Today @peoplesbudgetoc released a report comparing the spending priorities of OC community members & the OC BoS, who control a discretionary budget of approximately $1 BILLION. Read the report here: https://peoplesbudgetoc.org/the-peoples-budget/

@daisyramirez323 In line w/ the nationwide movement to correct decades of over-spending in law enforcement & jails, the @peoplesbudgetoc commits 9x more to community investments than to “Public Protection.”

@daisyramirez323 In stark contrast, the Supervisors’ recommended discretionary budget for 2020-21, commits almost 3x more of the OC’s unrestricted funds to Social Control or what they label as “Public Protection” (including OCSD, OCDA, & OC Probation) than to community services.

@daisyramirez323 Jose Armendariz, an incarcerated student, writer, & organizer from OC, believes investing in diversion programs could help end the overcriminalization of people w/ mental health & substance use needs.

@daisyramirez323 “I don’t understand when violence & torture became the remedy to help people suffering from mental health problems or substance abuse issues,” he said.

@daisyramirez323 @peoplesbudgetoc "Violently arresting people, chaining & shackling them & throwing them into cages the size of small parking spaces does not better the lives of the officers abusing their power, it does not better the lives of the people being abused...

@daisyramirez323
& it does not better the lives of people in our community.”

Putting people in jail for being unhoused or for having unmet mental health or substance use needs is cruel, costly and does nothing to end our housing affordability and mental health crises.