Committed to Justice

by Marcia Mullins

Are you committed to securing justice for those experiencing our court system? If so, read on for a way to put that commitment into action.

At the Nov 2013 WWFOR Fall Retreat, many of us had the great fortune to hear Mary Paterson (keynote speaker) talk about the No New Jim Crow Coalition – Seattle, “dedicated to ending mass incarceration in America, beginning in Seattle/King County.” The work of this group is exciting and is expanding quickly into many areas of legal reform such as abolition of the death penalty. An encouraging program from the City of Seattle also seeks reform by focusing on Restorative Justice: moving from retribution to reconciliation and healing of all parties. (Event details below.)

In addition to WWFOR’s connection to each of these projects, we are eager to announce “Committed to Justice” – an initiative that will focus on support for African Americans who are currently incarcerated and in the King County Court system. WWFOR recognizes that the problems of the criminal justice system are huge, and we applaud the many groups working to address these problems. This new WWFOR initiative – Committed to Justice – will focus on an element of racial justice not yet covered by other efforts.

It will have, as its overarching goal, providing a supportive presence in court to counter the sense of isolation and feelings of being discounted that are felt by many African Americans who are incarcerated. These feelings can be particularly profound when one is facing court proceedings with little support. We want to be a presence which sends the message that “we care about you and we care that, no matter what you have done, you should have fair and just treatment in the criminal justice system.”

Additionally, we hope that our very presence will help to ensure the defendant’s right to a fair and just proceeding. Ultimately we hope to provide the community with increased access to information about the work of prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges.

This new program calls for citizen observers who are willing to be a caring presence for African Americans who request community support as they face court proceedings in the King County Courts and builds on the old Court Watch program led over the years by Ruth Yarrow and Marcia Mullins of FOR.

Right now, our new program will be very simple. Nonetheless, we need enough volunteer observers to be sure that we can honor requests for our presence as they come to us. (Observers attend hearings and trials only when we receive a direct request from an incarcerated individual who has come to know our work.)
When you agree to become an “observer,” you will be part of a group of people who come together because they want a court system that is accountable and fair to ALL citizens. Periodically, you will receive an email message or a phone call asking if you have time to participate in an upcoming court proceeding for which our program has had a request. You can then agree to participate or not, depending on your availability at the time. (Every potential observer will be provided a brief orientation.)

We need your involvement to get this program off the ground. This is your opportunity to make a real difference in real lives as well as in the development of a more fair and humane justice system. If you would like to get involved in Committed to Justice, or if you have questions about the program, please call 206-789-5565 or email wwfor@wwfor.org.

Important upcoming events directly related to WWFOR’s commitment to legal reform:

On February 12th, the Washington to Abolish the Death Penalty (one of WWFOR’s Coalition partners) will hold a Lobby Day in Olympia so that people from around the state can talk to their representatives about death penalty repeal.

On February 16, the Seattle Chapter FOR will present a program on “Restorative Justice”, an approach that focuses on the needs of the victims, the offenders and the community, rather than simply on punishment of the offender. We look forward to hearing from Andrea Brenneke, Director of the newly established City of Seattle Restorative Justice Initiative. (See Calendar for details.)