Summer 2023 Impact Report

Impact Report

Summer 2023

The Movement Is Growing This summer, the Ella Baker Center is hosting its annual cohort of summer interns (some pictured above with Executive Director Marlene Sanchez and Institutional Giving Manager Juan Govea). All eight have hit the ground running with a commitment to fight for liberation for all our community.

You can find them sorting mail from folks inside, supporting resource organizing campaigns, or at the capitol lobbying for policies that will help our community right away, like the BASICs Act (SB 474 Becker).

EBC interns are drawn to the movement for different reasons. Sophie, born and raised in Oakland, says "I was drawn to make a difference in my hometown, having seen what militarized over-policing looks like. Prisons and punishment are not solutions to social issues, and our community deserves better." Clara was drawn to EBC's past work advocating for policies that assist system-impacted people through the foundational values of community and care.

This summer’s cohort is building on the legacy of Ella Baker. They are cultivating community and continuing to build on our movement to divest from prisons and harm and invest towards opportunities, communities, and people.

Big thank you to Aldazia, Angie, Clara, Kallie, Matthew, Nasser, Phoebe, Sophie for all of your incredible work.

EBC's New Climate Report This June, EBC released Hidden Hazards: The Impacts of Climate Change on Incarcerated People in California State Prisons, developed with graduate students from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs. Hidden Hazards – the first report of its kind – explores the risks incarcerated people face from climate hazards and offers policy recommendations, to ensure our loved ones are not left behind when disaster strikes. The result of nearly 600 responses from incarcerated people across all of California’s 34 prison facilities, this report centers the expertise of currently incarcerated organizers, writers, and researchers.

Over half of California’s prisons are vulnerable to climate disaster, susceptible to climate hazards such as extreme heat, floods, or wildfires. As climate change continues to intensify, our loved ones inside will face the greatest harm. The California carceral system is not prepared or designed to ensure the safety and well-being of the folks inside. EBC recommends closing the 18 facilities that are unable to address the health and safety of the people within them, rather than spending untold millions on repair them.

Key Findings: Incarcerated people are distinctly vulnerable to climate hazards because they are dependent on CDCR for preparedness, response, and recovery.

CDCR prisons are highly affected by climate hazards because they are located in or near remote areas, have an aging infrastructure and population, and are overcrowded.

CDCR has provided the legislature and public minimal information on its emergency preparedness.

The CDCR’s own manual does not mention wildfires, flooding, or extreme temperatures, which suggests no emergency planning for these hazards exists.

"So far as I know in the case of any natural disaster, the prison staff will close my room door and leave. If things would be otherwise, I would like to know. I would like to be told what to do if there is a wildfire, a flood, or extreme heat or cold ...

Otherwise, I would think that I don't matter as a human being.”

Anonymous Response from Pelican Bay State Prison

Other state carceral systems have failed to keep incarcerated people safe during climate hazards. Our findings suggest California’s carceral emergency management system is also set up to fail.

To learn more and access the full report, you can visit https://ellabakercenter.org/reports/hiddenhazards/ or scan the QR code. For questions regarding the report, please email emily@ellabakercenter.org.

Policy Priorities Racial Justice Act for All (Kalra) A huge policy win like the Racial Justice Act (Kalra) is not enough. We must keep working to see that the RJA is put into action! The Racial Justice Act prohibits the state from seeking a criminal conviction based upon race, ethnicity, or national origins and allows persons with convictions to appeal their court case if a racial bias violation was present in their case. As Derick Morgan, Senior Policy Associate, shared, "Ever since the passing of the RJA, it has been our goal and commitment that our legislative win is implemented correctly!"

We continue to work to ensure this policy's implementation to address the racial discrimination they face, and have faced, in our current legal justice system including AB 1118 (Kalra), which streamlines the appeal process by making the appeals process for RJA easier.

EBC has created The Racial Justice Act Guide, which we released this May. The guide provides our incarcerated loved ones and family with: 1) a brief history of the law 2) an explanation of the law 3) the phase-in of the law 4) and examples of court cases that have successfully used RJA. This guide will be a tool that will empower people to leverage their rights and use the law for their journeys toward freedom and liberation.

Combined with the recently released Spanish translation of the RJA guide, we're ensuring these vital resources are accessible across language barriers, so that freedom knows no boundaries.

SB 474 (Becker) - The BASICs Act On June 27th, the Assembly Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to pass SB 474. The bill now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee where it will be reviewed this August.

Did you know?

In California State Prison Solano, toothpaste costs $4.45, meaning the purchase of one tube of toothpaste can cost up to 37% of an incarcerated person’s monthly income.

Each year incarcerated people and their families spend over $80 million in state prison canteens. Incarcerated people rely on these canteens to access essential items such as food, toilet paper, and hygiene supplies. Items are frequently marked up, as much as 65% over the price paid to vendors, causing financial burden and stress to incarcerated people and the loved ones who scrimp to add to their account. The BASICs Act would reduce canteen markups to and maximum of 10% across California prisons saving system-impacted folks and their families millions of dollars every year.

As we work to divest from prisons, it is imperative that we alleviate all the harm we all face from the PIC. To support SB 474, check out the our Get Involved section on the last page of this report.

GET INVOLVED! Let's stay connected

Join us at our monthly virtual prison mail night on the second Thursday of each month from 5:30-7:30 PST! If you would like to be notified on upcoming mail nights or if you have any questions, email our team at policy@ellabakercenter.org.

Support the BASICs Act SB 474 (Becker) would eliminate markups on canteen items across California state prisons, alleviating cost pressures for incarcerated people and their families.

Sign up to become a "super friend" and receive updates on how you can support at bit.ly/SB474SuperFriends, or scan the QR code to spread the word with our policy toolkit!

Become a monthly donor

Support the Ella Baker Center as a monthly sustainer! When you give monthly, you are supporting a people powered movement towards reinvestment in our communities. Your gift shines a light for our way ahead.

Become a monthly donor at bit.ly/monthlyebc and help us on the continued fight for liberation.