Platform for Youth Justice

05/27/2021

https://thelensnola.org/2021/05/24/da-jason-williams-announces-decision-to-prosecute-two-teenagers-as-adults-going-back-on-campaign-promise/

Our hearts are heavy for the family of Anita LaViege. They should never have lost their loved one this way and we offer our deepest condolences.


While nothing can compare to their experience, we also recognize that there is a loss when any member of the community, but especially a child, is incarcerated for decades at a time.


The District Attorney broke his pledge to never prosecute a child as an adult and, in doing so, suggested that prisons make us safer. But prison is not a safe place for a child and the trauma that they endure there can lead to yet more violence. This is the cycle of tragedy that we are stuck in.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can start investing in the things children and families need to thrive instead of in more policing and prisons. But we need the District Attorney – and all of our elected officials – to keep their commitments to this shared vision.

05/03/2021

No child should be sentenced to die in prison, period.

TAKE ACTION by telling the Louisiana legislator to abolish juvenile like without parole before they vote tomorrow: https://bit.ly/2PxHP8E

03/12/2021

It’s deeply disappointing that the council members disregarded all of the concerns presented to them Thursday regarding the curfew. But thank you to everyone who made their voice heard regarding this issue! Your calls for education, living wages, affordable housing, nutrition, and afterschool programs show that the public wants measures that ACTUALLY work to make us safer, not measures that further the policing of Black youth!

Critics say change will fall heavily on Black youth, do little to deter crime

03/10/2021

🚨 URGENT 🚨: Submit a public comment NOW to oppose expanding the city’s curfew policy, which makes it easier for police to stop & harass young Black people. Comments must be in before the Council mtg at 9am Thursday! https://tinyurl.com/nolacurfew

03/09/2021

🚨 URGENT 🚨⁠
NOLA City Council is trying to expand its harmful citywide curfew *without any public input.* Make your voice heard & urge them to vote NO on expanding the police's ability to stop & harass young Black people: https://platformforyouthjustice.org/takeaction

03/08/2021

🚨 TAKE ACTION 🚨⁠
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NOLA City Council is considering a measure to expand the city’s curfew policy to apply to more young people. Tell them to VOTE NO on more policing, and to start investing in kids again: https://www.platformforyouthjustice.org/takeaction
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The city-wide curfew is:
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-INEFFECTIVE: NOPD has been enforcing the curfew since 2019, and it has not reduced juvenile crime nor protected children from being the victims of crime. Research shows that New Orleans is not alone; curfews have proven ineffective all over the country.⁠
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- DISCRIMINATORY: The police already have the authority to stop anyone, including a minor, who they believe is breaking the law. The curfew lets them stop young people (and adults who look young) who are not doing anything illegal. As with many discretionary policies, the police use curfew almost exclusively to stop Black youth.⁠
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- DANGEROUS: We know all too well that negative encounters with law enforcement can erode public trust in the police, traumatize the child stopped, and possibly lead to yet another police beating or killing of a Black person⁠
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🚨 TAKE ACTION 🚨⁠
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Tell your City Council member to vote NO on expanding the curfew.
https://www.platformforyouthjustice.org/takeaction

01/27/2021

Our platform is a to-do list for the new DA Jason Williams and he's already working through it!

✅ Do not pursue juvenile life without parole cases in retroactive or prospective cases.

NEWS! District Attorney Jason Williams' office has announced that they will withdraw requests to impose new life without parole sentences on people condemned to die in prison as children!

Statement below and full story here: https://www.nola.com/news/courts/article_60463a88-6026-11eb-aafc-2f392551c025.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

01/20/2021

TONIGHT at 5: the new DA Jason Williams is holding a listening session about youth and the school to prison pipeline. Let him hear your voice!

Please join us tonight to provide public feedback and recommendations for D.A's office.

https://runwithjason.zoom.us/j/98127589039

01/11/2021

By committing to every tenet of the Platform for Youth Justice, DA Williams has vowed to , end the criminalization of Black youth, and prioritize healing over punishment. We look forward to working with him and holding him accountable to our kids and communities.

Williams says he will not use resources on low-level charges and will end the "win at all costs" culture in the DA's office.

12/09/2020

Well that sums up our platform pretty well!

"Our families and our children deserve to live in a city that is going to continue to evolve on all fronts — early childhood education, better schools, and non-discriminatory policing — into a city that roots for their success rather than locking them up, forgetting they exist and throwing away the key."

Our city, this election cycle, has seen a seismic shift in favor of juvenile justice reform.

12/06/2020

Thank you to everyone who went out and voted for New Orleans' kids and congratulations to the newly elected District Attorney Jason Williams and Juvenile Court Judges Ranord Darensburg and Clint Smith for Judge! We look forward to working with you to ensure that, together, we , end the criminalization of Black youth, and prioritize healing instead of punishment. Let's get to work!