Poet Natalie Patterson wants us to vote for hope, and not just in some gimmicky way. She wants us to literally put our tax dollars where our values are and stop wasting money and lives on an unforgiving criminal justice system.
Take, for example, that almost half of federal prisoners have been locked up for drug offenses (see chart below). With so many cops distracted by petty drug busts, some really effed-up crimes — I’m talking rape and murder, people! — are going unsolved.
Wouldn’t police attention be better spent tracking violent criminals? And wouldn’t we get a lot more for our tax money by investing in ways to stop crime before it happens?
U.S. Federal Prison Population by Offense Category
Note: Data is limited by the availability of offense-specific information.
Proposition 47 would be a great first step toward fixing our ironically termed “correctional” system, starting with California. And while it’s only up for a vote in California, its passage could be the start of a nationwide shift in a better direction.
Natalie isn’t the only one who supports the proposition. The plan has support from millions of California residents, including judges, cops, teachers, parents, students, faith leaders, business owners, and folks from all other walks of life.
Even California’s most–read newspapers want 47 to succeed.
So if you’re a California voter and you agree with Natalie, please go to the polls on Nov. 4 and vote YES on Proposition 47.
If you’re not a California voter, please help to spread the word, because…
“Justice is indivisible! Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
