THREAD: This is about Compton, CA. About the choices we make as taxpayers. Whether to invest in families, in community, in health & safety. Or continue to throw billions away at police & incarceration that only harms. This thread is also about what you can do right now. Read on:
Compton, CA is an American cultural capital. And a city where glaring social inequities overlap. 30% of residents are Black, 68% are Latino. And incredibly, 1 in 5 are below the poverty line. Not enough money for medication, groceries, school, transportation, housing. The basics.
As families, children, & elderly struggle to survive, Compton taxpayers pay more per resident per geographic area to the Sheriff than any city in LA County. $22 million. All despite the harm of Compton Executioners: 1 of the Sheriff's violent deputy gangs.knock-la.com/lasd-gangs-lit…
Taxpayers foot a $35 million annual bill in Compton for pretrial caging. 97% Black & brown. On top of that, the human costs: Loss of jobs. Ineligibility for welfare programs upon release. Meanwhile, Compton has a life expectancy well below LA County average. It’s clear why. More:
Compton faces a critical lack of mental health hospitals. Access to healthcare hovers at 10% for Black residents. 20% for Latinos. 4.5% of deaths are from drug overdose. Another 4.5% from suicide. publichealth.lacounty.gov/ohae/docs/cchp…
Compton ranks lowest in terms of services for mental health & homelessness, according to the Justice Equity Needs Index. Identifies areas in greatest need of public investments in community healing, health, & prevention to reverse historical injustices: advancementprojectca.org/tools-we-use/m…
A budget says a lot about a government’s (at any level) priorities. Compton’s budget--prioritizing violent policing, prosecutions, arrests, & incarceration over supporting its people to live--is the norm across the country. An alternative, better investment: guaranteed income.
Embarrassed I didn’t know more about movement for guaranteed income until recently. Leaders in the movement for racial & economic justice have long advocated for it to disrupt harmful state systems. And it's not some crazy pie-in-sky idea. It's happening right now. I just gave.
I learned recently about the @ComptonPledge. An end-to-end solution to the problem of uneven and anachronistic welfare administration. Delivers cash transfers seamlessly, no strings attached. No hoops to jump through, or unnecessary data to provide. comptonpledge.org
The difference a basic income makes in people’s lives & its critical role in challenging where society DOES invest taxpayer dollars: Every dollar directly invests in residents like Christine – who is using these funds to build a homeless services nonprofit.businessinsider.com/how-ubi-helps-…
Intersecting crises of COVID-19, mass unemployment, & police violence renewed call for a guaranteed income. @ComptonPledge has since grown to be the largest guaranteed income program in country. $4 million disbursed to 800 low-income families. comptonpledge.org
It’s ridiculous we need to step in to do the bare minimum government refuses to. Till that changes we need models like this. Every dollar goes directly to families. To close 70% of the wealth gap. #PledgeCompton. Donate here:donate.comptonpledge.org
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Trump announced today he's ending “cashless bail” in DC & threatening cities across the country. It’s all based on fear—not facts. I was a public defender for a decade. I work with orgs across the country.
Here’s what’s really true about bail, crime, & safety. 🧵
Everywhere that’s reduced pretrial jailing—even modestly—has seen the same outcome: more safety, more freedom, and massive cost savings. That’s not spin.
We know why pretrial freedom works: when people are free, they keep jobs, care for families, get meds, access housing, go to treatment. Pretrial incarceration doesn’t solve problems—it creates them.
This may be the most important post you read today.
As we see ICE escalating violence against immigrants & citizens alike, below is a shareable film series by immigration lawyers on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do. Read on:
The Constitution protects us from ICE.
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
In 2019, Governor Cuomo hired *500 more cops* to exact violence & mayhem on the subways. Here’s just one example as maskless NYPD cops pushing a man out of the subway after asking them to wear masks at the beginning of COVID.
For all new to NYC Mayor Eric Adams & being appalled by him, his corruption, & general weirdness, this thread is for you.
I’ve been following his behavior since his run for office in 2021. Here’s some truth on the worst mayor in NYC History. Receipts in no particular order:
NYC Mayor Eric Adams lied about the fact that he carried around a photo of a fallen police officer. After he lied about it, he had his staff make him a fake, weathered looking photo for him to start carrying around. You cannot make this up! rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
In his *very first act as Mayor* Eric Adams expanded solitary confinement on Rikers. City Council condemned him. He shot back: "Unless you’ve been a cop your opinion doesn’t matter."
Pushed ahead. 2 years later, claimed he was “against solitary.”
As Trump works to punish people he despises, NY prosecutors & @GovKathyHochul doing the same: fighting to kill “discovery reform.” A law simply requiring prosecutors to turn over evidence to defense. Their gripe: Too much work to collect, copy, & send it to the defense. Really.
Marvin spent 11 months on Rikers. For drug possession. Prosecutors withheld the most critical piece of evidence: drug lab. The pressure to plead got better of him. Today, prosecutors have to turn over evidence earlier. His case would have been dismissed.
Craig was charged w/ hindering prosecution. Then: NY "discovery" laws prevented him from learning the accusations. He was acquitted, but late disclosure of evidence kept him locked up for close to a year. Now: prosecutors want to return to this injustice.
This may be the most important post you read today.
As Trump takes office & pledges mass deportations, below is a shareable film series written *by immigrants for immigrants* on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do to help. Read on:
Protect your neighbors from Trump. Share:
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.