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According to a California Research Bureau study, the Central Valley has the highest proportion of laborers in the state. Many work long hours with little pay and no protection.
cesar chavez Huelga march solidarity spotlight UFWSome of the issues we advocated for included health access for undocumented people, immigration reform and youth investment. That last one is critical in Merced, where city leaders seem to have forgotten the youth and have completely underfunded opportunities and resources for them to prosper.
advocacy Merced youth spotlight washington DC youth power“The worry is that Prop 47 funds will be used for mental health treatment that is run by law enforcement,” says Lizzie Buchen, the statewide advocacy coordinator for Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB). “Jails are not a place where people can heal. They can be very traumatic for people with mental health issues.”
mental health prop 47. law enforcement spotlight“In the API community, specifically, there is a lot of stigma against having a criminal background,” says Michael Maiko, a case manager at Long Beach’s Asian Pacific Counseling Services. “Your family’s unhappy with you, your parents, your elders … It creates anxiety and repression.” Feeding into that stigma, community advocates say, are the stereotypes surrounding APIs as the “model minority,” creating pressure to maintain an image of success even when the reality may be far from it.
APIs Asian Pacific Islanders incarceration Prop 47 second chances spotlight Stigma Stigma of Incarceration“I really felt the stigma of being a convicted felon,” said Hernandez as he reminisced about his experience. “You are told that once you do your time, you can live free, but in reality the second part of your sentence begins when you are released.”
addiction drug court incarceration prison Prop 47 reclassification second chances spotlightThe forum, held last Saturday, focused on two key pieces of legislation. The first, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday and before June 2007 to receive a renewable two-year work permit and temporary relief from deportation. The second, Prop. 47, reclassifies certain low level, non-violent felony convictions to misdemeanors.
Criminal Justice DACA. DAPA immigration reform MOP Prop 47. Immigration south merced spotlight