Read or download our report on Scribd here: Alive, Free, and United: A Community-Driven Strategy to Save Lives and Build Opportunity in Richmond by Reducing Gun Violence and Ending Mass Incarceration & Mass Deportation

Hundreds filled Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church to raise their Prophetic Voices to call for Richmond to be Alive, Free, and United!

The Rev. Dr. Ronald Burres gives the opening prayer

City officials in attendance including: Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin; Chief Chris Magnus from the City of Richmond Police Department; Supervisor John Gioia, Contra Costa County; and Bill Lindsay, City Manager for the City of Richmond.

Local clergy members in attendance

Rev. Marc Gandy from Miracle Temple & Sammy Luna from the Safe Return Project, talk about the victories of the Safe Return Project thus far, including getting Ban the Box passed by the City of Richmond.

Sammy Luna gave a powerful testimony stating, "I personally have spent more that fifteen years of my life incarcerated, but today with some love and compassion from the community and its officials, instead of rejection I am currently employed and I have maintained a 3.5 GPA at Contra Costa City College. Today I am a father to my children, a son to my Mother and a productive member of society. Formerly incarcerated men and women can change, and I stand before you this morning living proof."

CCISCO leaders give testimonies about Adult education, the Safe Return Project, Cease FireLifelines to Healing Campaign, and ending mass incarceration and mass deportation. In this picture Alberto Vite from Community Organized to Save Adult Schools, gives testimony about the importance of adult education.

Patricia Ponce from St. Mark’s Catholic Church spoke about the importance of immigration integration and ending mass deportation in Contra Costa County, “Immigration integration is vital, and very important to our communities. We want to keep families united and to do the right thing for our community, this is why this issue of mass incarceration and mass deportation is important for everyone. We do not want to see another family being separated. Last year in the United States there were 400,000 people who were deported, this is the highest number of deportations in one year in the history of the United States. Deportations have surged in recent years, private immigration prisons make over $5 billion dollars in annual profit. Many of these deportations are parents, and mothers who are leaving their children alone. Programs such as secure communities, a program that shares local police aid with immigration enforcement (ICE) are threatening our immigration community. In Contra Costa County this program was activated on April 6th, 2010 and in March, 2011 Contra Costa was the 30th in the list of highest non-criminal deportations under the secure communities program throughout the nation. This issue is becoming a public safety issue in our immigrant community, because our immigrant community is afraid to call the local police because they are afraid to be deported. As I said before we want the public officials to do the right thing and keep families united, keeping parents with their children and their mothers is the right thing to do. Sheriff Office: NO HONORING ICE HOLDS! No keeping Fathers or Mothers in jail for low or non-arestable violations, do the right thing. We know this is possible, we are aware that Santa Clara County, Cook County, King County, Chicago, San Francisco all passed resolutions to not honor ICE holds and we want Contra Costa to be next.”

Clarence Ford testified about the importance of creating a first stop center in Richmond, “My name’s Clarence Ford and I’m 24 years old, a few years ago I dropped out of High School and I started College, but I made a mistake that landed me in prison while I was in College and once I made that mistake it seemed like everything constructive I have done and all the potential I had didn’t matter. Now I’m seen as a felon and an outcast to society, but I am more than that. I am a son, I am a big brother, I’m a college student with a 3.0, and I am hopeful and confident that people can change if given the opportunity. So everybody don’t fear me because of racism.”

Governor Brown addressing the clergy gathered at the Capitol where he stated, "We know that man does not live by bread alone. And man does not live by economics alone, but by faith and justice and mercy."

PICO California Photo Gallery from the days events

The Rev. Dr. Ronald D. Burris on stage with Governor Brown

Clergy gathered in front of the capitol building 

News coverage from the event 

It was an amazing start to the Shareholder Spring: 1500+ marched, 200 activist shareholders and proxies trained from 15 states, 40 clergy prayed for Wells Fargo to change their ways, 522 news stories on WF shareholder action in past 24 hours, 2,190 videos posted about Wells Fargo in the last 24 hours, 22,200 photos posted in the past week.

Great set of photos from the days events from 99% Power/ PICO National

Great opinion piece about the action by Pastor Ryan Bell of the Hollywood Adventist Church

Joshua Holland's summary piece for Alternet

Great interview with Rev. Richard Smith on Current TV

Great summary video from Current TV and the Young Turks

NPR Coverage with CCISCO Executive Director Adam Krugel

Great coverage from Mother Jones

Storify with all the days real time action by the New Bottom Line Campaign

KQED audio clip with the Rev. Dr. Richard Smith from the Episcopal Church of St. John's in San Francisco