York county community forum on Death By Incarceration

This fall, the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI) is hitting the road to generate discussion and build the movement to end Death By Incarceration in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania prisons hold over 5000 people serving life without parole. It is a sentence that condemns the recipient to die in prison--which is why we instead call it Death By Incarceration (DBI).

We believe that sentencing people to Death By Incarceration is a human rights violation and an affront to our collective humanity. It is also a sentence that disproportionately targets people of color, and costs the state millions of dollars that should be invested in building our communities up rather than tearing them apart. That’s why we’re working hard to pass a bill (HB135) that would create parole eligibility for those serving DBI.

But we need your help!

In order to pass this bill, we need to connect with thousands of people across the state and invite them to join us in pressuring policymakers. As part of this effort, we are hosting community forums in cities and towns across the state. These forums are open to all, and will be a chance to hear more from those who are most impacted by DBI and are leading the movement to change it, as well as a place to engage in critical dialogue about this issue. The dates and locations for the fall forums are below:

Harrisburg: Saturday, September 23rd from 7pm to 9pm at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA. Spread the word on facebook here.

York: Saturday, October 7th from 1pm to 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, located at 925 S George St, York PA. Spread the word on facebook here.

Trainer (Delaware County): Saturday, October 14tj from 9:30am to 12pm, Church of the Overcomer, 1010 Sunset St. Trainer, PA. Spread the word on facebook here.  

All these forums are building up to a big Rally for Redemption, which will take place at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on October 25th at 11:30am. We will be running free buses from Philadelphia, and will coordinate transportation from other locations as capacity allows. You can register for the rally and reserve a seat on the bus by clicking here.

Looking for other ways to help? We’re an all-volunteer campaign and we are raising money to cover the cost of the buses. Please consider making a donation here.

Have any questions? Want to host a CADBI forum in your community? Reach out to us by phone at 267-606-0324 or by email at CADBIphilly@gmail.com. And please help us spread the word!

In solidarity,

The Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration