Coronavirus continues to spread through jails, prisons, and ICE detention centers. People are being denied proper care, soap, and hand sanitizer, and officials refuse to take necessary action to stop the spread of sickness and growing number of deaths. New York and New Jersey are at the epicenter of this crisis, yet our political leaders are silent on the issue.

This moment highlights the many ways that cages of all kinds are a public health threat. People can’t heal, recuperate, or avoid infection in jails, prisons, and immigrant detention centers. No one is free unless we are all free, which, along with our desire to avoid reifying and legitimizing the policing apparatus and carceral state, is why we demand everyone be released!

On Friday August 21st, we are organizing a virtual phone bank to call on officials demand the release of our family, friends, and community members from detention in New Jersey & New York, the defunding of the police, and an end to ICE contracts.

We’ll gather on a Zoom call Friday from 12 to 1:30 p.m. ET and will start with a brief introduction and instructions. We will then make calls, send emails, and post tweets simultaneously and share experiences & feedback in the chat.