The Pittsburgh arm of the Dignity Act Now Collective and community members of Allegheny County held a car action and press conference outside of the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) on May 12, 2020. Our goal was to bring awareness of the conditions at the jail and the harm that it is causing the black women and caregivers who are held there. We have seen the ACJ:
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Hold a 20-year-old Black woman, Kimberly Andrews, in solitary confinement for over 70 days;
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Continually place Black Trans Women in male facilities;
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Leave our community warehoused with no hot water as temperatures dropped to 45 degrees;
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Place our community members in solitary confinement as a result of behavior which are common symptoms of their mental health conditions.
This was before COVID19. This was before we recognized racism as a public health crisis in Allegheny County. This was before we know that Pittsburgh is the worst place in the US for a Black Woman to Live. Recognizing the medical apartheid state that Black Women in Pittsburgh already have to survive in, in addition to being locked in the Allegheny County Jail in this current COVID-19 pandemic; we know that their conditions will not improve without us calling truth to power. In light of these harms, we demand the courts:
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Lift detainers
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End cash bail
- Prioritize the release of Black Mammas from the ACJ.
Carmen Alexander of New Voices and Brandi Fisher of Alliance for Police Accountability can be seen speaking below in front of the ACJ. Check out the Pgh City Paper’s coverage here.
The Dignity Act Now Collective was founded by Mary’s Daughter and comprised of Z’akayiah House, Alliance for Police Accountability, Let’s Get Free, New Voices for Reproductive Justice and the Radical Youth Collective.