"Racially Charged: America's Misdemeanor Problem"

While federal, national action to reform our criminal legal system is critical, much of the policy creation and enforcement of our unjust laws (especially misdemeanors) occur at the state and local district level. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that we mobilize within our individual communities, and start building local support for the reforms that we desperately need.

You can start a petition to the office of your local district attorney (the office may also have another name, such as state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, or state prosecutor).

You can find the exact name of the position and the name of your local attorney/prosecutor by Googling “[your county], [your state], district attorney”. You can do some research on your district’s attorney office and learn if there are any local reform efforts ongoing.

If you need some inspiration for a campaign to start, we've included a sample petition calling for the end of cash bail that you can take and edit for your local district. Click on the button below to check it out.

By starting a local petition and spreading the word across your network, you’ll build organic, grassroots support to help bring real change and results!

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Campaigns (1)

  • End cash bail in LA County!
    As you read this, millions of people across the country are being held in jail even though they haven’t been convicted with any crime. In the vast majority of states and counties, if people charged with a crime can’t afford to pay their bail, they’re forced to sit in jail until their trial date, which can take weeks, months, or sometimes even years. Pretrial detention often leads to all sorts of challenges for a jailed person, including job loss, housing loss, and, if they are a caretaker, complications with child or eldercare. And above all, cash bail leads to unequal treatment under the law, and this is a violation of our Constitution. Regardless of a person’s ability to post bail, they should be granted the same rights and presumption of innocence.
    139 of 200 Signatures
    Created by Carol Levy