Members of the Poor People’s Campaign kicked off their west Kentucky tour with a press conference in front of the Kentucky State Penitentiary Monday.
The stop is part of a nationwide tour started after President Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S. Mexico border. Organizers say the tour highlights “true emergencies” such as systemic racism, housing inequality and other issues related to poverty.
Criminal justice reform was the main topic Monday in Eddyville where prisoners could be seen listening from the yard.
Poor People’s Campaign of Kentucky Tri-Chair Tayna Fogle is advocating for restoring voting rights to people once they’ve served their prison sentences.“We had a dream before we committed a crime all we’re trying to do is get back to that dream- and to be stagnated by the vote? That’s just unheard of,” she said.
Poor People’s Campaign of Kentucky Tri-Chair and Reverend Megan Houston delivered opening remarks at the conference. She said the group chose Kentucky’s only maximum security prison for their conference as a symbol of the broader criminal justice system across the state. She said that system “targets poor and community of color through mass incarceration.”
“Persons directly affected by this system and advocates will bear witness to the human costs of over-policing, cash bail and extreme and excessive sentencing, and race-based excessive sentencing and appalling conditions endured by inmates in over-crowded jails and prisons,” Houston said.
Organizer Megan Meyer said the Campaign marched in Hopkinsville Monday to highlight the need for affordable housing in the city. The tour concluded in Bowling Green with a dinner held by Reverend Megan Houston.
