End Prison Gerrymandering in PA—Regional Forums

From Fair Districts PA (http://www.fairdistrictspa.com):

Unfair district lines take away power from impacted communities

People in prison aren’t allowed to vote–yet the census counts them in the areas they’re imprisoned and not the areas they come from. This prison gerrymandering funnels political power away from communities impacted by incarceration to legislators who have prisons in their  districts. In Pennsylvania, this practice is responsible for creating the equivalent of whole new PA House districts in areas around surrounding prisons rather than the areas where people are from.

At the forums, individuals and family members most directly affected by mass incarceration and loss of representation will share their stories, while speakers from host organizations provide background to put those stories in context. Come hear about how we can end this practice and bring fair political power back to the communities most impacted by mass incarceration in Pennsylvania.

Regional Forums (all Zoom events).

Registration links are below:

• Northeast PA, March 22, 7-8:30 pm
• Northwest PA, March 25, 7 to 8:30 pm
• Southeast PA, April 6, 7 to 8:30 pm 
• Southwest PA, April 10, 11am to 12:30 pm
• North Central PA, April 15, 7 to 8:30 pm
• South Central PA, April 17, 11am to 12:30 pm

Co-hosts

• Decarcerate PA
• Free the Ballot
• Straight Ahead!
• Abolitionist Law Center
• Fair Districts PA
• League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
• PA Council of Churches Advocacy
• ACLU of Pennsylvania

For a preview, watch a live-streamed forum hosted by some of the same organizations on January 6, 2021. More background is available from a breakout on this issue at the FDPA conference in 2019.

Part of our goal in this is to strengthen ties between advocate communities in every region of PA. Next steps will include:

• Building broader support for redistricting reform bills HB 22 /SB 222.
• Attention and advocacy to end prison gerrymandering, including support for SB 104/ HB 706)
• Regional meetings on prison policy, beginning with attention to geriatric prisoners and misuse of solitary confinement.
• Regional mapping events to protect local communities and ensure fair representation.

The more we work together, the more effective we can be. Please share, promote and look for ways to build our democracy networks.