Grassroots Leadership In The News

"Conway said ensuring someone with a felony record gets a fair shot amounts to a civil right. A five-year study by the Indiana Department of Correction concluded that education and employment were “the most important predictors of recidivism.”

'At the basic root of why this law is important is because it literally saves lives,' he said. 'When people are not allowed to be employed, they’re going to do what they have to do to feed their kids. They’re going to do what’s necessary to put a roof over their heads. When people go in and out of prison that process can be interrupted with employment.”' Read more about Without Final Rules In Place, Austin Closes Two Fair Chance Hiring Complaints

'“This wasn’t behind closed doors in the middle of the night. This was very much in the community, out in front, for anyone to see,' Sofia Casini, a coordinator at the Austin non-profit Grassroots Leadership, told me. The organization directs a hotline for immigrant families. Before the February raids, the hotline got a couple calls a day; during the operation, she says, it received more than 1,000 calls. 'The vast majority of callers were asking if their kids would be taken away, where they could go and not go, if they should pick their kids up from school,' Cassini said." Read more about How Trump moved the Mexican border north

"The effective elimination of the legal orientation program further isolates people already living in geographically remote detention centers, a situation that concerns Bob Libal, executive director of Grassroots Leadership.

'Further restricting access to these facilities and isolating people in detention does grave harm to the interest of justice and to individuals,' he said. He said Grassroots Leadership’s regular visits to detainees at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor led to an FBI investigation of sexual assault claims at the center." Read more about GIVING CITY: $750,000 in funding cut for immigrant legal assistance

'“The fact is that ICE is now acting with more impunity than ever; it’s actively retaliating against people who speak out. Look what happened to Laura Monterrosa. What happened to her is happening at detention centers across the country,' Merton said.

As Rewire.News reported, Laura Monterrosa alleged that she was was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a guard while detained in the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas. The guard remained employed at Hutto during the bulk of Monterrosa’s detainment. After public pressure to launch a criminal investigation, ICE said it reviewed her case and found Monterrosa’s claims to be “unsubstantiated.” ICE eventually released her from custody, after the Salvadoran migrant attempted suicide." Read more about #ICEOnTrial: Advocates Rally to Hold Federal Agency Accountable for Systemic Abuses

"This episode of KOOP Radio's People United presents coverage of both a press conference by the Decarcerate ATX coalition, which wants a repeal of city ordinances that put unreasonable burdens on homeless residents of Austin, Texas, and the 17th annual Cesar Chavez "¡Sí, Se Puede!" March on Austin's east side, which focused on issues affecting low-income Latino residents.  At the press conference, Austin City Council member Greg Casar from District 4, John Elford of the University United Methodist Church, Cate Graziani and Chris Harris of Grassroots Leadership, Annette Price of the Texas Fair Defense Project, and Austin resident Alvin Sanderson spoke outside the Austin Convention Center on April 3, 2018. " Read more about Decriminalizing Homelessness / Celebrating Cesar Chavez's Legacy

"I’m supportive of trying everything we can regarding jail diversion efforts, especially for misdemeanor cases. But, jail diversion efforts will take time, and I expect activist groups (especially Grassroots Leadership) to help with this effort. It’ll be interesting to see how many of those who didn’t want the county to go ahead with the new women’s facility will be actively involved in meaningful ways to divert women from our jail. Effective jail diversion efforts will also take lots of money and community services, which means taxpayers would more than likely have to foot the bill. In the meantime, this office is working diligently in trying to find ways to lower our overall jail population by being an active participant in our Jail Population Monitoring Group." Read more about Travis County eyes new women’s jail facility

"'The Decarcerate ATX coalition is calling for an immediate repeal of these ordinances and an end to the criminalization of homelessness,' officials said in a press advisory ahead of the gathering.

Added Cate Graziani, criminal justice campaigns coordinator with Grassroots Leadership: 'In addition to talking about fair housing, let's not omit that Austin is putting people in jail for homelessness instead of providing homes, jobs, or services. These ordinances do not deter people from living outside when they have nowhere else to go. By funneling people into the criminal justice system, these ordinances make it more difficult for people to secure housing and employment."' Read more about Advocates Call For End To 'Criminalization' Of Austin's Homeless

Un grupo de activistas llegaron hasta el Centro de Convenciones de Austin para protestar durante la Cumbre de Equidad de Vivienda, donde se reunían líderes locales, para pedir se eliminen tres ordenanzas que criminalizan las personas en situación de calle. Read more about Protestan para pedir un alto a la criminalización de personas sin hogar

"Earlier this month, Salvadoran immigrant Laura Monterrosa was finally released from detention in Texas after publicly accusing a female guard of sexually assaulting her. In 2010, a Guatemalan woman reported surviving an attempted rape by a Corrections Corporation of America guard named Donald Dunn. (The company has been renamed CoreCivic.) The complaint spiraled into a massive sexual-abuse scandal as a slew of other women came forward, and Dunn was jailed after pleading guilty to assault charges." Read more about ‘A Border Control Official Sexually Abused Me’