No to a New Jail- A Parent Leader's Perspective

Meet Danielle

Parent leader Danielle Holcomb wrote this during a Community Engagement session about a city jail the City of KCMO hosted on November 30th.

As a resident of the 5th district in Kcmo, I am here to oppose the construction of a new jail and to speak to all, the decision-makers, the supporters, and the opposers, in hopes we all leave here tonight understanding that the safest communities do not have more police they have more resources.

Resources you’ve heard, through the alternative to incarceration community meetings, resources you’ll continue to hear throughout tonight.

But can we talk about the destruction the construction of a new jail will do to our city? The amount of people who will be detained simply because they can’t afford to pay. POVERTY is NOT a crime. Do we understand the slippery slope it causes our community when people can’t get home to their families and their jobs because they can’t afford to get out of jail? Poverty should not be a crime.

To the decision-makers who need to decide how many beds this jail should have. Zero is how many. Zero for those who can’t afford to get out. Zero for those who have substance abuse issues as I see community members from Healing House here tonight I’ll let them speak on that data and how jail does not solve addiction and data the supporters of this new jail have not been able to provide. Zero beds are needed that’s how many. You need a number, it’s zero and the data agrees.

To the supporters of this jail, if you still feel you’ll see the change in your community, you’re making the wrong change. Change needs to start in Jefferson City with the State giving local control of KCPD back to the city of KC. Change needs to start in our county of Jackson which already has a jail and building a new jail currently and won’t work with the city why the city has to pay and transport hours away. That’s where you need to begin your change.

No to a new jail