Arbitrarily high monetary bonds are keeping about 50% of the roughly 600 people currently detained in the Alachua County jail for no other reason than individuals cannot afford to pay the cost of bail. Individuals are being held pretrial, thereby presumed innocent in the eyes of the law, but have been left languishing in a cell because of their inability to purchase their freedom.
This is just one of the many ways the anti-black prison-industrial complex works, it incarcerates entire communities without even as much as a trial in order to enrich the pockets of prison contractors. Police are themselves deeply involved in this process as they are the ones supplying the jails with more individuals. Protests are breaking out across the country as the black community who have been targeted the most directly and aggressively are taking their streets to advocate for an abolitionist future. One without policing, without prisons, without a replication of harm in the name of retribution.
An important tactic used by abolitionist organizers is bail funds that help free individuals who are being held in the jails. Many bail funds across the country are focusing effort on getting arrested protestors out of jail as fast as possible and need money to continue doing this important work. The organization formally known as Gainesville IWOC has created a statewide Florida Bond Fund to help free these individuals fighting for their right to live from anti-black oppression from jails.
Please donate and share with your communities.
None are free until all are free!
Statewide Florida Bond Fund: http://tiny.cc/freefloridaf12
Alachua County COVID-19 Bond Fund:https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/alachua-county-covid-19-bond-fund
