Texas Organizing Project (TOP) is proud to hit this critical milestone of over $1 million dollars in bail funds distributed as we fight through our Right2Justice campaign to end mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty in Texas. The bail system in place statewide disproportionately targets low-income Black and Latino Texans and must be reformed. Until then, TOP will continue to distribute bail funds as needed across the state. Given the recent right-wing assault on community bail funds from the state legislature this year, it’s now more important than ever that we continue to fight and advocate for bail reform.
“As of September 20, 2021, we have spent $1,013,336 to bail out over 675 people. The majority of these funds were distributed in Bexar County, where we spent $978,343 to bail out over 645 people,” said TOP’s Right2Justice Policy Coordinator, Laquita Garcia. “The scale of our Right2Justice campaign is continuing to grow and have a positive impact in our communities. It serves as yet another reminder that our work is far from over, and that it’s critical that we keep up this fight, especially as right-wing politicians at every level look to prevent us from making further progress.”
“Our bail fund program is rooted in the fact that mass incarceration is an injustice that disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities, and does in fact not make our communities any safer,” said TOP’s Co-Executive Director, Brianna Brown. “The vast majority of those in jail in Texas have not been convicted of a crime; they simply cannot afford bail. We must stop criminalizing poverty and instead pursue sweeping, progressive legal reforms in our state.”
TOP remains focused on a path toward bold justice reform in Texas and will continue building out our Right2Justice program so we can one day reach a state that truly works for all Texans.
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Texas Organizing Project organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve. For more information, visit organizetexas.org.