COVID-19 Solidarity Statement
To our wonderful community of abolitionists and organizers,
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time for us to organize to protect one another and the most vulnerable, and to re-shape new possibilities in a time of fear. We ask that you use the email script or phone script below and call on our elected officials to PROTECT INCARCERATED OREGONIANS and #FreeThemAll!
The longer people remain incarcerated, the greater their risk, so please act now.
Phone Script
Phone numbers are listed on this page below the phone and emails scripts.
For Governor Brown:
My name is________ and I live in ___________(state your zip code and county). For the health, safety and protection of our communities in a time of pandemic, I am calling to ask Governor Brown to use her power of clemency to release people incarcerated in prison whose sentences do not fall under Measure 11 offenses, as well as those whose sentences will end in the next 12 months, and people incarcerated in jail whose sentences will end in the next 6 months, and any elderly people or people with vulnerable health conditions, to stop the spread of Covid-19.
County Commissioners, State Senators, and District Attorneys:
My name is________ and I live in ___________(state your zip code and county). For the health, safety and protection of our communities in a time of pandemic, I am calling to ask county commissioners to mandate release of people incarcerated in prison whose sentences do not fall under Measure 11 offenses, as well as those whose sentences will end in the next 12 months, and people incarcerated in jail whose sentences will end in the next 6 months, and any elderly people or people with vulnerable health conditions. It is also critical that ICE release all prisoners from immigration detention centers, cease new arrests, and postpone all deportation proceedings, to stop the spread of Covid-19.
For Department of Corrections:
My name is________ and I live in ___________(state your zip code and county). For the health, safety and protection of our communities in a time of pandemic, I am calling to ask that all people awaiting trial or charged with an offense that does not pose a serious safety risk be released to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Email Body
(to Copy/Paste, edit your organization in bold field)
As a member of the Oregon DA for the People Campaign and Showing Up for Racial Justice (or insert your other organizational affiliations here), we ask that you stand for the health and safety of our communities by releasing as many prisoners as possible from jails, prisons, and detention centers in Oregon immediately. These closely confined populations are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 due to crowded conditions, limited health care capacity, and low ability for social distancing. Both prisoners and staff at all of these facilities are facing dire circumstances. We need to drastically reduce these populations to mitigate the risk for mass disease and high death rates.
We call on Governor Brown to use her power of clemency and county commissioners to mandate release of people incarcerated in prison whose sentences do not fall under Measure 11 offenses, as well as those whose sentences will end in the next 12 months, and people incarcerated in jail whose sentences will end in the next 6 months, and any elderly people or people with vulnerable health conditions.
We demand that ICE release all prisoners from immigration detention centers, cease new arrests, and postpone all deportation proceedings.
We demand that the Department of Corrections, local jails and Oregon Youth Authority release all people awaiting trial or charged with an offense that does not pose a serious safety risk, and for courts to decline failure to appear and bench warrants.
We demand that district attorneys in all counties decline to prosecute charges that target Black, Brown, indigenous and immigrant communities and low income communities including charges for ‘survival crimes’ such as shoplifting, sexwork, loitering, possession, or camping, or charges brought by the Gang Enforcement Task Force which targets Black Portlanders. Declining to prosecute these charges will drastically reduce the number of our community members who are held in close conditions and required to interact with county court and jail staff, thus decreasing their risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19.
For the health, safety, and future of our communities,
Oregon DA for the People*
*This statement was written based on the work of the National Lawyers Guild open letter to release ICE prisoners, Oregon Justice Resource Center, and Justice LA. For more information, read below:
National Lawyers Guild open letter to release ICE prisoners:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdM12oUrLacET8HpWJkkWcvOYogQ7C9-U62ZJ11tGz4hKTw1w/viewform
Oregon Justice Resource Center Call to Protect Oregonians in Prison and Jail from Covid-19:
JusticeLA’s demands released last Friday 3/13, which have already resulted in a decline in number of daily bookings from 300 to 60 raising the cite and release policy to include anyone with $50K bail and under. So far, the jail population has been reduced from 17K to 16.4K. Watch the full press conference here.
http://justicelanow.org/lajailscovid-19/
Portland in Solidarity Statement by Care not Cops
PEOPLE TO CONTACT
Oregon Governor
Kate Brown
Phone: 503-378-4582
https://www.oregon.gov/gov/pages/share-your-opinion.aspx
Oregon State Senators
Ron Wyden
(202) 224-5244
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/email-ron
Jeff Merkley
(202) 224-3753
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
Oregon State Representatives
Find your local representative at: http://myreps.datamade.us/
Oregon Department of Corrections
Colette S. Peters, Director
503-945-0927
oregon.interstate@doc.state.or.us
District Attorneys
Multnomah County District Attorney
Rod Underhill
(503) 988-3162
DA@mcda.us
Clackamas County District Attorney
John Foote
districtattorney@clackamas.us
503-655-8431
If you live in another county, please google your district attorney’s contact info.
Multnomah County Chair and Commissioners
Deborah Kafoury, County Chair
Position term ends: December 2022
Phone: 503-988-3308, Fax: 503-988-3093
E-mail: mult.chair@multco.us (link sends e-mail)
Sharon Meieran, District 1
Position term ends: December 2020
Phone: 503-988-5220, Fax: 503-988-5440
E-mail: district1@multco.us (link sends e-mail)
Susheela Jayapal, District 2
Position term ends: December 2022
Phone: 503-988-5219, Fax: 503-988-5440
E-mail: district2@multco.us (link sends e-mail)
Jessica Vega Pederson, District 3
Position term ends: December 2020
Phone: 503- 988-5217, Fax: 503-988-5262
E-mail: district3@multco.us (link sends e-mail)
Lori Stegmann, District 4
Position term ends: December 2020
Phone: 503-988-5213, Fax: 503-988-5262
E-mail: district4@multco.us (link sends e-mail)
Clackamas County Board of Commissioners
Phone: 503-655-8581
Email: bcc@clackamas.us
If you are in another county, please google contact info for your county commissioners.