Nine Texas residents now held in the Dallas County jail system will be bailed out this Thursday and met by reform advocates who say the bail system is not equitable. As in other states, many of those arrested in Texas remain in jail before their criminal cases are resolved and while still legally presumed innocent. Some with enough money to post bond get out of jail, while poorer inmates remain locked up. Rev. Robin Murray, lead community organizer for Faith in Texas, said many inmates deserve to be with their families. “We are looking to use a little over $98,000 to bail out nine people,” Murray explained. “And this is a really big deal because we want people home for the holidays.” A bail reform bill was signed into law by the Texas governor this year to keep dangerous criminals off the streets, but it did not address the discriminatory jailing of poor people. As is the case nationwide, Black people are more likely to be jailed in Texas than white people. Only 13% of the population in Texas is Black, but according to the Vera Institute of Justice, one third of Texas’ inmates in 2019 were Black. Mark Walters, Jr., bail fund organizer for Faith in Texas, said staying in jail because bail money can’t be raised can wreak havoc on poor defendants’ lives. “We don’t believe that individuals should stay in jail because they’re poor,” Walters asserted. “So in actuality the unspoken thing is that they’re actually already serving a sentence, and they haven’t even been convicted of a crime yet.” Parts of the bail-reform bill such as requiring judicial training and requiring officials to review a defendant’s criminal history before setting bail were widely supported. But Murray emphasized civil rights advocates, including Faith in Texas, fought against a provision which would have restricted charitable groups such as hers from posting bail for defendants. “If you have money, then you can get out and be with your family, go back to your job, which gives you money to pay your bills,” Murray noted. “But if you don’t, then you have this ripple effect of losing a lot.” Murray said the nine released from the Lew Street County Jail at 2:00 p.m. will be presented with a gift of $100 in cash, and provided an opportunity to discuss their case. Disclosure: Faith in Texas contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Civic Engagement, Human Rights/Racial Justice, and Immigrant Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here. WFAA News Story link. References: Senate Bill 6 09/17/2021 Texas statistics Vera Institute of Justice 2021 Bond amounts Michigan League for Public Policy Nov. 2021
Special Invitation – Annual Meeting
A Special Invitation for you… Click on the video above for a special invitation from our Executive Director, Dr. Jaime Kowlessar. Join your Faith in Texas family as we continue to Step into Good Trouble in 2022! You are invited to this virtual event to join us as we celebrate our biggest wins from 2021, as well as talk about some of our big goals for 2022. We also want to create a space to celebrate our most loyal supporters. This virtual event will take place Friday January 21st from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. Register for Zoom details. You don’t want to miss this! REGISTER HERE
Akilah Wallace To Depart Role As Executive Director of Faith in Texas; Dr. Jaime Kowlessar To Serve As Interim Executive Director
DALLAS, TX – Faith in Texas, a federation of Faith in Action, announces that executive director Akilah Wallace will be stepping down from her role on October 31. Taking on her position as interim executive director is Dr. Jaime Kowlessar, senior pastor at Dallas City Temple. “I’m extremely grateful to Faith in Texas leaders and supporters for their trust in my leadership, and the opportunity to contribute to a powerful grassroots movement that is focusing on uplifting the lives of those most vulnerable here in Texas,” said Wallace, who is taking on the role as VP of Development of the youth organization Big Thought. “I’m honored to pass the torch to such a respected expert in multi-faith prophetic resistance, and am confident that Faith in Texas will continue to grow and change lives.” Among her accomplishments during the five years she was with Faith in Texas, Wallace led the the organization through key legislative fights and wins including gaining control of tens of millions of dollars in ARP funding, and diverting those funds to re-entry services and housing in Dallas County; helping to secure a Dallas County-wide eviction moratorium and Dallas City ordinance establishing a right-to-cure for Dallas tenants immediately following COVID-19 stay at home orders; launching the Luke 4:18 Bail Fund, which has resulted in being able to bail out over 75 individuals since being launched in 2020; and, most recently, launching The Road to Liberation Campaign last summer and engaging hundreds of community members in a Listening Campaign to set goals for Faith in Texas’s next chapter and hold elected officials accountable. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead Faith in Texas for this period of time, and am confident that we can continue to guide the community, support our current and formerly incarcerated/detained siblings, and find ways to dismantle systems of racism and white supremacy and advance our goals on The Road to Liberation,” said Dr. Kowlessar. “I am grateful to Akilah for the path she has created, and will work with the board and staff to make this an easy transition.” Dr. Kowlessar earned his doctorate from Union Theological Seminary in 2017, and has served as the senior pastor at Dallas City Temple for five years. He is the author of two books,“Don’t Leave the Neighbor Out of the Hood” and “Justice or Just Us; Sermons and Reflections on the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness,” and will be stepping up from his role as a clergy leader with Faith in Texas to fill this position. ### Faith in Action is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United States. The nonpartisan organization works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities and towns through its 46 local and state federations. For more information, visit www.faithinaction.org. Faith in Action is a 501c(3). Faith in Action and its affiliates are non-partisan and are not aligned explicitly or implicitly with any candidate or party. We do not endorse or support candidates for office.
