By DR. SELENA SEABROOKS
The Dallas Examiner
“Our main mission is to end mass incarceration because no one should be sitting in jail simply because they can’t afford bail. That’s against our constitutional rights, and until the day that we’re free, no one’s free,” Texas Organizing Project’s Policy Coordinator Laquita Garcia said.
Founded in 2009, TOP organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties to transform Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve.
In the United States, citizens are incarcerated more than in any other country, and mass incarceration disproportionately impacts people of color and the poor. More than 70% of people currently incarcerated in Texas county jails have not been convicted of a crime. They remain incarcerated because they cannot afford to pay bail.
Through their Right2Justice campaign, TOP has fought to end mass incarceration by demanding bail reform and release policies.
“Until we see that reality, we’ve decided that we’re going to bail our community folks out one person at a time,” Garcia stated.
The campaign began in 2019 as a result of a national Black Mama’s Day Bail Out, where TOP partnered with ally groups across the nation to bail Black mothers out of jail for Mother’s Day.
The program serves the Black and Brown communities of Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties but may serve other counties of Texas on a case-by-case basis.
She said the campaign serves “those who find themselves sitting in jail pre-trial, who can’t afford bail and simply there for that reason.”
To qualify for the program, the total bail amount cannot be $5,000 or less, and the individual cannot have any holds or warrants. The individual’s failure to appear in court rate for the prior two years is also reviewed.
“Our hope is that an individual has a safe place to go upon release. If they do not, we work a little further on that case to assure they get the resources they need and not be homeless out in the streets,” Garcia explained.
To date, TOP has bailed out 1,041 people statewide, with the highest number of bailouts being in Bexar County, San Antonio. There is no cost to those the program bails out.
TOP has seen a high rate of cases dismissed for those bailed out through the program.
“We attribute that to the individuals being able to be out of jail and address their cases in a more efficient way than they would behind bars,” she said.
In Dallas County, TOP has bailed out 38 individuals, of which 61% are African American and 39% are Hispanic.
Garcia spoke about some of the challenges the program has faced in Dallas County.
“The Sheriff is not as receptive to community bail funds as she should be. To help save taxpayers’ dollars and to not have individuals sitting in the Dallas County jail on low-level offenses on pre-trial. It’s been really difficult to get a meeting with her,” she explained.
Another challenge the program faces is identifying individuals in Dallas County that are in need. She explained that in Bexar County, TOP has been able to speak with representatives of the jail to obtain lists of individuals that fall within the program’s criteria and could be eligible for bond. They have experienced difficulties with gathering this information in Dallas County.
“When we go to the window there at the Dallas jail, the individuals behind that desk won’t do something as simple as staple our business cards to the bond work, so the individual know, ‘hey so-and-so bailed you out, please call within 24 hours.’”
“There is hope at the end of that tunnel when working with organizations like TOP,” she stated.
For more information about the campaign, visit https://www.topbailouts.com. To donate to the campaign, visit https://secure.everyaction.com. To learn how to assist, visit https://organizetexas.org.