ACLU Focuses on Southeast Michigan Prosecutor’s Races For 2020 Primary
The civil rights advocacy organization is pushing candidates to take Black Lives Matters protests seriously in campaigns and in office.
Across Southeast Michigan, a wave of progressive candidates have thrown their names into the ring to be the next county prosecutor in their respective communities.
“It is part of a nationwide trend of reform prosecutors seeking these offices.” — Jessica Ayoub, ACLU of Michigan
The ACLU of Michigan has taken notice of this trend and launched a platform for voters to see where candidates in their community stand on issues of criminal justice reform.
Guest
Jessica Ayoub is the Public Engagement Strategist with the ACLU of Michigan. She has been leading the organization’s prosecutor work with a particular emphasis on Oakland County.
“In Oakland county we are seeing a very exciting race in the county prosecutor’s office,” says Ayoub. She says while the incumbent, Jessica Cooper, did not respond to the ACLU’s candidate questionnaire, her challenger Karen McDonald has been transparent and is willing to commit to ending mass incarceration in the county.
McDonald has appeared on Detroit Today. Cooper has been invited to appear.
“Constituents in Oakland County are saying that their elected officials are not doing enough to protect their community and protect their Black and brown community,” says Ayoub. She says that the Oakland County race and others across region are indicative of a new approach to the prosecutor’s office. “It is part of a nationwide trend of reform prosecutors seeking these offices,” says Ayoub.
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