Grassroots Leadership
Encyclopedia
Grassroots Leadership is a nonprofit organization
founded in 1980 by Si Kahn
, a Pennsylvania
-born songwriter/activist who has lived for many years in Charlotte, North Carolina
, for the purpose of helping to create an "infrastructure for a progressive Southern movement." Grassroots Leadership's goal is to put an end to abuses of justice and the public trust by working to abolish for-profit private prisons. "For-profit private prisons, jails and detention centers have no place in a democratic society. Profiteering
from the imprisonment of human beings compromises public safety
and corrupts justice
. In the spirit of democracy
and accountability, we call for an end to all incarceration for profit." The nonprofit has offices in Charlotte, NC, Montezuma, NM
, and Austin, TX, but have a history of organizing initiatives across the Southern United States
.
to keep privately owned prisons from being constructed in her county. Gail Tyree, Campaign Director in the Mississippi
/Tennessee
area reported that the final result of the April 16 vote was 58% to 41% not to allow a for-profit private prison
to be built in their county. This is the first time in the history of Mississippi that this has happened. In 1992, Mississippi passed state statute 47-4-3 requiring a special election on whether or not a private prison should be built. Over 3,000 Pike County
registered voters signed the petition
demanding a special election. Gail said, "For all the money Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) spent, for all the billboards they put up, we beat them with a slingshot." Gail also credited Grassroots Leadership's Les Schmidt and Kermit Moore, who had been working with her in Mississippi
. In Adam County, Mississippi, they were unable to get the necessary number of signatures to bring the same issue to a vote. Grassroots Leadership has continued on to Walthall County where another for-prison private prison
is being planned by CCA
.
’s prisoners are in beds run by private prison
companies. This is the highest percentage of prison privatization in the country. The New Mexico
chapter conducts educational activities and research to help inform the public about the dangers of privatization, the costs of incarceration, and the need for greater investment in education and prevention programs. In collaboration with immigrant rights organizations, Amnesty International
, the ACLU and others, the New Mexico
chapter puts together the tools to enable greater public awareness and action regarding prison, jail and detention conditions in New Mexico.
prison expansion in Laredo would be unhelpful to the community and economy of Laredo. The printed work, along with protesting, was able to cut the prison expansion to half the originally proposed size.
Additionally, Grassroots Leadership created the STOPP (South Texans Opposing Private Prisons) initiative in order to focus on South Texan prison expansion and combat the growth of private prison facilities.
Print
2005: Considering a Private Jail, Prison or Detention Center? A Resource Packet for Public Officials by Bob Libal
2006: GROUND ZERO: The Laredo Superjail and the No Action Alternative by Nicholas Hudson
2008: Lax Oversight Plagues Private Prison in Texas by Lauren Reinlie
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
founded in 1980 by Si Kahn
Si Kahn
Si Kahn is an American singer-songwriter, activist, and founder and former executive director of Grassroots Leadership.- Early life and education :...
, a Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
-born songwriter/activist who has lived for many years in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, for the purpose of helping to create an "infrastructure for a progressive Southern movement." Grassroots Leadership's goal is to put an end to abuses of justice and the public trust by working to abolish for-profit private prisons. "For-profit private prisons, jails and detention centers have no place in a democratic society. Profiteering
Profiteering
Profiteering may relate to:* Profiteering * War profiteering...
from the imprisonment of human beings compromises public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
and corrupts justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
. In the spirit of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and accountability, we call for an end to all incarceration for profit." The nonprofit has offices in Charlotte, NC, Montezuma, NM
Montezuma, New Mexico
Montezuma is an unincorporated community in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. It is located about five miles northwest of the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico....
, and Austin, TX, but have a history of organizing initiatives across the Southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Kahn served as executive director for the first thirty years of the organization, retiring early in 2010. Donna Red Wing is the new executive director.Southaven, Mississippi
On April 16, 2007, Grassroots Leadership was the leading voice for a vote in Pike County, MississippiPike County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,940 people, 14,792 households, and 10,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile . There were 16,720 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
to keep privately owned prisons from being constructed in her county. Gail Tyree, Campaign Director in the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
/Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
area reported that the final result of the April 16 vote was 58% to 41% not to allow a for-profit private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
to be built in their county. This is the first time in the history of Mississippi that this has happened. In 1992, Mississippi passed state statute 47-4-3 requiring a special election on whether or not a private prison should be built. Over 3,000 Pike County
Pike County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,940 people, 14,792 households, and 10,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile . There were 16,720 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
registered voters signed the petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
demanding a special election. Gail said, "For all the money Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) spent, for all the billboards they put up, we beat them with a slingshot." Gail also credited Grassroots Leadership's Les Schmidt and Kermit Moore, who had been working with her in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. In Adam County, Mississippi, they were unable to get the necessary number of signatures to bring the same issue to a vote. Grassroots Leadership has continued on to Walthall County where another for-prison private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
is being planned by CCA
CCA
CCA can refer to:*ICAO callsign for Air China*California Charter Academy*California College of the Arts*California Culinary Academy*Canadian Canoe Association*Canadian Cascade Arc*Canadian Cat Association*Canadian Centre for Architecture...
.
Montezuma, New Mexico
Currently 47% of New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
’s prisoners are in beds run by private prison
Private prison
A private prison, jail, or detention center is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency...
companies. This is the highest percentage of prison privatization in the country. The New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
chapter conducts educational activities and research to help inform the public about the dangers of privatization, the costs of incarceration, and the need for greater investment in education and prevention programs. In collaboration with immigrant rights organizations, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, the ACLU and others, the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
chapter puts together the tools to enable greater public awareness and action regarding prison, jail and detention conditions in New Mexico.
Austin, Texas
The Austin chapter is led by organizer Bob Libal. Focusing mainly on private prisons in Texas, Grassroots Leadership has published influential research reports, publications, and public action. In July 2006, the Grassroots Leadership published a report that focused on a prison expansion proposal in Laredo, TX. The report, entitled "GROUND ZERO: The Laredo Superjail and the No Action Alternative" concluded that the USMSUSMS
USMS may refer to:*United States Marshals Service*United States Maritime Service*United States Masters Swimming...
prison expansion in Laredo would be unhelpful to the community and economy of Laredo. The printed work, along with protesting, was able to cut the prison expansion to half the originally proposed size.
Additionally, Grassroots Leadership created the STOPP (South Texans Opposing Private Prisons) initiative in order to focus on South Texan prison expansion and combat the growth of private prison facilities.
Publications
One of the goals of Grassroots Leadership is reaching the public through every available conduit, whether it be print, video, or audio to promote values of justice and social responsibility and accountability. The funding for these publications comes through individual donors from grassroots donations.
This packet is published as a resource guide for public officials, citizens, and journalists in Texas counties that have been approached to build, finance, or operate private prisons, jails, and detention centers. It includes accounts from public officials and experts on prison development on the risks and benefits that a private jail can have on a Texas county or municipality.
2006: GROUND ZERO: The Laredo Superjail and the No Action Alternative by Nicholas Hudson
"This report concludes that USMSUSMSUSMS may refer to:*United States Marshals Service*United States Maritime Service*United States Masters Swimming...
prison expansion in or near that LaredoLaredo, TexasLaredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
area is unnecessary, and that the best course of action is the no action alternative...Relying on the most current and authoritative sources available, this report determines that Laredo superjail will likely have no positive economic impacts on any of the proposed sites, and that rural economies may even experience detrimental impacts."
2008: Lax Oversight Plagues Private Prison in Texas by Lauren Reinlie
"Privatizing prisons is a failed experiment in Texas. Lack of oversight and close ties between state officials and the companies contracting with the state have allowed private companies to continue to benefit from lucrative state contracts while operating at substandard conditions...[Texas] should not renew contracts with companies with poor track records or with companies that have not delivered substantial cost savings. TDCJTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
should cancel any contracts that do not meet high standards and transfer the affected inmates back to the state's direct supervision."