It’s DJC’s eighth birthday! When we opened our doors, we were a small but mighty staff of 2, and we are now a team of 23. Every year, we celebrate DJC’s birthday together, reflect on where we’ve been as an organization, and this year, we’ve updated our Defund DPD and Wayne County Jail infographics! We’re committed to helping our followers dig into all the reasons we still need to do away with policing and incarceration.
As you may already know, April is the month when Detroit typically releases the city budget. We won’t know exactly what will be set in stone until the end of the month, but in Mayor Sheffield’s proposed budget, we applaud the $14 million earmarked for the proposed Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety. We have long advocated for community-based safety solutions because they are a necessary alternative to armed police responses. We are pleased to see neighborhood beautification, affordable housing, and street lights being considered part of public safety. In the same proposed budget, however, $466.88 million is being set aside for police (up from $455.44 mil). It’s hard to believe that community-based safety solutions are a true priority for Detroit when they represent less than 1% of the city’s proposed general fund, and DPD makes up 30%.
We know that budget priorities shift from administration to administration, but the city of Detroit, like most major cities in the U.S, consistently puts policing and incarceration high on the list. Given this reality, our priorities at DJC remain the same–divert money from policing and incarceration and put it back into the hands of community members who know best what they need to feel safe. This is as true today as it was eight years ago when we started our work.
We’re uplifting a few key ways you can take action that will help build true safety:
- Double the investment in community-based safety solutions: Detroit’s proposed budget would only invest $21.87 per person in community-based safety. Can you double that investment by making a $20 gift to DJC? If you can give more, a donation of $103 would offset the proposed per person investment in the police department. Make a gift of either amount today.
- Join the Reimagining Safety Michigan (RSM) kick-off and training: RSM is a new statewide collective advancing prison abolition. RSVP for our kick-off event in Detroit on April 12th, where we’ll share resources that residents can apply in their local contexts, including a power map that identifies the money and authority figures connected to the carceral system, a voter resource guide, and more.
- Organize an Unraveling Harm, Cultivating Safety book club: Last year, we published a new book that captures our research on what Metro Detroiters need after experiencing harm. We found that residents struggle to access accountability through traditional police and court systems, even though these remain the main channels people turn to for support. Bring your friends, neighbors, and family members together to read the book and reflect on how you can implement some of our recommendations for making restorative justice more accessible in your local context. Reach out if you’re interested in a print copy!
- Learn more about our work & what it takes to sustain liberation movements: On April 29th from 5-7pm, our board member Gregory McKenzie will host a friendraiser for DJC at Alkebu-lan Village. If you’re curious to learn more about DJC’s work and meet our staff, this will be a great opportunity for connection. We’ll also discuss our upcoming donor organizer program—a space that blends political education, leadership development, and fundraising training to equip a cohort of community members to grow support for our movement. Save the date & enjoy this letter from Gregory in the meantime, where he shares more about the journey that brought him to DJC (spoiler: it includes a friendraiser!).
- Join our Innovation Lab’s Partner Roundtable to co-create safety reinvestment strategies: Our Innovation Lab Program Manager has convened 40 local organizations and service providers rooted in mental health services and harm reduction to increase investments in care and reduce reliance on incarceration. If you’d like to join the roundtable, contact Sheba at srogers@detroitjustice.org.
- Join our staff attorney Mark Bennett as he moderates the panel “Community Land Trusts – Collaboration for Permanently Affordable Housing” at the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference in Detroit on April 26 at 4 pm. Mark will be joined by Rachel Yamakura, Mark Crain, and Keegan Mahoney. The panel will explore how Community Land Trusts are becoming part of Detroit’s affordable housing solution, with a case study examining a community-driven effort to embed equitable housing principles into neighborhood growth.