Five years ago Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, raised national awareness to the willful and intentional incarceration of African-American men in the US. In the five years since the release of her book, social justice organizations from across the country have been waging efforts to expose and address how structural racism and injustice are manifested through systems of mass incarceration, police brutality and resource divestment in poor communities of color.

SOUL is one the many organizations on the frontlines of that fight! We are an organization of congregations, groups and individuals waging a war against racial and economic injustice on Chicago’s south side and south suburbs. For the past 18 months, SOUL and our allies have been fighting to end mass incarceration in Illinois. Our campaign, #DecarcerateCHI has been instrumental in moving elected officials at the state and county level to pass legislation and implement policy changes designed to reduce mass incarceration rates.

What we’ve won to date include:

• Cook County State’s Attorney agreeing to end the prosecution of individuals arrested for low level drug possession and re-directing those individuals to drug treatment programs. (70% of Cook County Jail inmates are first time or repeat non-violent arrestees waiting trial due to their inability to post bail)
• Legislation (HB218) passed both houses of the Illinois Legislature reducing criminal penalties for individuals convicted for low level possession of marijuana. Not only will this begin to reduce incarceration rates in Illinois’s prison system but also free up funding that could be used for prevention and recidivism programs.

We are proud of what we have done, but our work is far from over. We have a vision where structural racism no longer exists in our society and reforms to our criminal justice system is a vital step to get there.

We intend to fight on until:

• Money based bail system no longer exist in Illinois. Poor people should not sit in jail for weeks and months, only to see their charges dismissed in many instances, because they could not afford to post bail for non-violent offenses.
• The State of Illinois commits the necessary resources to end recidivism in Illinois. Reducing incarceration rates are meaningless without an investment of resources to put formerly incarcerated individuals on a path to opportunity and hope for a better way of life.
• For profit prisons and contracted services are eliminated from the prison system. So long as money can be made by corporations and private companies there will be profit based motives to keep our most vulnerable and people of color trapped in a cycle of incarceration.

To that end, we are asking SOUL supporters who share our vision and values to help us raise $5,000 by October 5th.  Proposed “changes” to the system of mass incarceration are taking place at all levels of government and Presidential candidates are even speaking to the issue. There is a window of opportunity for us to end the New Jim Crow and now is the time for us to act!

A contribution of $25, $50 or $100 dollars will allow us to continue this fight. 

Click the video below to hear SOUL Leader, Khomee Parrett, share his story.

Yours in the struggle…

Byron Hobbs
Executive Director
SOUL