A coalition of community advocates needs your support to call Governor Newsom on Friday, August 7th and tell him to protect youth from COVID-19 in California’s Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). California must:
- Drastically reduce DJJ’s population
- Make testing available to all youth
- Improve conditions for youth by limiting staff movement
- Limit youth isolation as a response to COVID-19
- Maintain access to virtual family visits
Governor Newsom must move quickly to address the dangerous COVID-19 outbreak at DJJ. As of August 6th, 65 youth and 19 staff members have tested positive for the virus, and the number grows daily.
Check out our DAY OF ACTION TOOLKIT for more information on how to participate. Here’s how you can get involved:
1) Call the Governor’s office before 5pm demanding protections for DJJ youth!
- Please call Governor Newsom at (916) 445‑2841
- And then “6” to speak with a staff person
- Tell Governor Newsom’s staff that you want to leave a message for the Governor.
You can follow the call script below, and/or make it your own:
“The Governor must protect young people in DJJ facilities from the spread of COVID-19. I ask that he respond to community demands, which include: directing DJJ to drastically reduce its population; improve conditions for youth in DJJ facilities by limiting staff movement, making testing available to all youth; and supporting youths’ mental well-being by maintaining access to virtual family visits and limiting the use of isolation of youth as a response to COVID-19.”
If the phone lines are busy, you can deliver your message through the Governor’s online email system:
- Visit https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/
- Select “Have Comment,” enter your name and email address, select “Prison Issues/Concerns” from the drop-down list, and hit “Continue.”
- Copy the message above into the email box or draft a message of your own.
2. Create social media posts and retweet — sample post/graphics included in the DAY OF ACTION TOOLKIT.
- Aim to post between 11am-12pm PST, and keep the conversation going all day.
3. Sign our petition to demand immediate action for protecting youth at DJJ: bit.ly/DJJpetition.