The reforms @GeorgeGascon announced today are gigantic. The product of decades of organizing.

But a lot of people are about to be decarcerated in LA, and it's going to take massive effort at all levels of government to make that work. (thread) https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/in-first-day-on-job-gascon-remakes-bail-sentencing-rules

Gascon says 20,000 people will be eligible for resentencing. A lot of those will leave prison without money or support networks, and will have a lot of trouble getting work and housing.

Under our existing system, that very often means they’ll end up on the street.

The LA Homeless Count doesn’t include incarcerated people -- even though so many in the system were homeless when they entered.

They’ll also be homeless when they get out. And housing will be as hard to find for them as it is for the ~70,000 people already without homes here.

Decarceration without reentry support and other critical services has lead to tragedy over and over. That’s why Skid Row exists in its current form. And why so many currently-incarcerated people are locked up as a result of recidivism. We are not good at this stuff right now.

The fact that resentencing and decriminalization could effect homelessness are not arguments against them. Incarceration is not a preferable alternative to the street. And we can take care of people.

But we do have to worry about the backlash, which is already starting.

There are a lot of influential forces out there preparing to pin all crime and homelessness in LA on the fact that we’re now jailing fewer poor people. They’ve done it before.

If the backlash takes off, the effects will be devastating. It will take so much work to prevent that.

Luckily, Gascon’s changes will free up resources. And we now have more people on the City Council/Board of Supervisors who are eager to put resources toward housing and services. The potential: huge!

But the work anyone who cares about this will have to put in will also be huge.