Listen To Reason; Reconsider Pre-Trial Reform
Senator Gary Simpson & Senator Greg Lavelle
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On June 20th, the Delaware State Senate Minority Caucus refused to support SB 221 and SB 222, Delaware's Pre-Trial Reform package. This legislation was worked on by organizations ranging from the Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow to the ACLU, from the Department of Justice to the Fraternal Order of Police, from the Delaware Domestic Violence prevention organizations to the Department of Corrections. Very seldom has legislation garnered such a diverse and respectable coalition of support, and it has been our pleasure at Delaware United to help in this effort.
Yet, the Republican leadership refused an invitation for a meeting with the caucus as a whole with one of the main supporters of the legislation, Judge Davis, before all but one of their members refused to support it. This letter writing campaign is intended to respectfully ask the Republican Leadership to reconsider their refusal of support, and ask them to agree to a meeting with the leaders of this effort first thing Tuesday morning-before the session ends on Saturday.
Please sign and share with your friends before Tuesday.
Sponsored by
To:
Senator Gary Simpson & Senator Greg Lavelle
From:
[Your Name]
I am contacting you today, since you are the leaders of the Senate Minority Caucus, to urge you to reconsider your support for SB 221 and SB 222. I implore you, as someone in a leadership position, to accept the invite from Judge Davis, who has worked tirelessly on this effort, to speak to your caucus early next week on the importance of this legislation.
It is imperative that we move forward on this measure this year. Delawareans should not have to wait another three years for a chance at the kind of assurance for public safety that this bill offers. Furthermore, we should not continue to feed cyclical crime and poverty as our current system does.
There are three working days left in the 149th General Assembly. We must return this legislation to the floor with support from your caucus. Organizations around the state have worked diligently for this legislation--from law enforcement to judicial offices, from the Delaware Center for Justice to the ACLU, from religious organizers to activist organizations.
This legislation has garnered bipartisan and diverse support from the communities of our great state. We need you to be the leaders the Republican caucus needs right now, and urge everyone to listen to these organizations and support this bill.
I may or may not be in your district, but in this case as the leaders of your caucus, you can help or hinder progress in the entire state. Please reconsider your dismissal of this legislation and urge your caucus to do the same.
At the very least, I request that you set up a meeting first thing Tuesday morning to hear the voices in favor of this legislation. I think it is only fair that you do so.