Safe Neighborhoods Act
By Mike Rhodes

Mike Reynolds, the author of the infamous Three Strikes legislation, is also the author of the Runner Initiative, which he says “will use a 3 prong attack of tougher laws, cheaper jails, and more funding for public safety without raising taxes.” Reynolds held a press conference today in front of the Fresno County Clerk’s office. Joining Reynolds was Fresno County initiative chairperson Debbie Poochigian, Fresno Police Department Chief Jerry Dyer, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, Fresno City Council member Jerry Duncan, and Fresno District Attorney Elizabeth Egan who were there to support the effort. To see a video of the press conference, you can click on the button above.

Throughout the Press Conference you could hear members of the California Prison Moratorium Project (CPMP) criticizing the initiative. Debbie Reyes, the local director of CPMP, said “the initiative would bankrupt the state by directing billions of dollars to fund prisons, probation, and police in the midst of a budget crisis that has caused drastic cuts to education and health care.”

Reynolds, in his Press Release, referred to himself as the “father of 3-strikes” and said “when it comes to punks with guns, they’ve got to be stopped the first time. You can’t wait for 3-strikes.”

The purpose of the Press Conference was to announce that they were turning in over 700,000 signatures in 58 counties to qualify the Safe Neighborhoods Act for the November 2008 ballot.

Oakland mayor Ron Dellums said “bringing peace to urban America is perhaps the most difficult and profound challenge facing the country today. However, in this time of crisis, the Runner initiative is the worst kind of public policy. It plays on our deepest emotions but sets us up for failure. The Runner Initiative is an unfunded mandate that will gut California’s budget. It won’t result in safety and security. Instead it leaves us in more debt with less safety and stability than ever before.”

Zachary Norris, director of the Ella Baker Center’s Books Not Bars Campaign said that “the Runner Initiative is an investment into failed ‘tough on crime’ policies that cost too much for California in this time of crisis. If we want to tackle the problems of crime in our communities, we need an investment in education, job-training, and community-based crime prevention programs.”

More information about the Runner Initiative is available at http://www.safeneighborhoodsact.com . More information about the California Prison Moratorium Project is available at http://www.calipmp.org and information about the campaign against the initiative is at http://www.defeatrunner.org .

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