Schools Not Prisons: ‘We Are LA’ Promotes Healing and Investment in Education

White tents lined the lawn outside the Tom Bradley Center for Student Life at Los Angeles Trade Tech College. Each area had a specific station: take action, create art, or grab some merchandise.

Families, students and community organizers filled the picnic tables and chairs on October 29 for a free concert, Schools Not Prisons: We Are LA.

This was the first Schools Not Prison event since the pandemic and more than 300 community members attended. Established in 2016, Schools Not Prisons (SNP) is a leading voice and social media platform in the movement to end mass incarceration.

A collaborative effort between SNP, the Community Coalition and Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN), their main objective was to provide a space for Black and Brown healing and solidarity. With the upcoming election, there was also an intense sense or urgency to increase voter turnout. Significant youth and criminal justice gains have been made in the past decade and could change depending on the election outcome.

LACAN President Pete White and movement builder Tiffany Loftin hyped up the crowd by reminding them of their collective power, saying that four people in a room cannot erase decades of coalition building, referencing the leaked recording of L.A. City Council members and a union leader making racist comments about the Black community.

The lineup was a blend of live musical performances, poetry and speeches, with the ultimate goal to inspire collective action and change. A diverse lineup included DJ Linda Nuves and DJ Sleepwalk of Chulita Vinyl Club setting the event in motion, followed by the poetry of Danielle Harris.

El Compa Negro, a corrido singer from Compton accompanied by a 15-person banda, got the small, but growing audience dancing.

Pamé, a Dominican singer with a flair for mixing palo and merengue styles from her homeland with other modern sounds, performed as the crowd vibed to her set.

Jason Chu is a Chinese American rapper who speaks on identity, healing with a lyrical flow. In an interview, Chu said, “It’s so meaningful to be performing at Schools Not Prisons today because the school-to-prison pipeline is wild. We need real solutions rather than just carceral solutions.”

The Austin-based group, The Tiarras, performed for the first time in Los Angeles. The group, which consists of three sisters, sang their original song, “Soy Chingona,’’ an anthem for all badass women. It was followed by a rendition of a popular song by the Mexican band Caifanes, “Negra Tomasa.”

The L.A.-based rapper Reverie pulled the audience in with her wit and powerful lyrics. The British-American rapper IDK, which stands for “Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge,” closed out the show by sharing his own experience of having been incarcerated.

The immersive experience was not limited solely to musical performances, free food and Instagram-worthy photos. The educational and social impact component was prevalent throughout this carefully curated and intentional event.

Throughout the event space there were posters with striking statistics displayed against green, aesthetic shrubs. One poster read, “6 Million Students are in schools with police but no school psychologists.”

The intention behind the music festival was clearly stated in a quote by abolitionist Assata Shakur — “We Have Nothing To Lose But Our Chains.” It was reproduced throughout the venue in bold, block letters, a reminder to anyone participating or just passing through.

Nearby was an interactive replica of a prison cell, presented and curated by Barrio Unidos of Santa Cruz. This traveling installation has all the markings of a real cell: a bunk with a flimsy mattress, a metal toilet and sink, Cup Noodles stashed in the corner, and a door with fluorescent orange bars. Barrio Unidos Executive Director Daniel “Nane” Alejandrez closed the bar door behind me so I could get a feel for the tight living quarters.

I immediately noticed my rapid breathing. I exhaled, attempting to calm my nervous system.

Even the sounds of a prison cell are included; a roaring echo of inmates yelling “buenas noches” filled this true-to-scale replica.

Alejandrez created this replica so that families could experience what their incarcerated loved ones are dealing with. “Families see the courtroom and the visiting room, but they don’t see what’s behind the wall,” Alejandrez said.

He maintained this project is not a “Scared Straight thing.” He wants to equip families with the knowledge and empathy needed to welcome their relatives back home after being incarcerated.

On the outside of the replica read the message, “Jobs Not Jails.”

The ethos of the event was grounded in this prison cell replica: People deserve investment. Schools, counseling and communities should be supported instead of the prison system.