Long Beach Peace & Justice Summit a success!

December 1st, 2011

Over 350 people joined together in advocacy at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 26, 2011 for the Long Beach Peace & Justice Summit. Through the offices of Long Beach Councilman Dee Andrews, a panel of local community leaders listened to the testimonies of formerly incarcerated individuals whose lives have been directly affected by the failed war on drugs. These individuals testified to the barriers they face as they try to reenter our communities.

No matter the special circumstances, people with a history of drug convictions and other felonies are routinely denied mental health care, public assistance, education, employment and housing. The summit provided an opportunity for these individuals to have a voice, and to use that voice to work to change policies that slow the process of a successful reentry. Given the opportunity, these individuals can and want to become productive members of society.

After registration, welcoming remarks were delivered by Councilman Dee Andrew’s Chief of Staff, John Edmond, A New Way of Life Reentry Project’s Founder and Executive Director, Susan Burton, Long Beach Councilman, Dee Andrews, and Los Angeles Chapter Organizer, All of Us or None, Fanya Baruti. Stephen Gutwillig, the State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance gave a presentation on “Alternatives to Incarceration & Criminalization on Drug Usage.”

Testimony was received from people directly affected in the areas of: disparities in mental health services, the welfare ban, lack of affordable G.E.D. education, lack of affordable housing/community resources, employment discrimination, Ban the Box campaign and the disease of incarceration.

Over lunch, the action panel, moderated by Saul Sarabia of UCLA’s Critical Race Studies program, discussed issues and came to an agreement of what can be done to address the issues presented. After listening to testimony, participants were excited to hear that panel members expressed a commitment to continue the dialogue. As a result of the summit, preliminary agreements/outcomes are:

1. All of Us or None will:

Provide Action Panelists with appropriate models and best practices for proposed policy reforms, including hiring reforms and clean slate programs; and
Provide Action Panelists with guidelines and models for government agency implementation of the Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents.

2. Action Panelists Proposed:

The Panel will advocate by all means to keep critical community-based programs during the implementation of realignment;
Include formerly-incarcerated people and prisoners’ families in the formation of a county-wide Community Advisory Board, to advise the Board of Supervisors, Department of Probation, and Community Corrections Partnership in decision-making around criminal justice policies, particularly regarding realignment. Made a commitment to develop a reentry plan with the CCP that emphasizes prevention/ intervention/ reentry;
Identified the need for all stakeholders to have access to better training about identifying mental health problems in formerly-incarcerated people, and at-risk children and teens; and
Create focus groups to solve specific policy problems through educational sessions with subject experts. (Include formerly-incarcerated people as partners and experts.)

3. Panel participant agreements:

Urban League:

Will support economic development of small businesses and local industry based in the community; and
Will cooperate and assist other workforce development agencies to support employment of formerly-incarcerated people, bringing local and regional employers and government together – perhaps for a training in which formerly-incarcerated people could participate as trainers and discussion guides.

Centro C.H.A.:

Will advocate keeping services based in the community, especially in the context of realignment; (Case Management should be mandatory as part of providing assistance to people coming back from jail or prison.)
Recommended that focus should be on prevention and intervention;
Stated need for trained and specialized therapists; (perhaps an area for advocacy with Public Health Dept?)
Facilitate employment opportunities for formerly-incarcerated people.

Long Beach Police Department:

Will discuss and consider implementing the Bill of Rights for Children of Incarcerated Parents; and
Will share its model of community policing with Action Panelists; and
Will develop strategies to retain trained people and programs that have supported people coming out of jail and prison.

City of Carson:

Will consider doing background checks after a conditional offer of employment has been made and are open to exploring other changes in their hiring policies, to improve employment opportunity.

Workforce Investment Board:

Will work to streamline the process and eliminate barriers to acquiring a GED, including financial Pilot program for youth is being established for youth coming out of juvenile detention, with WIB cooperation and support.

Los Angeles Department of Probation:

Will improve its public transparency, to clarify and possibly modify existing policies.
Committed to emphasize preparation prior to release in its future policies.
Requested additional training from A New Way of Life Reentry Project and Time for Change in regard to sensitivity training for parole agents so they are able to provide culturally competent services for their clients. (Tentative timeline is February of 2012.)

Long Beach NAACP:

Will assist with developing school in Long Beach to access G.E.D. free of charge.

View pictures from the event on our Flickr stream

Long Beach Peace & Justice Summit a success!

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