FORTUNATELY THERE'S A BETTER
VOCALIST WHO SON THE CASE.
♪
NOW, I KNOW YOU ARE PERSONALLY
REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT BAIL
REFORM.
>> YES.
>> NOT A HILARIOUS SUBJECT.
>> IT'S IMPORTANT AND IT AFFECTS
A LOT OF PEOPLE.
>> YOU HAVE AN ORGANIZATION, YOU
PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH
IS.
>> YEAH.
SO WE HAVE AN ORGANIZATION
CALLED FREE AMERICA, WHICH IS
ABOUT CHANGING THE CONVERSATION
AROUND CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND
ENDING MASS INCOURSE RATION.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT CASH BAIL.
>> UH-HUH.
>> WHAT IS IT?
AND WHY IS IT SO MESSED UP?
>> CASH BAIL IS THE IDEA THAT
BEFORE YOU GO TO TRIAL WHEN
YOU'RE STILL CONSIDERED INNOCENT
BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM,
YOU'RE HELD IN JAIL UNLESS YOU
CAN PAY A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
AND SO, IF YOU'RE POOR AND THAT
AMOUNT IS, YOU KNOW, A FEW
THOUSANDS DOLLARS THAT'S A LOT
OF MONEY AND YOU PROBABLY WON'T
GET OUT OF JAIL EVEN THOUGH
YOU'RE CONSIDERED INNOCENT BY
THE SYSTEM.
YOU'RE STUCK THERE IN JAIL UNTIL
YOUR TRIAL.
♪
>> I WAS HELD IN JAIL FOR FIVE
DAYS ON $5,000 BOND.
THE POLICE ASKED FOR MY LICENSE
AND REGISTRATION.
BEING WE WERE JUST GOING RIGHT
DOWN THE STREET.
I DIDN'T HAVE THAT ON ME.
I WAS SIX WEEKS PREGNANT AT THE
TIME I WAS RESTAURANT.
THEY TREAT EVERYBODY LIKE JUST A
COHORT OR A CRIMINAL.
>> SO IF YOU'RE STUCK IN JAIL
WITH A $5,000 BAIL, WHAT KIND OF
TOLL DOES THAT TAKE ON A FAMILY?
>> CONSIDER THE IDEA THAT THIS
PERSON HAS A JOB.
AS SOON AS THEY'RE PUT IN JAIL
AND HELD THERE, THAT MEANS
THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO LOSE
THAT JOB BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T
AFFORD TO GET OUT OF JAIL.
AS MUCH AS WE DON'T LIKE WHO IS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW, AS
MUCH AS WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT
CONFEDERATE ENTHUSIASTS BEING --
>> ENTHUSIASTS -- THAT'S CUTE.
THAT'S CUTE.
>> BEING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL,
WE DON'T DEPEND ON THEM TO SET
ALL THE POLICIES.
WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE ORGANIZE
AROUND ENDING MONEY BAIL ON THE
STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL ALL AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
>> MY NAME IS CARSON JACKSON.
I WORK FOR TEXAS ORGANIZING
PROJECT.
I ORGANIZE COMMUNITIES AND WE
ALSO DO ELECTORAL ORGANIZING.
I WAS ARRESTED FOR TRAFFIC TISK.
AND, YOU KNOW, HANDCUFFED IN
FRONT OF MY KID'S DAY CARE
CENTER.
I DIDN'T CONSIDER MYSELF A
DANGER TO SOCIETY.
YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T JUST MURDER
SOMEBODY.
I DIDN'T JUST ROB SOMEBODY.
IT WAS A TRAFFIC TICKET.
IT CHANGE MIDLIFE.
I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO
ADVOCATING FOR SYSTEM CHANGE.
THE EIGHTH AMENDMENT CLEARLY
STATES THAT YOU CANNOT HOLD A
PERSON IN JAIL ON A HIGH BAIL
AMOUNT.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HARRIS
COUNTY HAS BEEN DOING.
BETWEEN 2009 AND 2015, 55 PEOPLE
DIED IN JAIL BECAUSE THEY COULD
NOT AFFORD THEIR BAIL.
NO ONE SHOULD DIE IN JAIL
BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO POOR TO PAY
A BILL.
>> RACISM IS A BIG PART OF IT,
TOO.
>> WHAT?
>> YES.
[ LAUGHTER ].
>> I NEVER HEARD OF THIS.
>> I KNOW.
AND EVER SINCE SLAVERY, FOLKS
HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO
CONTAIN BLACK FOLKS.
>> CORRECT.
>> WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS FIGHT
IT.
>> WE HAD HOURS OF VIDEO FOOTAGE
OF THESE BAIL HEARINGS.
OF COURSE WHEN I GOT MY HANDS ON
THIS FOOTAGE, I KNEW IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO SHARE IT.
>> YOU HAVE A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE
OF POSSESSING LESS THAN 2 OUNCES
OF MARIJUANA.
BOND IS $1,000.
ARE YOU REQUESTING A COURT
APPOINTED LAWYER?
>> I GUESS, SURE.
>> GIVE ME A YES OR NO.
>> YEAH.
>> I ASKED A QUESTION THAT CALLS
FOR A YES OR A NO.
I DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING BUT A
YES OR A NO NOT A MAYBE SO OR
YEAH.
>> I SAID YEAH.
>> I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID.
YOUR BOND JUST WENT UP TO
$2,000.
>> HOW LONG CAN PEOPLE SIT
PRETRIAL IN JAIL?
ENDLESSLY, RIGHT.
>> THEY CAN SIT THERE FOR YEARS.
IT'S EXTREMELY UNSAFE.
THE 14th AMENDMENT SAID WE
SHOULD HAVE EQUAL PROTECTION
UNDER THE LAW.
RIGHT NOW THAT'S NOT THE CASE
BECAUSE POOR PEOPLE GET A
DIFFERENT JUSTICE SYSTEM THAN
RICH PEOPLE GET.
>> THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL MAKES
THE DECISIONS ABOUT WHO IS
CAGED, WHO IS FREED PURELY BASED
ON HOW MUCH ACCESS THEY HAVE TO
MONEY.
WE THINK THAT'S AN EQUAL
PROTECTION VIOLATION UNDER THE
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
LISA WAS ARRESTED FOR A
MISDEMEANOR OFFENSE IN HARRIS
COUNTY.
SHE WANTED TO FIGHT THIS CASE.
>> I DECIDED TO DO THIS BECAUSE
I FELT LIKE A LOT OF WOMEN IN
THERE WERE VERY HOPELESS.
MAYBE THE LAW WILL BE CHANGED
BECAUSE OF THIS INSTEAD OF JUST
THROWING WOMEN STRAIGHT IN JAIL.
>> OUR CASE AT ITS HEART IS
PREDICATED ON THE NOTION THAT NO
HUMAN BEING SHOULD BE KEPT IN A
CAGE BECAUSE SHE CAN'T MAKE A
MONETARY PAYMENT.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE
HAVE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE
BAIL SYSTEM.
WE LET THEM KNOW, WE ARE NOW
EDUCATED.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO STOP TEARING
OUR COMMUNITIES APART.
>> FOR ME I'M LIKE EVERY BLACK
PERSON HAS A COUSIN, UNCLE,
SOMEBODY IN JAIL.
WHY IS THIS SO PERSONAL FOR YOU?
WELL, AS BLACK PEOPLE WE KNOW
WHY IT'S PERSONAL.
>> BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE FAMILY
MEMBERS GONE THROUGH.
FROM IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS TO
COUSINS TO FOLKS THAT GREW UP IN
MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
I HAVE DEALT WITH THIS IN EVERY
WAY.
AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS
WAY.
>> IN APRIL, THE FEDERAL JUDGE
ISSUED AN EXTRAORDINARY
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION BASICALLY
A FEDERAL JUDGE FOUND THAT THIS
IS SUCH AN URGENT PROBLEM THAT
I'M GOING TO ORDER IT TO STOP.
>> A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS JUST PUT
OUT A RULING THAT SAYS THE
COUNTY'S BAIL SYSTEM IS UNFAIR
TO THE POOR.
>> WITH THIS 193-PYEONAGE RULIN
A FEDERAL JUDGE, THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE WILL NOW GET OUT OF JAIL
SOONER AND HUNDREDS WON'T HAVE
TO SIT IN JAIL WAITING FOR
TRIAL.
>> HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF COMING
INTO COURT AND SAYING, WE
RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN
CAUSING ENORMOUS HARM TO PEOPLE
AND THEIR FAMILIES, HARRIS
COUNTY DECIDED TO APPEAL.
THEY'VE SPENT MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS ON CORPORATE LAWYERS TO
DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE.
>> RIGHT NOW WE'RE WAITING FOR
THE FIFTH CIRCUIT TO DECIDE THE
CASE.
REGARDLESS, THE NEXT STEP THE
LIKELY THE U.S. SUPREME COURT.
THE RULING COULD HAVE A HUGE
EFFECT ON THE FUTURE OF THE
AMERICAN MONEY BAIL SYSTEM.
>> DO YOU THINK THE SUPREME
COURT GETTING INVOLVED WITH CASH
BAIL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
IT'S NEVER BEEN RULED AT THAT
LEVEL?
>> THE SUPREME COURT, WHEN THEY
MAKE A DECISION, IT'S THE LAW OF
THE LAND.
IF THEY REALLY ARE ON THE SIDE
OF JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS, WE
WOULD END MONEY BAIL.
AND IT WOULD BE A HUGE
BREAKTHROUGH.
>> REGARDLESS OF WHAT SIDE
YOU'RE ON RIGHT LEFT, WHAT'S
HAPPENING HERE IS MORALLY WRONG.
AND IT'S UP TO US AS CITIZENS,
AS PEOPLE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT'S
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