The Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC) will be second lining to encourage the City Planning Commission to recommend against building the Phase III Psychiatric Jail.
New Orleans, LA, October 9, 2021—The Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC) and other criminal justice reform organizations will host a Jazz funeral for the hopeful death of the Phase III psychiatric jail proposal. 50+ community members will meet in front of the jail to march down to the bridge to nowhere, the empty plot of land on Perdido Street where Sheriff Marlin Gusman is proposing to build a $51 million psychiatric jail, despite public disapproval from City Council, business leaders, and medical professionals.
Saturday’s second line will include live music and testimony from New Orleans’ leaders who have been directly impacted by issues of mass incarceration and inadequate psychiatric care. Speakers will elaborate on the dangers of jail expansion and explain how the alternative retrofit plan will provide care for incarcerated people with mental illness. The Coalition hopes to create a pathway for the city to provide humane care outside of the carceral system while ensuring constitutional care for people detained in the Orleans Justice Center. OPPRC, among other groups — including the Orleans Public Defenders, Voice of the Experience, Justice and Accountability Center, and the Promise of Justice Initiative — advocate for a retrofitted Orleans Justice Center, deemed viable by experts, to meet compliance with consent decree measures.
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What: C’est la vie Phase III – OPPRC Jazz Funeral
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When: Saturday, October 9th, 1:15 pm
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Where: 2800 Perdido St.
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Facebook Event: Link Here
The jazz funeral will be hosted in advance of the City Planning Commission (CPC) meeting on October 12th, where the CPC will make a recommendation as to whether or not to move forward with building the Phase III psychiatric jail. Phase III has been on the front of the mind of federal courts, politicians, and the public, and is a major campaign issue in New Orleans’ upcoming sheriff election, where all five candidates are running on “progressive” platforms. New Orleanians have repeatedly voiced that no one should be caged for their mental health status. They’ve written hundreds of letters, conducted sleepouts, held rallies, and are ready to lay Phase III to rest.
About the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC)
The Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition is a diverse, grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations from across New Orleans who have come together to shrink the size of the jail and improve the conditions of confinement for those held in detention in Orleans Parish.
Founded in 2004, OPPRC members include community activists, lawyers, service providers, organizers, formerly incarcerated people, and their family members.
Visit opprcnola.org to learn more.
