A New Campaign Mobilizes Latinx Voters in California to Promote Progress Not Prisons

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- World Voices Media (WVM) and Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ) launched the "Progress Not Prisons" campaign aimed at mobilizing eligible Latinx voters and raising awareness about the urgent need to redirect a portion of the budget spent on prisons toward health care, schools, jobs, housing and services for victims of crime.

Since the November 3rd elections are just around the corner, the campaign seeks to mobilize more than 30,000 Spanish-speaking voters and encourage civic participation through early voting. A primary goal is to start a conversation in our communities about the urgency of criminal justice reform.

California spends $50 billion dollars on the criminal justice system every year. Reinvesting just 1% of that budget could provide our families and communities with resources to solve the most serious problems Californians face every day, including the need for more medical and educational services. If California redirected just 1% of the $50 billion spent on its criminal justice system each year, the state could invest in:

• Restoring health care coverage to more than half of the estimated 2.1 million Californians who have lost their health care during the pandemic as of mid-May
• Providing COVID-19 treatment for 16,000 people, including hospital stays
• Maintaining 11,000 EMTs or 4,000 nurses, at a time when 1.4 million healthcare workers throughout the country lost their jobs during the month of April
• Providing shelter to nearly half of California's estimated 108,000 unsheltered homeless residents, at a time when an estimated 5.3 million residents are at risk of eviction
• Preserving 6,000 elementary school teachers
• Paying for public education for 41,000 K-12 students
• Supporting annual tuition and fees for 62,000 university students, nearly one out of every four incoming freshmen

The campaign seeks to motivate Californians to make the best decision by asking for progress, not prisons. The best way is to start locally: talking to our community centers, with neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family, about the importance of registering to vote, voting, and encouraging others to do the same.

Eligible Latinx voters are asked to make a "pledge" to support progress, not prisons, and to vote in the upcoming election, while committing to encouraging three friends, neighbors, family members or co-workers to vote.

To facilitate the participation process, WVM & CSJ will make it possible for eligible voters to start the voter registration process via cell phone by sending a text message with the word PROGRESS to 52886. Studies show that around 8 out of 10 people who have taken the step of registering are more likely to vote on Election Day.

"Overly punitive statutes have a devastating effect on the Latino community. Partnering with Californians for Safety and Justice will give us the opportunity to inform our community about how we can make progress in California through investments in infrastructure, schools, medical, and mental health services, instead of spending more on prisons and giving more people felonies for minor offenses," says Patricia Frausto-Rodríguez, Executive Director of World Voices Media, a nonprofit that works with other organizations to create social impact campaigns.

"In just the past decade alone, California has spent $100 billion on prisons, taking resources away from what our families need to be healthy and safe," said Tinisch Hollins, Associate Director of Californians for Safety and Justice. 

"Instead of relying on incarceration to keep our communities safe, we need to commit to making necessary investments in prevention to stop the cycle of crime, health care, education, and programs that address homelessness, addiction and mental illness. Californians working on the frontlines to solve our greatest challenges are coming together to say that we can no longer afford to spend billions of dollars on prisons. We need progress, not prisons, and we must engage in our civic duty by registering to vote and casting our ballots," Hollins continued.

As part of the "Progress Not Prisons" campaign, a dedicated page on LaRedHispana.org was created along with audio capsules which will be transmitted through the La Red Hispana network of more than 200 radio stations in Spanish. Video and social media elements will complement these assets through the La Red Hispana digital channels and social networks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as on its flagship programs such as Bienvenidos a América and Doctora Isabel's show.

For more information visit the Spanish-language campaign page on LaRedHispana.org.

Contact: Mercy Padilla
(202) 360-4112
[email protected]

SOURCE La Red Hispana