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Interfaith Prayer Vigils

Interfaith Vigil on September 25, 2020: A Lament for Adelanto

Location:
FBLive @IM4Humanintegrity

It has been confirmed that there are now 38 confirmed positive cases and 42 pending results in Adelanto Detention Facility. GEO has had months to prepare and prevent such an outbreak from occurring. We pray for each one inside.

The Jewish High Holidays inspire us to reflect and take stock. Join us as we commit ourselves to reflection and acts of justice, as we engage in deep change, both within ourselves and our community.

Through this prayer service, we lament and highlight the inhumane treatment of detained immigrants inside Adelanto Detention Facility.

Not only are immigrants separated from their families but are also at risk of contracting COVID-19 while in detention. People are being sprayed with HDQ neutral, a highly toxic chemical, because the facility continues to use it as a disinfectant. The chemical is causing people breathing problems, skin irritation, and will have lasting negative impact on their health.

This prayer service will have a call to action to encourage collective accountability and support campaigns that will lead to teshuva (acts of restorative justice).

Co-led by:
Rabbi Suzanne Singer, Temple Beth El in Riverside, CA
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, IM4HI Board Chair
Rev. Jeffrey Kealoha Ryan, Center for Spiritual Living in Riverside, CA
Cantor Jennifer Bern-Vogel, Congregation Emanu El in Redlands CA

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Interfaith Prayer Vigils

Interfaith Vigil on August 14, 2020: Voices of Incarceration and Detention

Join us in our monthly vigil as we stand with those directly impacted by unjust systems of: mass incarceration, U.S. immigration systems, and U.S. foreign and domestic policies that damage people’s lives. We gather to respond to injustice. Join us in honoring humanity through prayer, solidarity, and action.

Our August vigil is co-hosted by Lyrical Opposition, a lyrical collective of artists, activists and administrators opposing injustice through social awareness and systemic change. The vigil will include spoken word poetry, testimony, and prayer centering those impacted by incarceration and detention.

Friday, August 14 | 11:30-12:30PM
Location: Online via zoom. Also streamed on Facebook .

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Interfaith Prayer Vigils

Interfaith Vigil on July 19, 2020: Save Lives at San Quentin State Prison

July 19 interfaith prayer vigil outside San Quentin State Prison
Interfaith Vigil to Demand the Release of Prisoners Endangered by the Coronavirus
July 19 San Quentin vigil: photos by David Bacon
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July 19, 2020 San Quentin vigil: photos by Joyce Xi

The interfaith community and families impacted by incarceration honors the lives lost in San Quentin due to COVID19, calls for the end of transfers, and lifts up the call for releases! Imprisonment and captivity are inhumane practices that do not heal people.

Prisons do not heal people; community that holds all people sacred does.

On Sunday, July 19, our Interfaith Vigil to stood in solidarity with families impacted by the outbreak at San Quentin, to call:

Respect Human Lives
Release Them Home
Restore to Community

To practice mercy is to engage in deep empathy and compassion; recognizing people are more than their worst mistake. These mistakes are a result of deeper societal issues that cannot heal without community care. We need more community-based programs like those supported Chanthon Bun. This is what a world without bars and borders looks like.

This vigil was held in solidarity with the ongoing organizing lead by the Stop San Quentin Outbreak Coalition, comprised of a collective of formerly incarcerated folks, loved ones with direct connections to San Quentin State Prison, community organizers, and currently incarcerated folks at SQSP. It is supported by social justice organizations including Ella Baker Center for Human RightsRe:Store JusticeAsian Prisoner Support Committee, and more.

See also: our post on Stop the San Quentin Outbreak.