Cash Bail by the Numbers

FERGUSON, MO – As the nation marks five years since the police killing of teenager Mike Brown and the series of protests known as the Ferguson Uprising, a report released today by Advancement Project National Office points to how a hyperlocal group of Ferguson activists have been changing the City’s unconstitutional policing and criminal legal system practices. This group of residents and allies, now known as the Ferguson Collaborative, have spent the past five years putting the pressure on local and federal policymakers and courts, ousting a court-appointed official, rallying for the dismissal of thousands of municipal court cases and…

  6–10 p.m. EST* THIS IS NOT A GALA—It’s a movement! We put together the racial justice event of the year! Advancement Project National Office celebrated 20 years of progressive racial justice movement work with an event beyond any gala. Hundreds came out and joined our attorneys, organizers, grassroots partners and influencers in racial justice sports, culture, arts, and entertainment as we celebrated with great food, performances, and more. This was for the people! If you missed it, or just want to relive the night’s moments, check out the gallery below. *By taking part in this event you grant the event organizers full…

Did you know St. Louis jails Black people eight times more than white people in a city that is only 47 percent Black?

On the 154th anniversary of Juneteenth, a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold the first hearing on the topic of reparations for slavery since 2007. The hearing, which is the second in history, will focus in part on H.R. 40. H.R. 40, a piece of legislation that would employ a commission to study the legacy of slavery and consider reparations proposals.[1] While the fight for reparations gained prominence in recent years, the issue has been waged for centuries, championed by Black women.[2] However, media surrounding the upcoming hearing largely erases this history…

The ruling of a federal judge in St. Louis confirms that the City has violated the rights of hundreds of people, who have been detained before trial at one of the City’s two jails--the Justice Center and the Medium Security Institution, also known as the Workhouse--solely because they are unable to pay money bail.

On JP Morgan Chase’s decision to no longer finance private prison giants GEO Group and Core Civic, Advancement Project National Office released the following statement: “Advancement Project National Office would like to thank those who have been relentless in their activism to hold corporate America accountable, explaining the harm these companies are causing individuals, families and generations – particularly immigrants of color and people of color who are disproportionately incarcerated in private prisons. We hope to see a wave of more corporations divesting from companies that are making money off us human bodies. It’s time that the U.S. notice the…

Following reports of extreme cold and continued inhumane conditions at St. Louis City’s jail, the Workhouse, advocates gather to demand the release of David Dixon and Jeffrey Rozelle

Kicking off the national movement to end pre-trial detention and end the country’s reliance on incarceration starts on a local, grassroots level.

“We are attacking the City of St. Louis’ illegal procedures used to jail more than 1,000 people solely because of their inability to make a cash payment to purchase their freedom.”