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October 1, 2019

Life With Other Possibilities - Thank You


It says a lot about an issue that nearly 200 of you took the time out of your Saturdays to discuss it.  It says even more when that issue is life sentences without the possibility of parole - not exactly light conversation.

But that was the topic and such was the enthusiasm that everyone I followed up with shared my sentiment that the day was impactful, emotional, and inspirational.  We owe a lot of that to the extraordinary panelists from near and far who shared their expertise and experiences; to Sister Alison, the staff at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, and the legion of volunteers (who are too many to be named, but held high in our hearts) who helped us pull off such a great event; and to each and every person who attended in person or in spirit.  

We learned a lot about the issue, not least of which was the lesson that we have the strength, numbers, and passion to win this fight, so the work must continue.  While we close the books on one particular event at the end of September, we remain committed to ensuring it is only one chapter in the great book we are writing to end life without parole sentences in Louisiana.  Thanks to everyone for the memorable event, now let's keep going.

Geaux Vote!


Every state office is up for contention in elections this fall. Are you registered to vote?  Do you know the dates?  Do your candidates know that criminal justice reform makes for a more just Louisiana, keeps us safer, and saves us money?  
  • Early voting for all legislative races is currently happening until Saturday, October 5th.
  • If you are not able to early vote, please turn out on election day: Saturday, October 12th (7am - 9pm.)
  • November 16th is the date for the run off election.
  • If you have any further questions, please check the Secretary of State's website or even reach out to me.
Geaux Vote like your rights depend on it!  (Cause they do!)

Announcements


The Power Coalition (and several partner organizations) are hosting a series of candidate forums this week around the state:
The East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition (EBRPPRC) is hosting a forum tomorrow (Wednesday) evening for EBR sheriff candidates at the Delmont Gardens Branch Library.  There are certainly some issues of concern related to that department.

Beginning Thursday (10.3/4/5), the My Louisiana Equality & Equity Summit will be held at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge (8470 Goodwood Blvd.)  The days are chock full of accomplished and engaging presenters and you will need to register in order to attend, so do that here.  

If you do not want to see more people in jail in New Orleans, the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC) is asking people to attend the City Planning Commissions next meeting on Tuesday, October 8th to tell them as much.  

The Orleans Public Defenders (OPD) is partnering with several others to provide free financial literacy courses - they even count toward community service requirements.  The next workshop is October 2nd.

Daughters Beyond Incarceration is hosting a photo exhibition with a policy announcement on Friday, October 4th, at the NORDC St. Bernard Recreation Center from 6-9 pm.  More information can be found here.

Please join us for the first substantive meeting of the Louisiana Commission on Justice System Funding on Thursday, October 10th, at the state capitol.  It's scheduled to begin at 11 and we will update you with any changes or a confirmation.

Save the Date!  Make plans to join us on Saturday, October 25th for the Symposium for Change at the Corpus Christi - Epiphany Community Center in New Orleans.  You can find more information on this flyer with registration information to follow soon.

There is so much happening and I want to be able to share it with the readers of this newsletter across Louisiana (we have some national readership as well).  If you or your organization has an upcoming meeting, an impending campaign, or some other effort you would like others to know about, please reply and tell me so.  I'll make sure your announcement gets some eyes and hopefully furthers your cause.

If you have not already, could you please take one minute to find your state legislators through this link and reply to me with who they are?  If you only have 20 seconds, you can reply to me with your address (or nearest intersections with zip code) and I’ll gladly do it for you.  Thank you to the very many of you who have already shared!
Have a comment, question or idea for LPA? Drop us a line at prisonreformla@splcenter.org.
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Copyright © 2019 Louisianans for Prison Alternatives. All rights reserved.


New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
 prisonreformla.com

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