Join Justice 4 All and its members as we continue to plan our corporate campaign. Learn more about how we aim to enhance fair hiring practices for formerly incarcerated and convicted people, and help us shape up a path to victory!
Click this link to RSVP: https://secure.everyaction.com/T6YtEPAUkEGoL7MOm5ZDKg2
Do you know someone with a criminal record?
Join Justice 4 All and partners for a day long training involving Political Education, Legislative 101, issues campaigns, action steps, and more! Community members will learn about the fight to reinvent our criminal justice system and ways to combat mass incarceration.
*free childcare and lunch provided*
Click this link to RSVP: https://secure.everyaction.com/JPUDfN6ybkKb_brnYuSFEw2
Rep. Jim Davnie, Rep. Jean Wagenius, and Sen. Patricia Torres Ray are holding a series of town hall meetings in response to concerns raised by constituents about potential changes coming from the new Administration in Washington and Republican Majorities in both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature. Legislators and experts will hold panel conversations exploring developments and ways to engage at the state and federal level.
They are joined by representatives from MN350, Fresh Energy and Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – you do not have to be in District 63 to participate! … Continue reading »
Hosted by: BRIDGE/Voices for Racial Justice, PASA, and Humphrey Diversity Committee.
Please join the Public Affairs Student Association (PASA), BRIDGE/Voices for Racial Justice, and the Humphrey Diversity Committee for Beyond 13th: Human Justice Reform in MN. Join together to discuss mass incarceration in our state, and ways we can take action!… Continue reading »
We believe in a Minnesota where each and every person is able to live in joy — lives that are fulfilling, stable, creative, and happy. Where success is defined by how much people and whole communities are able to live in joy. Right now, our communities are facing multiple attacks that violate our values and this vision for our state. From millions at risk of losing their health care coverage to local interference to anti-immigrant proposals to the destruction of our planet, we are ready to resist these attacks and build our movement because we believe in this vision.
Join us on Valentine’s Day at the TakeAction office from 6-9pm to phonebank with Justice 4 All and partners to oppose the bill, House File 0316, that seeks criminalize and disenfranchise substance dependent pregnant women. We’ll reach out to local Representatives to speak about better alternatives and solutions that won’t harm the physical and mental health of mothers and their babies.
Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/xR2h7LL16UuLt4ayH3misA2… Continue reading »
We can no longer afford to ignore the problem of mass incarceration, because it is coming for us all. The voiceless must be heard in 2017, and we have a unique opportunity to resist, get our stories (the truth) out there, and build together.
JOIN THE FIGHT at our next Justice 4 All Community Member Meeting!
We’re all wondering what will happen. To ourselves, friends, families. To our jobs, healthcare, finances. To our society, state, country. It’s more than okay to say, “I don’t know.” In fact, that’s been the answer to most of the questions I’m asked since election night. All I could really say is this is what the world has turned out to be. All I can really do is reach out to you and ask how are you feeling? Tell me the good, tell me the bad. J4A is a community that makes it easier to wake up every morning and be reminded that we still have something powerful, here.
One of the easiest reminders of how powerful you all have been this year is Erin Maye Quade being elected to the MN House of Representatives. We all had a clear stake in the history made in Apple Valley as a result of being a part of well over 2,000 Take Action election shifts this year. Be proud of that, and know that your efforts made this state more beautiful in an ugly aftermath. The Republicans are trying to kill that beauty, and so we need to double down on not only what we want to achieve, but also double down on our passions and efforts on this journey to end mass incarceration, systematic racism and gender oppression, not to mention the corporate power that generated over that last 15 years and allowed for such a bizarre election cycle and result.… Continue reading »
This week the Justice 4 All Program went back to work calling Formally Incarcerated and Convicted Minnesotans. We completed over 7,000 dials and have built a statewide list of eligible voters who have been through the Justice system. These voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday and we hope they will follow us to the Capitol in January to fight for voting rights restoration. Join us on Election Day by signing up to share our message on Social Media.
The following is a reflection I wrote after brave words from a powerful young woman.
During a recent J4A political education session at one of our phone banks, an Ethiopian High School student brought up immigration as the primary system that has impacted her life. She talked about the threat of deportation and worrying about how filling out the wrong form could result in her family being torn apart. This is a big problem often seen as separate from the issue of criminal justice, but they not separate, they are the same problem.
The same prisons that detain Black and Brown folks for drug crimes are the same prisons that detain Brown and Black Immigrant folks before they are deported.… Continue reading »
My name is Sarah Nemetz, an intern with TakeAction’s Justice 4 All Program. When I was being trained for the first door knock I would be participating in for Erin Maye Quade running for state representative in Apple Valley, I heard stories from Justice 4 All leaders, Tommy and Will, who are both men of color. Stories of rude people who would see them coming up the way and pretend not to be home, just generally be hostile, or would even spout racial slurs. They were essentially trying to mentally prepare me to be disrespected or ignored, which I readily accepted, and I set out ready to get some doors slammed in my face. When I got out there, however, I was surprised by how nice people were to me. Everyone who saw me in the doorway opened it, usually with a smile on their face. They listened to me as I talked about the candidate and thanked me for coming to talk to them.
As I walked the street, wondering why I hadn’t been pushed away yet, it made me think about representation, and the way I was perceived by these suburban households. I’m aware of what I look like: a small white girl with a young-looking face.… Continue reading »
Come help us flip the House in November by dooorknocking with J4A!
Come help us flip the House in November by phonebanking with J4A!
JOIN US as we come together to DEMAND JUSTICE as a powerful community to get TakeAction endorsed candidate Lindsey Port elected in Burnsville (District 56B). This Saturday we’re throwing down in a big way, and WE NEED YOU!
Join us for a phone bank for Take Action-endorsed candidate’s Dan Wolgamott, Zachary Dorholt, and Abdi Daisane! On October 16th we are encouraging PCA’s, home health workers, and their allies to join us for a door knock as we support the candidates who support care providers!
Join us for a phone bank for Take Action-endorsed candidate’s Dan Wolgamott, Zachary Dorholt, and Abdi Daisane! On October 16th we are encouraging PCA’s, home health workers, and their allies to join us for a door knock as we support the candidates who support care providers!
Last Tuesday TakeAction Minnesota hosted the Restore the Vote Coalition for a massive phone bank and door knock. We packed the office with 143 volunteers who called 3,824 formally incarcerated and convicted Minnesotans and knocked 131 doors on the East Side. Thank you to everyone who came out! We need everyone in on this fight if we are going to win in 2017. The following is a reflection I wrote after talking to victims’ rights advocate about the need for Justice.
I often say, we don’t have a Justice System, we have a Crime and Punishment
system. But what’s the difference? Crime and punishment focuses on criminals and incarceration. Justice focuses on everyone, people who cause harm, people who are harmed, people who witness harm being done. Justice requires us to act.
Crime and punishment leaves us broken. Resources go into policing, trials and prison. But not into survivors, families and community. If we only focus on punishing people who commit crimes, we ignore everyone else. Leaving people (most often people in low income communities, people of color and women) broken and responsible to heal on their own. Justice is relational and demands that everyone including people who cause harm are included.… Continue reading »
On Sunday October 2nd, join Take Action Minnesota’s endorsed candidates Dan Wolgamott (State Senate) Zachary Dorholt (State House) and Abdi Daisane (City Council At Large) for a Sunday brunch and door knock!
Register by clicking here.… Continue reading »
Join the Leaders of the Justice 4 All (J4A) Program Tuesday, September 27th at 5pm as we host the Restore the Vote MN Coalition for a Block Party, door knock and phone bank. We will be reaching out to formally incarcerated Minnesotans across the state to move them to action this election.
Today, there are at least 20,000 incarcerated people across the country on strike demanding fair wages, better work conditions and humane treatment. This is the largest prison strike in the history of our country. People are risking their safety, being thrown into isolation and cut off from their family members just to make sure their voices are heard.
What are you risking to make this world more humane?
Today, many people sat glued to their phones as another unarmed Black Man was gunned down in Tulsa, Oklahoma and videotaped for all of us to watch. Another family has lost one of its own to state-sanctioned violence. Let the outcry and demand for Justice begin as another person transitions from a living man to a hashtag.
What are you demanding?
This past weekend, we saw the community of Saint Cloud, MN torn apart by an individual’s senseless acts of violence.… Continue reading »
Come help us flip the House in November by dooorknocking with J4A!
Come help us flip the House in November by dooorknocking with J4A!
Join us for our monthly J4A Community Member Meeting. Building stronger community and voices in the fight for criminal justice reform to create a fair Minnesota.
In conjunction with the Restore the Vote Coalition, Take Action Minnesota will be calling folks who have just gotten off probation or parole, or who are currently on probation or parole and talking to them about voting and the Restore the Vote campaign. This is a chance to have meaningful conversations about disenfranchisement, mass incarceration, and the justice system with Minnesotans who have firsthand experience with all those things.
Click here to sign up for the morning shift.
Click here to sign up for the afternoon shift.… Continue reading »
We don’t have a Justice System, we have a crime and punishment system. One that protects the profits and property of the wealthy, and divides and controls the rest of us. If we do nothing, this system, steeped in racism, sexism, and built to enhance corporate power, will continue to target and dismantle our families. All over the country, people are standing up and demanding justice. Here is what the Justice 4 All program has been up to this month, and what we have coming up.
The Leaders of the Justice 4 All Program repeatedly joined BLM, AFT and allies in the streets, shutting down highways and taking arrests. We supported artists who were weary from marching and therefore decided to take their heartfelt expressions to the Minneapolis streets by painting a powerful mural. J4A Leaders continued our work on Voting Rights restoration and met with the Secretary of State’s office. Lastly, we brought our partners together for an event in North MPLS focused on fun and supporting our family members who are incarcerated.
Together with C.E.O. (Change Equals Opportunity), Mad Dads, the Office of Black Male Student Achievement, we hosted a 3 on 3 stop-the-violence basketball tournament along with our J4A Community Member Meeting.… Continue reading »
This is a statement we’ve put together as the TakeAction staff.
This week, this month, and this year have been incredibly painful and challenging for our country. All of us here at TakeAction are grieving and shaking with rage.
We witnessed yet another set of murders of black men at the hands of the police – Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile, a beloved father who worked with children in St. Paul Public Schools, in Falcon Heights. In that same week, four Latinos faced a similar fate. This needs to end.
In Dallas, many people joined together for a peaceful day of action and came to an abrupt stop when a lone gunman targeted 11 police officers, killing five. We mourn for the families of these officers. This is a tragedy – for all of us – and it is not a reflection of those who stand up to police misconduct. And, we can’t let it stop the conversation we’re having as a country on the rights of Black community and other people of color.
Here’s where we’re at as the TakeAction community, a historically white organization that now has a growing presence and leadership of people of color: As people of color at TakeAction, we fear for our lives and wellbeing, questioning whether or not we and our loved ones will be safe – while continuing to lead work in each of our own communities.… Continue reading »
Today, Robert Jackson has dreams as vibrant as his personality. And he’s making them happen. He’s been clean and sober since Oct. 15, 2014. With the help of RS EDEN’s rehabilitation program, Alliance Housing, and his recovery community, he’s got an unmistakable brightness in his eyes.
But he hasn’t always been so optimistic about his life journey. The jovial 51-year-old St. Paul native had an arguably normal childhood, attended both Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota, and by all accounts, was forging a path towards a successful life.
But life threw him a couple curve balls.
“I acquired a drug habit in 1988, which unfortunately sent me to prison,” Jackson said.
After a couple stints in prison, the Department of Corrections released him into the world with few resources.
“They paroled me to the Salvation Army because I had no address. No housing, no nothing.” He shrugs. “Basically, I was on my own. No help.”
“I couldn’t land a job because I had a criminal record. Then I couldn’t find housing because I had no money for deposits and I had a felony,” Jackson explained. “So I’ve been living with people, girlfriends and drug addicts, for the past 20 years, basically.”… Continue reading »
My name is Ben Whalen. I’m a white guy who grew up middle class from the suburbs. I’ve lived a fairly privilege life. For a long time, I was ignorant of the systemic injustices present in our justice system. I bought into the dominant narrative that only “bad guys” go to jail and get what they deserve for the crimes they committed. It wasn’t until I moved to the Twin Cities after college and got involved in advocacy and community organizing groups that I started to question that narrative. I now have multiple friends with criminal records who’ve told me about the challenges they face to find housing and jobs long after they’ve served their time. I’ve listened to the stories from my friends who are people of color about how police arrested them, beat them, and assumed they were criminals because they “fit the description.” I’ve had friends who were exercising their right to protest, advocating for police accountability, who’ve been met with similar treatment from the police. I’ve now read about and listened to experts on mass incarceration explain how it perpetuates systemic racism. After all of this, I cannot remain silent.
In college, I had the opportunity to visit South Africa and learn about its history and culture.… Continue reading »
Session is over, and for the past nine weeks, J4A Leaders set out to change who decides and who benefits. We put in hours of volunteer work, we told our stories boldly and came together in powerful and meaningful ways. We repeatedly proclaimed that we believe in a Minnesota where people have the power to make the decisions that affect our communities, our lives and our futures. Here is a sample of what we did together.
We Won Some Stuff: Shoulder to shoulder with allies, we supported a modest sentencing reform package that will reduce the prison population significantly over the next five years. We continued our fight for the restoration of voting rights and while it did not pass as a law, due to a variety of dynamic and strategic work done by allies, the bill did advance in the Senate for the 3rd time. Finally, we fought side by side with allies to prevent a privet prison from opening in Appleton MN and were successful.
We Built: This Session, J4A Leaders connected our work to Minnesotans across the state. We started out the year at Lino Lakes Prison building with our partners at Voices for Racial Justice and the brave men incarcerated at Lino Lakes Correctional Facility.… Continue reading »
Rep. Raymond Dehn (DFL-Minneapolis) hosts a town hall meeting with Reps. Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg), Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater), Abigail Whelan (R-Anoka), Matt Dean (R-Dellwood), and Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) on realigning sentencing and the Appleton Prison. They will be joined by Justin Terrell from Justice 4 All and Jamil Jackson from TakeAction Minnesota.
The community discussion focused on the impacts of mass incarceration and the proposed reopening of Correction Corporation of America’s Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton.
Watch the video of this discussion here. … Continue reading »
Angela Davis said “If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you at night.” A reminder that none of us are safe from systems steeped in ideas of racial, gender and economic oppression. Not white folks, black folks, not other people of color, not men, women or transgender folks. Not poor or middle class, we all stand to lose from a crime and punishment system designed to protect the profits and property of the wealthy and divide and control the rest of us, so we better come together. The only way to create the change we seek is to build a statewide multiracial movement.
The Justice 4 All Program (J4A) has been working on building our part of the movement during the month of April.
We started things out at Saint Cloud State University. J4A Leaders led a powerful discussion on the impact of the Justice System, and students left ready to take this work to the streets. Much more to come in Saint Cloud.
Three times this month we publicly debated Republicans on the issue of Justice Reform. We were live on MPR with GOP Rep. Tim Miller, author of the proposal to reopen a prison in Appleton MN.… Continue reading »
