I was not able to attend last Saturday’s Tour de Decarcerate event in Camden, so I’ve been catching up on the videos and wrap-up here: 

@BrianKEverett13 ur RT of report including vid of entire event is most appreciated Decarc Camden #DecarcerateNJ https://t.co/3sZ9d2G65V

— Bob Witanek (@bwitanek) January 27, 2015

And in this NJ.com article by Greg Adomaitis.

There’s a lot there, and I just want to highlight a few key points. 

1. It’s nice to see Camden connecting to broader movements on key issues that affect residents. From the beginning of the session, the goal was connecting communities. There’s a lot more on this that can be done, particularly in linking local initiatives like CCOP’s Camden Contract and the wider Ban the Box movement to the decarceration initiative.
2. History. One of the most powerful pieces of this event was how it connected history to the present. Keynote speaker Dequi Sadiki connected the current issues with jail to injustices against African-Americans in the early slave trade, displacement of native Americans, persecution of the black power movement, and the war against both drugs and terrorism. 

When Camden activist, and founder of the PAC Camden Comeback, Gary Frazier speaks about his personal history with incarceration, his struggles gaining employment, the financial stress it puts on his family and those around him, that story needs contextualization. The history provided in this session contextualizes the offenses, and undercuts the common refrain that his experience is an isolated one. How powerful to have an event that can describe how these difficulties are connected to historical injustices and indignities. 

I could go on, but what I’d encourage you to do is watch the videos for the event. Here are a few, and you can go to this link for more: 

Tags: tour de decarcerate