By Paloma Sifuentes
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju this past week didn’t mince his words when asked by the Washington Post “my thoughts on cities that are returning to regressive, failed carceral approaches to public safety, instead of investing in evidence-based solutions that address the root causes of behaviors that have been criminalized.”
Raju told the Post, “We should be using our public resources to invest in treatment, housing, job training, education and employment. Our city does not need millions more invested in police.” 
But Raju said that is exactly what SF is doing, tweeting:
“Budgets reflect our values. Last year, SFPD got an additional $50M, more than our entire @sfdefender budget. This week, SFPD got another $25M – reinforcing an unfair system. I join public defender offices across the country asking cities & states to properly#FundPublicDefense.”
Raju added in his tweet, “If we want safer and healthier communities, rather than ones de-stabilized by incarceration and family separation, we must #FundPublicDefense. Public defenders are uniquely positioned to connect our clients to supports necessary for staying out of the system.”
Bravo Mr. Raju for speaking the truth! ?