By Jaanvi Kaur
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Post the successful recall last week of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, SF Public Defender Mano Raju, according to a series of tweets, pledged the PD Office is committed to “advocating for system-impacted community members, racial equity, and confronting and breaking down state violence endemic to their system.”
Raju said, “We know – from decades of misguided policies and budget priorities that have targeted communities of color for criminalization and created mass incarceration – that real public safety for all communities comes when we invest in people, not punishment.”
He said his office will “remain resolute in our commitments – and those made by leaders and communities across the country after the rise of the Black Lives Matter movements and the murder of George Floyd – to address racial equity and police violence; especially in the face of blatant misinformation that is being used to undermine thoughtful and effective advances in justice reform.”
Raju said the people of SF and people around the country “know that our justice system is plagued by racial and economic bias, and that it incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, yet leaves us no safer.”
During DA Boudin’s tenure at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Raju noted a number of promising advances were made “such as the Innocence Commission, resentencing opportunities, commitments to not try youth as adults, and limits on the use of strike enhancement.”
Raju added, “Any District Attorney who’s committed to justice and public safety must prioritize chances for the prevention and invention over criminalization and incarceration in order to reduce the harm that is caused to communities and families after a loved one faces the country’s criminal justice system.
“I urge Mayor London Breed to appoint an interim District Attorney with a proven record of commitment to justice reform and racial equity and who is not beholden to the police department, or to wealth corporate interests.”
