The shocking riots in the privately-operated Kingman prison and the cancellation of the contract for the facility has raised significant questions about the role of prison privatization in Arizona. Polls show that Arizona voters are deeply uncomfortable with the notion of incarceration for profit, and many are raising questions about why the state is spending more on prisons than education.
Private prison companies are one of the drivers of the prison boom in Arizona, including support for SB1070, the controversial anti-immigrant bill passed in 2010. The corporations wield tremendous economic and political influence in our state.
All this can seem overwhelming. What can the average person do against such powerful corporations?
On Saturday, October 24th, the American Friends Service Committee will provide the public with real strategies for individuals to deal a blow to the for-profit incarceration industry. The workshop will provide information about boycott campaigns, divestment options, shareholder activism, and other options.
Participants will learn how to scan their investments to determine if they may unknowingly be invested in mass incarceration through mutual funds or other means. They will also learn about how to bring economic pressure to bear on these corporations.
The workshop is offered in conjunction with Boycott!: The Art of Economic Activism, a unique collection of historical art posters from different boycott campaigns from the 1960’s through today. Including posters from the Montgomery Bus Boycott, United Farm Workers grape and lettuce boycotts, and divestment from apartheid-era South Africa, the art exhibit is on display in Tucson October 10 through 27 at Armory Park Center, 220 S. 5th Avenue. Learn more.
WHO: American Friends Service Committee
WHAT: Workshop on economic activism to end mass incarceration
WHEN: Saturday, October 24th, from 6:00-8:00pm
WHERE: Armory Park Center, 220 S. 5th Avenue, Tucson, AZ
Categories: Events