Care Not Criminalization Series

Part One: The Responsibility of Local Government in Achieving Racial Equity

Monday, October 5th, 2020 @ 7:00pm

Join us in conversation with six candidates running for various local government positions as we hear how each of these positions is vital to equitable public safety and how they are working towards racial equity.

Keisha Nzewi Candidate for Mt. Diablo Unified School District Area 3
Tamisha Walker Candidate for Antioch City Council District 1
Hope Johnson Candidate for Concord City Council District 2
Michael Samson Candidate for Walnut Creek City Council
Eduardo Torres Candidate for Ambrose Recreation and Parks District Board
Jovanka Beckles Candidate for AC Transit Board Ward 1

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About the Series

In July, Concord’s City Council responded to calls to hold its police department accountable, defund the police, and reinvest in community care. Mayor Tim McGallian held one Study Session — a formal City Council meeting where they study publicly with an expert — but the expert was the Chief of Police.

When Defund Concord PD asked Mayor McGallian to hold equivalent Study Sessions with service providers and experts in racial equity and macro social work, the Mayor agreed but then never followed through. Further, City Manager Valerie Barone scheduled a virtual Town Hall to talk about Mental Health and Homelessness in response to calls for a non-police response to these issues, but left our unhoused neighbors almost entirely out of the conversation, and prevented community unity during the session by disabling chat and video elements.

Here at Defund Concord PD, we believe that these conversations are still important even if the City refuses to hold space for them to happen. Our goal is to educate residents on what is needed to achieve racial equity in the Concord community and prepare residents to take action during the November election and when the city budget is up for discussion this year. We want to unite the community and foster community-based solutions and responses to the issues we are facing.

Join us for our 4-part series, Care Not Criminalization as we learn about the way forward in Concord!

Monday, October 5th, 2020 @ 7:00pm The Responsibility of Local Government: A Conversation with Local Candidates
Monday, October 26th, 2020 @ 7:00pm Learning from the Experts: A Conversation with Experts in Macro Social Work and Racial Equity
Monday, November 16th, 2020 @ 7:00pm Supporting Existing Activists: A Conversation with Non-Profit Leaders
Monday, December 7th, 2020 @ 7:00pm Community Response: A Town Hall Style Discussion on What We Have Learned

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