L4BL-DC Releases Legal and Policy Guide Strongly Opposing Mayor Muriel Bowser's Criminal Justice Omn

LAW FOR BLACK LIVES - DC RELEASES LEGAL AND POLICY GUIDE STRONGLY OPPOSING MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE OMNIBUS BILL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: law4blacklivesdc@gmail.com

Law for Black Lives – DC and local Black Movement organizations call on D.C. residents to vigorously oppose the Public Safety and Criminal Code Revision Amendment Act of 2015

New "Law and Policy Guide" Features Detailed Analysis of the Mayor's Proposal and Highlights the Proposal's Efforts to Entrench Racial Disparities in the District's Criminal Justice System and Mass Incarceration analysis.

Last month, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed a criminal justice omnibus bill purporting to combat the recent rise in homicides. The proposal contains twelve sections that substantially expand the powers of law enforcement, promote more aggressive forms of policing, and increase law enforcement's surveillance capacity. These interventions are not geared to promoting community safety.

They are a step backwards and must be rejected.

In multiple community forums over the past month, District community members voiced strong support for keeping police powers in check while investing in real solutions. D.C. residents most at risk of violent crime demand services and investment, not expanded police powers. They demand solutions that create safety, such as increased access to affordable housing, pathways to employment, and high-quality education.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 4:00pm, Law for Black Lives - DC will release a Law and Policy Guide on the Mayor's omnibus bill with detailed analysis and recommendations. This primer is a tool for District residents and allies around the country to use in forming their demand to end over policing and underinvestment in Black communities. The guide responds to the community's demand for an alternative vision for community health and safety that addresses violence at its root rather than merely suppressing some of its expression. Law for Black Lives – DC will also hold a press conference on the steps of the Wilson building on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 9:00am.

Law for Black Lives - DC is a legal and policy collective formed by lawyers, law students and organizers to support the growing Movement for Black Lives, bridging the gap between the law and the community that it should serve. We are a multiracial, multiethnic, multinational and diverse in class, gender, and sexual orientation, and we are committed to building a world where #BlackLivesMatter.

We call upon D.C. residents to vigorously oppose the Mayor's proposal, to hold elected officials in the District of Columbia accountable, and to demand a reallocation of public safety dollars away from our bloated criminal justice system to services and institutions that foster true community safety.

In solidarity,

#Law4BlackLives – DC

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) – Washington, DC Chapter

Black Lives Matter DMV

Black Movement Law Project

Black Youth Project 100 – DC

DC Lawyers for Youth

National Association against Police Brutality (NAAPB)

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) – Washington, DC Branch

National Lawyers Guild, Georgetown Law Chapter

Organizing Neighborhood Equity (ONE) DC

The Reentry Task Force

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