SSJC Joins our Partners and Elected Officials in a Press Conference to Defend Anton’s Law

On December 21, 2022, SSJC joined our partners at the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability (MCJPA), the ACLU of Maryland, and Jews United for Justice to bring attention to a court hearing in the case in which local Fraternal Order of Police is suing Montgomery County to block access to certain police misconduct records

UPDATE: SEEKING JUSTICE FOR DESEAN SMITH

Thank you to all who came to court to support DeSean last Friday. Between his family, friends, and SSJC members, we filled up two rows in the courtroom. Our presence had an impact for DeSean and his family, who did not have to face the police who slammed him to the pavement alone, and for

Decriminalize Fare Evasion

On Juneteenth, we also marked Father’s Day with a demonstration outside Silver Spring Metro station alongside Kevin Smith and his son DeSean, a 19-year-old Black Howard University senior who was on his way to work when Metro Transit Police stopped him for an alleged fare evasion and then escalated to slamming him to the ground and booking

Remembering Robert White

The Silver Spring Justice Coalition was formed after Robert White’s execution four years ago. To mark the anniversary of his murder we gathered with Christ Congregational Church for a service dedicated to Robert White and the fight for justice, including mental health care, not bullets. SSJC co-chair and UCC church member Carlean Ponder read a

Protest Metro Transit Police Racial Profiling at the Silver Spring Metro Station on Juneteenth

The protest will be held at 4pm on Sunday June 19 at the Silver Spring Metro Station. Read SSJC’s press release.

Mental Health Help, Not Bullets” Saturday, May 28 at 7:30 am – Memorial Plaza (Archives Metro)

Say His Name – Gordon Casey: a young man who lived in Germantown and was executed by Secret Service agents in DC last month while experiencing a mental health crisis. This Saturday, May 28th, join his mother, family, friends, and SSJC as we march in demand of a better mental health care system for MoCo

Montgomery County Racial Equity Network’s People’s Forum May 12, 6 pm

SSJC is proud to be a co-sponsor of this opportunity for community members to join together to share ideas on how we can make Montgomery County a more supportive and equitable place for everyone! This will be a unity rally, highlighting various issues including housing, economic empowerment, health, education, environmental justice, and public safety.  The goal is to

SSJC And Partners Testified In Support of Care Not Cops in the 2023 Budget

Several members of SSJC and our partner organizations were busy last week testifying at the County’s hearings on the proposed FY2023 budget.  We argued that the County should not presumptively rely on police to respond to a wide range of needs across the County – that is ineffective and inefficient, and it has proven unnecessarily

SSJC’S DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF CARE NOT COPS IN HONOR OF RYAN LEROUX

This past Thursday, SSJC joined with the family of Ryan LeRoux in a #Care Not Cops demonstration to highlight the relationship between mental health and police violence and protest the recent decision not to bring criminal charges against the Montgomery County Police officers who killed Ryan.  We created a visible and vocal presence outside of

Remembering Kwamena Ocran – This Is What Community Looks Like

On Saturday we joined Kwamena Ocran’s mother, Melody Cooper, his brother Nigel, and his cousin Camille to mark that over a year has passed since Gaithersburg City Police took their loved one from them. We heard Kwamena’s voice by playing songs he had composed and recorded, Reverend Segun Adebayo offered a prayer, Dr. Karen Wilson