Social Justice Leaders, College Students Unite in Philadelphia, Call to Immediately Reform Criminal Justice System

REFORM will bring together entertainers, thought leaders, criminal justice experts, youth organizers and educators to The University of Pennsylvania's campus to participate in a series of panels that will stimulate dialogue around the United States criminal justice system, examine Robert "Meek Mill" Williams' legal case and inspire attendees to positively push for nationwide reform.

Reverend Al Sharpton, Equal Justice Initiative executive director Bryan Stevenson, hip-hop artist Mysonne Linen, Justice League founding member Angelo Pinto, UPenn professor Marie Gottschalk, civil rights attorney David Rudofsky, Frontline Dads executive director Reuben Jones, Californians for Safety & Justice campaign manager Jay Jordan and Youth Sentencing & Re-Entry Project co-director Joanna Visser Adjoian are among several panelists that are scheduled to speak at REFORM. Mill's attorney, Joe Tacopina, and mother, Kathy Williams, will also provide an update on the hip-hop star's case.

Mill was initially arrested as a 19-year-old by the Philadelphia Narcotics Field Unit (NFU) police officers, but now those same officers are currently under investigation for several alleged acts of corruption. Despite these findings, Mill continues to serve a two- to four-year prison sentence for technical probation violations – both non-criminal and non-violent offenses – and the case is emblematic of the deficiencies of the criminal justice system.

REFORM will delve into the systemic cycle of incarceration taking place in the greater Philadelphia region, especially after the disclosure of police misconduct, perjury, bias and corruption among the Narcotics Field Unit (NFU). According to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2014, more than 50,000 people were in prison in Pennsylvania. African-Americans accounted for 48.7 percent of those incarcerated and Hispanics made up 10.7 percent.

For more information on reforming the broken justice system and demanding bail for Mill and millions of other non-violent offenders, please visit REFORMPHILLY.com.

About Justice League

Justice League NYC was co-founded by Carmen Perez and Marvin Bing, Jr. in 2013 as a task force of The Gathering For Justice.  Calling on their peers – youth leaders exceptional talent and promise - Justice League NYC quickly assembled as a diverse group of young criminal justice experts, direct service providers, activists, advocates, artists and formerly incarcerated individuals bringing their resources to the table to create a blueprint to reform the criminal and social justice system in NY City and State.

The first initiative of Justice League was a 3-Day Juvenile Justice Conference "Growing Up Locked Down" (GULD) at The New School in September 2014.  Soon after GULD, and immediately following the non- indictment of Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, Justice League began to organize and established itself over the ensuing months as an urgent, rapid-response organism. By keeping public pressure on the city with a number of high profile acts (like getting I Can't Breathe t shirts worn by Jay Z and the Brooklyn Nets on live TV in front of the visiting Royal Family) and publishing a List of 10 Demands for Redress & Accountability, Justice League was brought into meetings with high-level city and state officials, including private meetings with the Mayor and Governor, while gaining attention and growing momentum for the movement on the streets. March2Justice, a 9-day, 250-mile march from NYC to Washington DC was the largest and most challenging endeavor for Justice League so far, but the impact has been enormous.

For more information contact [email protected].

SOURCE Justice League NYC

Related Links

http://gatheringforjustice.org