Memorial to victims of police violence in Rogers Park, Chicago. 4.4.21 AFSC
Dear Friends,
Spring is finally here, and we’re feeling energized by the return of the sun, warmth, and new growth and are excited to share ways to get involved and support our work this month.
At the same time, it's been a heavy season in Chicago already, as our communities have had to reckon with the Chicago Police Department’s killing of three young people in less than two weeks. 13-year-old Adam Toledo, 18-year-old Travon Chadwell, and 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez were all shot and killed by CPD officers since late March. We will continue the work we have done for years to divest from policing and invest in communities, remove police from schools, and invest in treatment not trauma, so that these kinds of encounters become unimaginable rather than common. Our hearts go out to their families, loved ones, and communities, as they hold this pain.
Community Safety Beyond Policing
WEBINAR: Hear from communities across the continent about the ways they are criminalized and surveilled, the impact, and how community members have organized to push back. Speakers will include Muhammad Sankari from Arab American Action Network in Chicago, Brian Hofer from Secure-Justice in Oakland California, Blair Minnard and Theo Thompson from Peace by Piece New Orleans, and Mary Zerkel from AFSC.
Thursday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. PT
Click Here to Register
View all of our upcoming and past webinars with AFSC’s Community Safety Beyond Policing project here.
Take Action to #FreeThemAll
Not One More Year! Not One More Death!
Sunday April 11th at 2PM CT
This month marks one year since the COVID-19 virus began taking the lives of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail. Join us on the one year anniversary of Nickolas Lee’s passing to lift up the memories of the lives lost to the virus inside CCJ and to continue to fight for everyone who remains incarcerated there.
The pandemic magnified the harm CCJ has been causing our communities for decades. On this anniversary we are issuing a call to decarcerate Cook County Jail, invest in our communities and for Sheriff Tom Dart to step down. Learn More
End IL Prison Lockdown!
Join the End IL Prison Lockdown Coalition for a Two Part Training & Action mini-series in the month of April! As a coalition member, we are inviting our supporters to attend and participate.
We'll provide the training and action opportunities, and you get to show up and build your direct action skills, in an effort to pressure Governor Pritzker to do more to improve conditions in IDOC, end the torturous lockdowns that have now endured for over a year, and release people from his prisons! Plus there's a free t-shirt for folks that participate. Sign Up
Support AFSC Chicago Peacebuilding!
Abolitionist T's!
Want to support our work and look great while doing it? It’s not too late to get your very own t-shirt by artists Citlali Perez and Monica Trinidad. We’ll ship it free to you anywhere within the continental US. We always appreciate folks sharing photos and/or plugging the link to our t-shirts as well - so feel free to help spread the word if you already have your shirt.
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