MANCHESTER, NH – Local activists will come together in a “Communities Not Cages” car rally on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. in Manchester.
The goal is “to show solidarity with incarcerated loved ones and demand an end to cages as the solution to our communities’ needs,” according to event coordinator Grace Kindeke, a Manchester native and staffer with the American Friends Service Committee. Drivers will pass Hillsborough County House of Corrections, and will hear speakers in front of Hillsborough Superior Court, 300 Chestnut St., across from the ICE location, Norris Cotton Federal Building, 275 Chestnut Street.
“As we approach the winter holidays, people with incarcerated loved ones are acutely aware of the people who will be missing from their gatherings and kitchen tables. We know that communities lose and suffer when millions are locked behind bars in prisons, jails, and detention centers,” Kindeke said. “Everyone deserves dignity, justice and access to resources and crisis support.
She cited U.S. statistics around incarceration rates – in the United States, 2.3 million people are locked away, separated from their families.
“And [they are] subjected to civil and human rights violations including a lack of access to adequate health care. With the ongoing pandemic and recent outbreaks at NH state prison for men and Stafford County jail, the dangers of incarceration multiply exponentially, making every cell and cage a potential death chamber,” Kindeke said.
Organizers are demonstrating to demand resources me moved away from incarceration in all forms and toward programs, services and institutions that house, care, feed and grow our communities and keep families together.
Event details
The event sponsors are American Friends Service Committee of NH, Never Again Action NH, and Black Lives Matter Manchester.