News

State Sen. Skinner Asks Contra Costa Supervisors to Cancel $95 Million Jail Expansion

Published

7 years ago

April 19, 2017

State Sen. Nancy Skinner has sent a letter to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors urging board members to reverse their decision to support the expansion of the Richmond jail.

The Board of Supervisors had voted to approve the expansion plan in February, with Sup. John Gioia casting the lone “no” vote. The project would cost $95 million, with $70 million coming from a yet-to-be approved state grant and $25 million from the county’s general fund.

The county would have to pay an additional $5 million per year to maintain the jail.

“If the state awards the grant for this project, the county can reverse course by not appropriating general fund dollars, and not accepting the grant award,” Skinner wrote in her letter dated April 14. “I urge the board to take this course of action.”

¨We are at a point in California´s history of rethinking past criminal justice policies that too quickly resorted to incarceration with little to no focus on crime prevention, community impact or rehabilitation. We also have to confront the fact that our ‘incarceration only’ mindset has disproportionately our impoverished and minority residents.”

Skinner said she was backing the “many residents, advocates and community organizations (that) oppose Contra Costa County´s plan to build 416 new high-security beds at the county jail facility in Richmond.”

The Board of State and Community Corrections will make the final decision on the $70 million grant in June. The cities El Cerrito and Richmond have already gone on record opposing the jail expansion.

The expansion would add to 120,000 square feet to the Richmond jail, including space for 400 beds and child visitation, re-entry and rehabilitation centers. Sheriff David Livingston has argued that the plan will not increase the net number of beds, and will instead just reduce crowding in Martinez.

Opponents of the expansion say that overcrowding can be reduced by releasing nonviolent offenders or ending the county’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

At present, the county rents 200 beds to ICE for the detention of immigrants.

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Activism

S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.