MARCH FOR A PEOPLE’S BUDGET - STOP PRISON EXPANSION NOW!
MAY 25 – JUNE 3
Coming to the Harrisburg for the rallly on monday? Buses are leaving at 9:15 SHARP from the Fight for Philly Offices at 846 N Broad Street.
| for a complete schedule of events, CLICK HERE | to download promotional materials, CLICK HERE |
| to donate to the march, CLICK HERE |
to watch the promo video, CLICK HERE |
Year after year, Governor Corbett cuts funds from education, healthcare, environmental protection, and social services. Yet he continues to spend millions on locking people up. Right now, the Corbett administration is spending over $400 million to build two new prisons in Montgomery County, while 23 schools in Philadelphia will be closing next year due to funding shortages. His proposed budget for 2013 includes a $68 million increase for the Department of Corrections, even as his administration claims the prison population is going down.
Many of our lawmakers talk the talk about the need for prison reform and increased education funding, but they refuse to walk the walk. So Decarcerate PA and our allies are going to walk all the way from Philly to Harrisburg to tell them the time for change is NOW.
On May 25th to June 3rd, we are marching from Philadelphia to Harrisburg to demand that 2013 be the year of a People’s Budget, Not a Prison Budget. The march will start with a huge rally in Love Park at 12:00 on Saturday, May 25th and stop in towns and cities across the state, landing in Harrisburg on the same day the General Assembly will be reconvening to discuss the budget. Join us to demand legislators reject Governor Corbett’s prison budget and invest in communities, not prisons.
Join us to demand:
- Legislators vote NO on an increased prison budget
- The immediate cancelation of new prison construction in Montgomery County
- Full funding for education, healthcare, and social services
How to join the movement:
- Help us spread the word. Come out to the rally in Love Park, the events along the route, or join us in Harrisburg on June 3rd. Free buses will be coming from Philly to Harrisburg on the 3rd, to register go to http://action.fightforphilly.org/page/s/rsvp (for a complete list of events, see the schedule below)
- Call and/or write your legislators and ask them to refuse to pass any budget with increased DOC funding as long as the Department continues to waste taxpayer money on unnecessary new prisons. For more info and sample letters, check out http://www.decarceratepa.info/legislators. Even if you don’t live in PA, consider calling the Governor to let him know that his priorities are wrong and that people across the nation are paying attention. His number is 717-787-2500
- DONATE! Help us fund this effort my making a donation at http://decarceratePA.info/donate
Schedule of Events:
- Saturday May 25th -- Kick off rally and march at 12:00 pm in Love Park in Philadelphia. March will end with a rally at the Art Museum and those marching to Harrisburg will continue on to Haverford.
Sunday May 26th -- March from Haverford to Collegeville“Invest in the Future, not Fear!” rally in Norristown, 1pm at the County Courthouse.
Monday, May 27th -- March from Collegeville to PottstownProtest in Skippack, PA, near site of Graterford prison construction project. 11:00 am at Route 29 and Ridge Pike
Pottstown community event, 6:30 at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown at 1565 S. Keim St
Tuesday, May 28th -- March from Pottstown to Reading
Wednesday, May 29th -- Stay in Reading“From the Underground Railroad to the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Freedom Struggles Then and Now” (panel discussion on mass incarceration and budget cuts), 7:00pm at the Hopewell Mennonite Church, 45 S. 6th Street, Reading.
Thursday, May 30th -- March from Reading to Womelsdorf
Friday, May 31st -- March from Womelsdorf to Lebanon
Saturday, June 1st -- March from Lebanon to Hershey
Sunday, June 2nd -- March from Hershey to Harrisburg“A Community Conversation on Mass Incarceration,” 7:30 pm, Harrisburg Friends Meeting, 1100 N. 6th Street, Harrisburg.
Monday, June 3rd -- March into Harrisburg and rally at 12:00 pm at the Capitol! Register for buses from Philly at http://action.fightforphilly.org/page/s/rsvp
MARCH CO-SPONSORS:
1 Love Movement
ACLU - PA
ACT UP
Angela Davis
Books Through Bars
Broken On All Sides movie project
Campaign for Nonviolent Schools
The Center for Returning Citizens
Coalition of Labor Union Women
DreamActivist PA
Every Mother is a Working Mother Network/Philadelphia
EXIT-US Inc
Faculty and Staff Federation at the Community College of Philadelphia
Fight for Philly
Global Women's Strike/Philadelphia
Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Hearts on a Wire
Human Rights Coalition
International Action Center
International Socialist Organization
Jobs with Justice
Juntos
Mishkan Shalom
NAACP Graterford Branch
New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia
Noble Pillars
Occupy Trenton
Parents United for Public Education
Payday men's network/Philadelphia
Philadelphians Allied for a Responsible Economy
Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
Philadelphia Student Union
Philly Survivor Support Collective
Point Breeze Organizing Committee
Reconstruction Inc.
Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Shadbush Environmental Justice Collective
Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation
Support Center for Returning Citizens
Teacher Action Group
Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike/Philadelphia
Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project
Does your organization want to co-sponsor the March to Harrisburg? Let us know by giving us your info here: http://www.decarceratepa.info/organizational-sponsorship-form
To learn more: Check out Decarcerate PA’s platform and other materials on our website, email us at decarceratePA@gmail.com or call us at (267) 217-3372.
Decarcerate PA is a grassroots campaign working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. We demand that PA stop building prisons, reduce the prison population, and reinvest money in our communities.
