatory minimum laws. 

  • Support District Attorneys committed to ending cash bail. Once elected, work to ensure that bail is set for as few people as possible.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

The racial reckoning last summer sparked a resurgence of efforts to address the injustice of cash bail. 

In the U.S., it’s legal to be kidnapped and incarcerated without being convicted of any crime. You haven’t confessed. (Read about the injustice of plea deals.) You aren’t considered dangerous or liable to flee before your court date. You have not been proven guilty so you must, by this country’s legal code, be considered innocent. You are nonetheless told you will be incarcerated indefinitely. Your trial date may be scheduled for a few weeks from now – – or, it may not arrive for years. 

Your jailers have told you that if you pay a hefty bribe, they will let you walk out the door, free until called for your trial. But perhaps you and your family can’t afford the arbitrary number set for your release. You might consult a bail loan shark (The Appeal), or try to get support from a local bail fund. But otherwise, you wait. And in the process, many lose their job, house, and reputation – all while suffering the physical and emotional toll.

The scenario described above is the reality for 460,000 Americans right now (GQ). It’s the numerical equivalent of a supervillain holding every resident of both Reno and Madison, WI for ransom – except the supervillain is the American government. 

“95% of the people in this jail are waiting on a trial,” said a Chicago sheriff. “On any given day we have probably two to three hundred people that, if they came up with $500, they would leave” (CBS News).

In 2010, 16-year old Kalief Browder was stopped by the police for robbery. The police found nothing. The supposed victim then changed his story and accused Browder of stealing a backpack weeks earlier. This was enough for the police to arrest him. 

A judge set Browder’s bail at $3,000. He could not pay, so he was sent to Rikers Island. Shortly after arriving, he was sent to solitary confinement for the first of many times. His final stretch in solitary lasted 17 months. After three years the D.A. dropped the charges and at 20, Khalief Browder went home a free man (New Yorker). Rikers, he said, robbed him of his happiness. Two years later, he died by suicide (Vibe). 

In 2011, the Supreme Court said California’s jails were “incompatible with the concept of human dignity”; one catatonic man was caged for 24 hours in a pool of his own urine (Human Rights Watch). Incarcerated people in Philadelphia wake up and go to sleep surrounded by mouse feces (Marshall Project). Arizona jails live-streamed video of suspects being strip-searched and using the toilet on the internet (Human Rights Watch). When women report sexual assault in this country’s jails, they are placed in solitary (Truthout). Almost 2,000 people in an Orange County jail contracted COVID after the sheriff refused a court order to reduce the jail population (Time). 

A majority of those in jail are awaiting trial. An overwhelming majority of those in pretrial detention are incarcerated just because they can’t pay bail (Prison Policy Initiative).

Incarceration can’t reduce harm when jails and prisons have systematic sexual violence, assault, and abuse. We know they don’t keep us safe since we have hard data that being incarcerated makes people more likely to “reoffend” (Daily Dot). America’s jails and prisons are in flagrant violation of international norms and any reasonable moral code: no human should endure such conditions, including, yes, those convicted of serious and terrible crimes (Medium).

But it is especially appalling that those considered innocent spend months or years in such institutions solely because they lack the money to ransom themselves from the state. There is a movement around the country to end the practice of cash bail. Residents of San Francisco and Philadelphia elected district attorneys who committed to ending it (Huff Post, NBC). Algorithmic “risk assessment tools” in place of cash bail can still import racial biases, and even anti-cash bail D.A.’s like Philly’s Larry Krasner unjustifiably over-incarcerate those awaiting trial (Philadelphia Bail Fund). Ending cash bail is still a necessity.

We should only allow district attorneys who oppose the practice to take office, we need to stand with communities to hold them accountable once they do, and those with financial means should give generously to community bail funds to ensure nobody in this country is locked for poverty alone. We have a responsibility to dismantle a historically large, systematically racist, and monumentally unjust system in any way we can.

Key Takeaways

  • Hundreds of thousands of Americans are incarcerated solely because they can’t post bail.

  • American jails are rife with violence, assault, abuse, and inhumane conditions. 

  • Ending cash bail is an important step in ending incarceration, a practice we know does not prevent interpersonal harm.

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Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Advocate for Black immigrants.

Last week, the Biden administration deported 72 people, including a two-month-old baby and 22 other children, back to Haiti (The Guardian). Advocates for immigrants approximate that over 900 Haitians have been deported in the weeks prior (Washington Post). This, paired with other recent efforts that disproportionately impact Black immigrants, has spurred advocates to call for accountability on the racial disparities in an unjust system.

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. We're drawing attention to the work of several Black-led organizations that are highlighting the racial disparities in our immigration system. Follow their work and amplify within your networks.

Thank you all for your contributions! This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

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GET EDUCATED

By Kashea McCowan (she/her)

Last week, the Biden administration deported 72 people, including a two-month-old baby and 22 other children, back to Haiti (The Guardian). Advocates for immigrants approximate that over 900 Haitians have been deported in the weeks prior (Washington Post). This, paired with other recent efforts that disproportionately impact Black immigrants, has spurred advocates to call for accountability on the racial disparities in an unjust system.

Haiti is in the midst of roiling political turmoil. Its president, Jovenel Moïse, is refusing to step down after opposition called for him to step down on February 7 (The Guardian). The United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Biden Administration all support his plan to remain in office until 2022. However, as protests mount, citizens and human rights activists are worried about the people’s safety. 

Similar unrest threatens other Black immigrants being targeted by ICE. Over 40,000 immigrants from Cameroon are at risk of deportation while the country reels from multiple ongoing conflicts. Activists call for the government to offer these immigrants Temporary Protected Status, abbreviated as TPS (Clinic Legal). A similar effort is underway to protect Black Mauritanian immigrants, who are in fear of returning to a country with rampant “police violence, slavery, human trafficking, genocide, restrictions on free speech and association, discrimination in education and access to citizenship and identity documents, and racism and repression” (Ignatian Solidarity Network).

Furthermore, advocates emphasize that these expulsions are happening amid the pandemic, rising unemployment, and just weeks after the Biden administration pledged to improve immigration policies in their first 100 days. On Friday, the administration announced that they would allow approximately 25,000 migrants who have been waiting for months in Mexico under a program called the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, to enter the U.S. as soon as next week. Lawmakers expressed concern that ICE is “disparately targeting Black asylum-seekers and immigrants for detention, torture, and deportation” (Washington Post).

 

 “

It is unconscionable for us as a country to continue with the same draconian, cruel policies that were pursued by the Trump administration.

Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, for The Guardian

 There’s historical data that shows the disparities that Black immigrants face. Although most media attention on immigration centered on the Latinx community, RAICES Texas found that 44% of families in detention during the pandemic were Haitian (RAICES Texas).  While 7% of non-citizens in the U.S. are Black, they make up a full 20% of those facing deportation on criminal grounds, even though there’s no evidence that Black immigrants commit crime at greater rates than other immigrants or U.S-citizens (Black Alliance for Just Immigration). While detained, Black immigrants are six times more likely to be sent to solitary confinement (RAICES Texas).

Black families are not just being detained more often, but ICE also makes it more difficult for them to be released. The bond system allows some immigrants in detention to be released if they can pay thousands of dollars in fees. RAICES Texas, which runs a fund that pays for bail on immigrants’ behalf, found that between June 2018 and June 2020, they paid $10,500 per bond payment, on average. But bonds paid for Haitian immigrants by RAICES averaged $16,700, 54% higher than for other immigrants (RAICES Texas).

Last week, several Black activist groups created Black Immigrant Advocacy Week of Action, calling on the Biden administration to recognize and address systemic anti-Black racism in how the government treats immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Let’s carry that work forward and continue to advocate for Black immigrants.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Biden administration is deporting Black immigrants, mainly Haitian, at a time of significant political unrest both here in the U.S. and abroad

  • Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted for deportation and detained

  • The efforts of the Biden administration to improve immigration in the U.S. may be racially-charged, and Black advocacy organizations are calling for accountability

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Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

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Jami Nakamura Lin Nicole Cardoza Jami Nakamura Lin Nicole Cardoza

Demand justice for Nickolas Lee.

On April 12th, 2020, Cassandra Greer-Lee discovered that her husband, Nickolas Lee, had died after contracting coronavirus in Chicago’s Cook County Jail (CCJ). At the time, the jail was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times). Like many of CCJ’s detainees, Lee was awaiting trial. Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like.

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today, we're centering Cassandra Greer-Lee and her fight for justice for her husband, Nickolas, and all detainees vulnerable to COVID-19. Take a few moments today to join her efforts.


This newsletter is made possible by our generous group of supporters. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here. Thank you all for making this work possible.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin with Cassandra Greer-Lee (she/her)

On April 12th, 2020, Cassandra Greer-Lee discovered that her husband, Nickolas Lee, had died after contracting coronavirus in Chicago’s Cook County Jail (CCJ). At the time, the jail was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times). Like many of CCJ’s detainees, Lee was awaiting trial. 

Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like. 

First, some context: today, eight months after Lee died, coronavirus is again widely circulating at CCJ. As of December 4th, 316 of the 5,493 people detained in the jail have coronavirus, the highest number of current cases ever (Cook County Jail Coronavirus Tracker). Yet CCJ does not plan to release any further detainees. (In the spring, due to public pressure and coronavirus concerns, CCJ released some of “those awaiting trial and low-level nonviolent offenders” (CNN).)

Inmates, advocates, and correctional officers themselves have long argued that CCJ hasn’t done nearly enough to protect the public health of people inside (Block Club Chicago). In September, a federal appeals court upheld a judge’s earlier injunction that mandated widespread coronavirus prevention policies inside the jail, despite Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s appeals (Chicago Community Bond Fund). For more on the conditions inside CCJ, check out Injustice Watch.

Interview with Cassandra Greer-Lee

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

In the beginning of this painful battle, on the day Nickolas died, I called Channel 7 News. They were airing the coronavirus deaths, and I asked if they could please stop labeling him “Detainee #3”. He has a name. My battle has been to show that he was a man. Not just a detainee, not just a number. That’s why I carry his big picture around all the time. He had a family that loved him.


He was only 43 years old. He had a lot of living left to do with me. He was a phenomenal cook and a wonderful friend. He was the type of person to encourage you to do better and be better. People might have thought he was mean because he never smiled, but he wasn’t. He loved to see me smile. God couldn’t have blessed me with a better man, and I will never find another friend like him in all my life. My goal was to continue to grow old with him. But that was cut short. His death was preventable. 


So I want people to know— please look past the things [Sheriff Tom] Dart said about my husband. He should have had the opportunity to go through the judicial system so a judge could decide whether he was guilty or not guilty. But instead, he was sentenced to death by coronavirus at Cook County Jail. The saddest part about CCJ and this whole system is that they would rather prepare for mass incarceration than to make programs, help children, and give money to low-income communities to  prevent mass incarceration. 

The jail system is not made to reform anyone. This is profit. This is human lives for profit. 


I just need everyone to know— yeah, my husband was an inmate. He still deserved to live. I don’t deserve this pain. I tried to save his life. My husband tried to save his own life to no avail. And Tom Dart [who tested positive at the end of November] gets to quarantine with all the wonderful luxuries of his home and the comfort of his wife. I don’t wish him any ill will, because no one should have to go through the pain that I’m going through. But he doesn’t have to be in a hospital room alone with people coming in wearing space suits. At the hospital, my husband couldn’t even walk to the window to see me, and I was downstairs there every day he was at Stroger [Hospital]. I was just trying to send up my energy to him.

I think if he had gotten to Stroger earlier, he could have lived. But when he got there, he went straight to the ICU. He was already in an advanced stage of COVID. Based on speaking to my husband on the phone, the [CCJ] guards were scared to come on the tier. The nurses were afraid. It took until inmates were deathly ill before they could be moved [to the hospital]. 

I am fighting my hardest to make sure that no other family feels this pain. Unfortunately, we just filled the eighth casket that we were hoping that we wouldn’t. But we’re still fighting, and I now have forces that have joined with me. At the beginning, I was alone and no one really cared about an inmate’s wife. And then people like Chicago Community Bond Fund (@chibondfund) and Nikkei Uprising came and stood with me. People like Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (@soulinchicago) and Torture Justice Center (@chitorturejustice). 

On one hand, we are getting victories— on the court side, judges are agreeing with us. We were able to defund the jail by $35 million, even though it was only a fraction of the $157 million we  were hoping to put back into Black and Brown communities. (Read more about Budget for Black Lives. ) We are being heard. This fight isn’t in vain. 

But the victory isn’t where I really would like to see it, which is back there with the detainees [in CCJ], those human beings whose lives are in jeopardy. Their fate could be my husband’s. I keep in contact with other inmates mainly through the phone, but also when I’m outside protesting, through letters in the windows, notes on dry erase boards. I first connected with them when my husband was there— he would have other inmates call me to see if I had found any help [for his coronavirus]. Some days he was too sick to call me, so they would call me instead.

After Nick, I told them to keep calling me. My heart is so heavy for them. I am fighting for them. I was speaking to one of their mothers, and she was crying so hard. Her son’s bond is $200,000, and she just doesn’t have it. She’s doing all the overtime she can. It broke my heart because she was right: your freedom depends on wealth. And he’s not yet convicted of anything. 

So for me, finding true justice for Nickolas would be first, voting Tom Dart out, and to get [a sheriff] who understands that inmates’ lives matter. Second, to end money bail. And then— I know this is farfetched—  to close down county jails. Before then, to stop preparing for mass incarceration, and instead to prevent incarceration. 

As of right now, the memories hurt. I try to think so hard about them, even though that’s all I have left— memories. But I have to fight. I just can’t let them murder him and do nothing. I’m going to go out every Sunday until we win. As long as my husband is dead and Tom Dart is there, I’m going to be out there. 


Cassandra Greer-Lee protests in front of Cook County Jail every Sunday afternoon from 1-5pm and welcomes others to join her. For more information, check out @justice4nicklee or facebook.com/JusticeForNickolas. Mutual aid can be sent to facilitator @Megan-Kay-2 (Venmo) or $MeganKay11(Cashapp). Donations are requested for protester supplies (heaters, signs, etc) and for materials for people inside CCJ (books, crosswords, etc). To spread awareness, use hashtags #JusticeForNick and #FreeThemAll.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Nickolas Lee died on April 12th, 2020. He was a phenomenal cook, a wonderful husband and friend, and the third person detained at Cook County Jail (CCJ) to die of coronavirus. At the time, CCJ was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times). 

  • Like many people in CCJ, Lee was awaiting trial. Because of America’s unjust pre-trial money bond system, the wealthy can await trial at home, while those without enough money to pay bail remain incarcerated and at risk. 

  • Lee’s wife, Cassandra Greer-Lee, believes that achieving #JusticeForNick means replacing Sheriff Tom Dart, ending money bail, changing our mass incarceration system, and— eventually— closing county jails.

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Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

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Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Demand justice for Jacob Blake.

Donate to the family’s GoFundMe and contact officials in Kenosha to ensure accountability.

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Today marks one year since Elijah McClain was murdered by the Aurora Police Department. His death has not seen justice. It has been 164 days since Breonna Taylor was murdered by the Louisville Metro Police Department. Her death has not seen justice. My heart is broken as I write another email calling for justice for another person in my community. It will take all of our voices and efforts to make this one the last.

Please share this story widely and encourage your community to take action. This work takes all of us. And for Jacob Blake and all others who have lost their lives to police brutality, we were already too late. The next best time is now.

Links to support our newsletter: give one-time on our website, PayPal, or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). Or contribute monthly on our Patreon.


Nicole

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TAKE ACTION

Call local officials to demand the police officers are held accountable:

  • Kenosha City Attorney 262-653-4170

  • Kenosha Mayor and City Administration 262-653-4000

  • Kenosha Police Non Emergency Line 262-656-1234

  • Wisconsin DOJ (608) 266-1221

Donate to the Milwaukee Freedom Fund, which is extending support to protestors in Kenosha: https://bit.ly/mkefreedomfund

Review the calls to action in our related newsletters below

GET EDUCATED

Yesterday evening, an unarmed Black man was tasered and shot in the back seven times by police officers in Kenosha, WI. Reports indicate that the police were on the scene to respond to a domestic dispute, and the victim was attempting to help settle it (Kenosha News). A video of the shooting was widely circulated on social media*. In the video, the victim can be seen walking to his car and opening the door before being restrained by a police officer and shot multiple times point-blank in the back. Another video released late Monday shows Blake wrestling with a couple police officers a few moments before walking to his car (Daily Mail). A reporter for WISN, a news channel in Wisconsin, later confirmed that the victim is 29-year-old Jacob Blake (Twitter). A large group of people was present to witness the shooting, in addition to his fiancée and children. As of the time of writing this, Blake remains alive and in serious condition. Protests have since erupted in the city demanding accountability.


Kenosha is less than an hour away from Milwaukee, where the Democratic National Convention was held last week. The police officers currently do not wear body cameras, but the Kenosha County Board voted 22-0 to include body cameras for the sheriff’s department in next year’s budget (Kenosha News). 


This is an ongoing story and, because this was published in a daily newsletter, we’re unable to update or change the information published here. However, we will continue to update the web version of this newsletter on our website. In addition, please keep yourself educated on this topic from other news sources. 

 

But to be clear: there is no additional information that can ever be provided to justify this shooting. There is no justification for an innocent citizen of this country to be restrained and shot several times in the back. There is no excuse or apology for millions of us to wake up to another video of senseless violence by those entrusted to our protection. We are not waiting for more facts to be outraged, overwhelmed with grief, or take action. This is not "just another" police shooting, because one shooting alone is more than enough to demand change. We wish Jacob Blake a full recovery and swift justice.

*We are intentionally not circulating the video in this newsletter, and urge you to do the same. Read this article for context (Recode).

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Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Give to bail funds – and abolish cash bail.

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Today's practice looks at one of the many systems in our society that protect and perpetuate racism. With increased attention on bail funds in the wake of this week's protests, there's a powerful opportunity to rally around criminal justice reform. Here's a brief overview on the importance of bail funds and how cash bail influences mass incarceration.

As always, your one-time or monthly contributions make this grow. I'm hiring a dedicated staff member and introducing a text option next week!

- Nicole

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TAKE ACTION

1. Sign the petition to #EndMoneyBail.

2. Use the National Bail Fund Network's list of List of Protest Bail Funds to support protestors in your state. Some may have raised enough funds, but subscribe to their work regardless so you can support when they need help again.


REFLECT


How much did I know about cash bail before reading this?

What privileges do I have that prevent me from understanding how incarceration works?

GET EDUCATED

"Why is everyone giving to bail funds?"

Charitable bail funds are community-based organizations that raise money to post bail for others. They've raised a ton of money over the past couple weeks from supporters of the national unrest after the death of George Floyd, which shows that we are committed to protecting protestors from the dangers of our criminal justice system.

But bail funds weren't created for this protest. They've been around for a very long time. And they're necessary because cash bail is a major reason why people – particularly Black people, are incarcerated. Cash bail fund donations are important today, but cash bail reform is important for tomorrow. 

"Affirming that black lives matter on Instagram is one thing, but challenging millions of your followers to support Black people engaging in civil disobedience is a far bolder stance."

Hannah Giorgis in Why It Matters That So Many People Are Donating to Bail Funds in The Atlantic

Here's how bail works.
 

When someone is arrested, they are taken into police custody. They have to wait until they are charged, which, in this climate, can take days. Then, depending on the severity of the crime, they are required to pail bay to be released until their trial. Otherwise, they remain in jail. Usually, the bail funds aren’t returned until the court case is completed, which can take forever – or not happen at all. Read more here.

It goes without saying that this process is disproportionately impacting people of color generally – and Black people during these protests. Not only are Black people and other people of color targeted for arrests, many do not have the financial capacity to offer cash bail immediately (remember that most Americans in the U.S. don’t have $1,000 for an emergency). So this process can cause significant financial constraint. There are, of course, bondsmen that can loan the money with interest, which only exacerbates the strain. 

This is a very simplistic overview. Cash bail laws differ greatly by state and region, and some have already abolished cash bail. Google “bail laws in [insert your state]” to start learning more.

Via @financesnacks on Instagram

Also remember that we’re protesting in the midst of a global pandemic. Extended time in jail increases the likelihood of contracting COVID-19, exacerbating the financial and health strains of being detained.

Lastly, and most significantly, people experience incredible stress and trauma when they are arrested and detained, especially if unlawfully. This conversation is always a conversation about public health, regardless of the pandemic.

"There are typically more than 700,000 people in U.S. jails, and about two-thirds of them have not yet been convicted of a crime and are there mostly because they couldn’t make bail."

The Marshall Project

"But cities with bail reform and all these bail funds are letting looters back on the streets! They’re keeping us unsafe!"

There’s a slight chance that making bail more attainable (or eliminating it) can send harmful offenders back on the street. But considering our history, it’s otherwise GUARANTEED we will unfairly detain someone and cause them significant trauma and financial burden.

Remember the story of Kalief Browder, who was held at Rikers Island in New York City without trial for three years for allegedly stealing a backpack after his family was unable to make bail. He was in solitary confinement for two of those three years. The trial was eventually dismissed based on lack of evidence. He died by suicide two years after being released. His bail was set at $3,000.

Remember the story of Sandra Bland, who was detained after being pulled over by a state trooper for "failing to signal a lane change". She was found dead in her cell three days later as her family tried to post her $5,000 bail.

We can’t ignore that race is usually at the center of this narrative. Proponents against cash bail reform and bail funds are centering the protection of white people over the consistent harm against Black people and other people of color.

In this conversation and ALL conversations we need to center the people most vulnerable to harm. And in America, that's protecting people from the worst of our systems. We will talk more about what centering means in an upcoming issue.
 

"But alternatives to cash bail aren't perfect, either!"

There's been lots of conversations on how algorithmic assessments of risk are also racially-biased, and I think we need to do a lot of work to find a more just alternative. But I don't think the answer to "there's not other perfect solution" is to stop trying. We see this a lot in anti-racism conversations, and it often doesn't actively contribute to the work moving forward.

Learn more about cash bail and the racial lines of mass incarceration.

Time: The Kalief Browder Story on Netflix

Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland on Netflix

13th available for free on YouTube

How Does Bail Work, and Why Do People Want to Get Rid of It? NYTimes

The Fight to End Cash Bail in the Standard Social Innovation Review

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The outpouring of bail funds during these protests show that our community is committed to systemic change

  • Cash bail is a main contributor to the mass incarceration we see in America

  • We need to donate to bail funds but also advocate for cash bail reform in our communities

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

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