What to Build Instead of Prisons
In Oakland, social justice groups are fighting the prison industrial complex through renovated space dedicated to restorative justice and community building.
It’s a midweek summer afternoon, and staff and supporters of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights are standing in a room newly furnished with cubicles, desks, and chairs. They are enjoying snacks, chatting easily, and posing in a space designated as a photo booth for the day.
The open house is a precursor to the late-summer grand opening of Ella Baker’s permanent new home and a celebration of this new chapter for the restorative justice organization.
The space is Restore Oakland, a 15,000 square foot, two-story building Ella Baker shares with a half-dozen local organizations involved in social justice-oriented work...