On August 15th, the Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) will hold the 2019 Forum for Safety and Liberation. At this annual event, WCRJ convenes local residents, community leaders and office holders for a public dialogue on how communities can create real safety by divesting from racialized policing and mass incarceration, and committing resources towards achieving a vision of equity, justice and liberation.
The 2019 Forum for Safety and Liberation will be held Thursday, August 15th from 6:00-8:00 pm at the AKArama Community Center, located at 6220 S Ingleside Ave in Chicago.
For decades, communities of color have witnessed an escalation in aggressive police occupation and mass incarceration. Rather than improving security at the local level, such tough on crime approaches have systematically undermined security and opportunity in Black neighborhoods. Moreover, this toxic investment in law enforcement and mass detention diverts public dollars away from critical services, such as childcare, schools, housing, jobs and healthcare, which would more effectively address communities’ most urgent safety needs.
At the 2019 Forum for Safety and Liberation, WCRJ will uproot the false rhetoric of law-and-order policymaking and the pernicious narrative of black criminality.Through grassroots leadership, we will reimagine what safe and free communities can look like, emancipated from police occupation and incarceration.
After you've registered, take a moment to participate in our Safety and Liberation social media campaign. We're asking community members to help reimagine what safe and free communities can look like when we divest from racialized practices of police abuse and mass incarceration, and reinvest in initiatives that promote unity, strength and opportunity for all.
Here's how you can be part of the #SafetyIs social media campaign:
1. Fill out our #SafetyIs template (or create your own) telling us what REAL safety means to you. You can download the template here.
2. Take a photo holding the completed #SafetyIs template.