Support Initiative 100 -
Yesterday morning, I attended an event which launched the I-100 campaign here in Seattle. The short explanation of I-100 is this. It calls for the city to study alternatives to it's planned jail and study the need for it. More importantly, it calls for a public vote on this jail if the city intends to move forward with it.
The speakers were all just plain incredible. It took me hours to come down off of the endorphin rush some of them created in me.
I am not going to write out a long explanation here on why building this jail at this time is completely ludicrous.
I am going to ask you to look into it, and at least give this issue the fair hearing it deserves by finding and signing initiative 100 so that it can be put on ballot. Why should you do this? Yesterday during the launch, one question was brought up repeatedly by those speaking in their own way.
We know for a fact that when we provide an education to people, we provide a way out of poverty and a way out of risk of leading lives that result in incarceration. Study after statistic after study after statistic has proven this without any shadow of a doubt. Why then, at a time that our community is paying to tear down schools and our state is cutting off higher education enrollment, are we being asked to borrow money to build a new jail?
By the city's own estimations, the operating costs alone to house over 400 people accused of misdemeanors will run over $300.00 per bed per night! (This figure does NOT include factoring in the money it will take to build this monster.)
Much cheaper alternatives to incarceration for these low level crimes have proven to be far more successful at reducing recidivism rates, and the money saved could pay for a hell of a lot of educating people instead of jailing them later.
What do you want to invest in? Hope, nourishment, and futures, or failed attempts at controlling the result of not investing in these things?
Let's give this Initiative the airing it deserves. The costs are simply too high not to get this one right.