Statement for the CADBI Launch - June 6, 2015
By Clinton Nkechi Walker
One of the ways how I measure humanity is by the level of compassion society and its infrastructure has for its riffraff or for those victims of society’s evils such as poverty, mental illnesses, moral absences, or failure of its educational system. Many victims of those evils are individuals that I live with every day in this place called prison. Some are individuals who will return to society in the same state, for the most part, in which they came here, due to neglect of sincere rehabilitative programs. Others among them are usually those that have been doomed to suffer for the rest of their physical life in coffins parading as correctional institutions.
On Thursday, June 4 ,City Council is again scheduled to vote on Bill #150406, which would authorize $7.2 million dollars to buy land to build a new jail in Philly. The city claims the new construction would replace the House of Correction, although it would house over 1000 more people. Decarcerate PA and the Philly Student Union are organizing a call-in day to stop the Bill.
On May 4, Decarcerate PA will host a marathon protest lasting 24 hours on the steps of the Capitol in Harrisburg where we will read the words of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people out loud.
