DSA SF voted unanimously at the August general meeting to join the No New SF Jail Coalition.

The coalition is a partnership between a growing number of activist and political organizations to permanently close the jail at 850 Bryant, which has been slated for demolition for over twenty years due to seismic instability.

The looming crisis, however, also presents an opportunity for San Francisco to do better than simply building a new jail in its place. Ultimately, if a new jail is built, the city will continue to rely on incarceration instead of tackling the social problems that are actually at the root of crime and injustice. The coalition instead demands increases to supportive housing, mental health, diversion programs, and decriminalization that would make a new jail unnecessary.

The coalition also opposes any stopgap solutions like transfers to existing jails or electronic monitoring that would take on the same role in the city’s political ecosystem as 850 Bryant: preventing long-term investment in social solutions to social problems.

DSA SF is proud to join other organizations including Critical Resistance, the Coalition on Homelessness, ACLU of Northern California, the SF Tenants Union, and Supervisor Matt Haney to demand that our city government close 850 Bryant and invest in non-carceral alternatives.