Car Protest Demands Philadelphia Officials Release Prisoners To Save Lives In Pandemic Crisis
Philadelphia, PA – Protesters gathered by car outside city hall to demand that Philly Mayor Jim Kenney and other city officials take swift action to release prisoners from local jails as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis intensifies. Jails and prisons have become some of the largest epicenters of coronavirus outbreaks in the USA, due to their close quarters and unsanitary conditions.
Unicorn Riot reported from the scene at Philadelphia’s city hall:
A call for the car protest was spread by the local chapter of the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM), a self-described “political movement dedicated to freeing people from bondage and building resistance in the United States.”
The demonstration was organized by Decarcerate PA, ACLU of Pennsylvania, the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, Philadelphia Bail Fund, and Media Mobilizing Project.
This demonstration is happening on Friday. Please turn out! We must free them all! Please and retweet! pic.twitter.com/SEhxuNEMNA
— RevAbolitionPHL (@RAM_Philly) April 9, 2020
During the past two weeks Unicorn Riot has covered other physically-distant car demonstrations demanding the release of prisoners during the pandemic — a #NeverAgain demo outside the home of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in St. Paul, MN and a demo to #FreeThemAll in downtown Denver, CO.
Unicorn Riot's COVID–19 Coverage:
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- Philly Mayor and Judges Pressured To Release Inmates From Jail - April 15, 2020
- Calls for Rent and Mortgage Freeze Outside MN Legislature - April 14, 2020
- What Is Coronavirus and How Do Humans Defeat It? - April 10, 2020
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- ‘Cancel Rent’ Demo Calls for a Rent and Mortgage Payment Freeze as COVID-19 Spreads - April 9, 2020
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Title image credit: Antoine Taveneaux via Wikimedia Commons (CC 3.0)
