COORDINATING REGIONAL STRATEGIES in the

MOVEMENT AGAINST MASS INCARCERATION

Questionnaire to prepare for our gathering at LeftForum.org, NYC, 5/31, 5-6:50pm (Session 4, Rm. 1.101)
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, 524 West 59th Street, New York


For more information on the session at Left Forum, please visit: http://bit.ly/LeftForumSession
Please send your completed form back to brokenonallsidesINTERN@gmail.com
Please send your completed form back to brokenonallsidesINTERN@gmail.com. This will help facilitator
Matt Pillischer frame the discussion, and we hope it will assist you in gathering your thoughts for these sessions.
Each person will only have a limited time to speak, so using this as notes may help keep remarks short.

Name: Glenn E. Martin, JustLeadershipUSA
Date: 5/25/2104

1. Please provide a brief update (250 words or less please) on organizing efforts you are
focusing on in your city/area. What are you particularly proud of, what are some things
you are having a tough time with?

JLUSA engages with myriad stakeholders, many of whom have been directly affected by crime
and incarceration, to drive criminal justice policy reform. JLUSAs organizing work is national,
with a focus on very specific locations that have a robust reform movement or the potential for
one -- including NYC. We are proud of our branding and communications, as we have poured a
lot of hard work into establishing our brand both regionally and nationally. As a very new
organization, we are struggling with where we will focus our limited resources and how to best
align ourselves with existing criminal justice reform efforts.

2. What would be your ideal vision for working with cities, towns, and states near you?
(250 words or less. Dont worry about ideas not being fully developed.
This may include determining shared goals with activists nearby, better coordinated communication,
regional demonstrations, emergency networks, national day of action, etc.)

To establish a local presence, JLUSA intends to partner with existing organizations and
campaigns to engage in local initiatives to reform Rikers Island and other local jails. One ideal
vision that we have is a strong, collaborative, criminal justice reform campaign to push for the
closure and decentralization of Rikers Island.

3. Is it time for a national March On Washington against Mass Incarceration, or
coordinated day of action in cities across the country? (250 words or less.)

Yes. First, however, people directly impacted must be helping to create and drive the agenda.

4. Please share any concerns you have about coordinating efforts across regions.
(250 words or less.)

People most impacted by the criminal justice system are rarely resourced and empowered to
lead reform efforts, and we havent sufficiently invested in their leadership capacity. Both
regionally and nationally, this needs to change.