NATIONWIDE — Billionaire and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores stepped down from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees last night after just one month of pressure from artists and activists to do so due to his role in the prison industry.

“We’re glad that the museum board stood on the right side of this issue and made a decision quickly to have Tom step down. While today’s win will not bring relief to the families he preys on, it’s a clear sign that people are done with his excuses and rejecting the predatory state of the prison industry. Yet, Tom continues to prey on families across the country fighting to stay in touch with their incarcerated loved ones,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “As he rakes in millions off of marginalized people, Tom once told me ‘progress needs patience.’ Well, three years into his ownership of Securus, his time has run out. We won’t stop until he does what’s right: meets advocacy demands for reform — not his own — and gets out of this predatory business once and for all. Tom and his wife sit on other boards, and they’re all at risk until he does.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, the art community redelivered its letter with 112 additional signatures, calling on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees to remove Tom Gores. Now totaling 215 signatures, today’s letter echoes the advocacy demands posed by Worth Rises and Color Of Change in a letter delivered to the museum earlier this month (September 9, 2020).

Signatories on the new letter now include 15 major LACMA donors and 28 artists who have exhibited at the museum, including Monica Majoli, John Houck, EJ Hill, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Sam Durant, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, among others. Citing his role in the exploitation of Black, Brown, and economically-distressed communities, these letters come after months of fruitless dialogue and disappointment with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, whose private equity firm owns Securus, the largest and most predatory prison telecom corporation in the U.S. Securus rakes in more than $700 million annually charging families — disproportionately from Black, Brown, and economically distressed communities — for phone calls from prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers.

NATIONWIDE — Today, 20 advocacy organizations delivered a joint letter to leadership of the Connecticut state legislature demanding that lawmakers pass measures for prison phone justice in the next emergency session expected this month. In the most recent effort, advocates have been pushing the Connecticut state legislature to address the high rates of prison phone calls since last year.

“Last year, we received a commitment from the Connecticut legislature to prioritize prison phone justice in 2020. The pandemic is no excuse for inaction, in fact, it has exacerbated the need for action. We’re calling on the legislature to keep its promise,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “No more delays and no more stalling — families with incarcerated loved ones need immediate relief from the burden of exploitative prison call rates. Now is the time for the Connecticut legislature to act.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, 103 artists, collectors, curators, journalists, educators, and other members of the art community sent a letter urging the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Board of Trustees to remove Tom Gores from the board, echoing the advocacy demands posed by Worth Rises and Color Of Change in a letter delivered to the museum last week (September 9, 2020).

Citing his role in the exploitation of Black, Brown, and economically-distressed communities, these letters come after months of fruitless dialogue and disappointment with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, whose private equity firm owns Securus, the largest and most predatory prison telecom corporation in the U.S. Securus rakes in more than $700 million annually charging families — disproportionately from Black, Brown, and economically distressed communities — for phone calls from prisons, jails, and immigrant detention centers.

NATIONWIDE — Today, 373 advocacy organizations, foundations, and faith-based groups delivered an urgent letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling on Congress to enact prison phone justice by including the prison phone justice in the next relief bill expected at the end of September.

“We are in the throes of an unprecedented pandemic, and families with incarcerated loved ones are being forced to choose between talking to their loved one and putting food on the table more than ever. Families shouldn’t have to struggle like this while predatory corporations fleece them with ridiculous call rates,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “We are looking to the Senate to finish what the House started — we need prison phone justice in the next stimulus bill. Families simply can’t wait any longer.”

San Francisco joins New York City as major cities commit to keeping families connected

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Yesterday, San Francisco announced that it was no longer charging families for phone calls from the City’s jails or generating revenue through commissary markups. First announced in June of 2019, the changes come after over a year of negotiations with service providers to eliminate costs to families.

“San Francisco’s new jail phone contract is an innovative breakthrough for the prison phone justice movement that protects incarcerated people, their families, and all taxpayers from exploitation at the hands of the predatory prison telecom industry,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “All prison and jail administrators should consider adopting a similar contract.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, criminal justice advocates including Worth Rises, Color Of Change, MediaJustice, FreePress, and United Church of Christ held a virtual press conference and delivered 79,413 petition signatures for prison phone justice, calling on Congress to include the Martha Wright Reed Prison Phone Justice Act in the next relief bill. This crucial legislation, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in May, would bring relief for millions of families with incarcerated loved ones struggling with the exorbitant costs of phone calls during this pandemic. More than 79,413 supporters have signed online petitions in favor of the legislation.

“Now more than ever, families with incarcerated loved ones are desperate for relief as they struggle to juggle the costs of keeping in touch with the new, pressing economic realities of COVID-19,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director of Worth Rises. “In recent weeks, even the conservative-led FCC has joined families and advocates in emphasizing the urgency of affordable prison phone calls during this moment of crisis. There is no time to waste. We are all looking to Congress to hear the people and heed the people by including prison phone justice in the next pandemic relief bill.”

NATIONWIDE — Today, federal regulators voted to advance a proposed rulemaking that would reduce rates for interstate prison phone calls and affirm the FCC’s authority over related ancillary fees but also acknowledged the limited impact of these actions, calling for federal legislation that would expand the FCC's authority over instate rates. Federal regulators also encouraged public comment regarding the new proposed rate caps, suggesting the final rate caps could be lower if there was support in the record. These actions have the potential to lower the cost of communication for families with incarcerated loved ones.

At the agency’s August 2020 Open Commission Meeting, commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a Report and Order on Remand and a Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to prison phone calls. With this vote, the Commission has taken a step in responding to longstanding demands from families with incarcerated loved ones to reign in the exorbitant cost of prison phone calls and other fees charged by prison telecom corporations.

NATIONWIDE — Yesterday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai joined the growing chorus of voices calling for urgent relief for families with incarcerated loved ones. Worth Rises applauds Chairman Pai’s statement and the FCC’s proposal to lower rate caps for interstate calls. However, countless families will continue to suffer from exploitative call rates until Congress restores the FCC’s authority to regulate all prison phone calls by passing the Martha Wright Prison Phone Justice Act.

On July 16, 2020, the FCC announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will provide immediate relief to incarcerated people and their families who want to stay connected. The FCC’s action proposes lowering the current per minute rate caps for interstate calls from $0.21 (prepaid) and $0.25 (collect) to $0.14 for calls from prisons and $0.16 for calls from jails. The FCC further announced that next month the Commissioners will vote to cap ancillary service charges, including deposit fees, resolving a legal question that had remained disputed after the 2017 federal appeals court decision in GTL v. FCC.

WEST HAVEN, CT — Prison phone justice advocates have posted a billboard on Interstate-95 in West Haven, calling on Governor Ned Lamont to stop charging families for phone calls from loved ones in state prisons. Advocates have been pushing the Connecticut state legislature to pass a bill making prison phone calls free since last year. The bill was raised by the Judiciary Committee again this year and scheduled for a hearing, but with the legislative session suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates have now turned their attention to the Governor and his executive action powers. Their billboard reads “Governor Lamont: It should be free to tell your child you love them.”

As prisons become the local epicenters of the COVID-19 outbreak, families are eager to connect with their loved ones behind bars. But with visits suspended, families are now entirely dependent on egregiously priced prion phone calls. Connecticut remains the second most expensive state for prison phone calls, a reality that weighs even more heavily on families as unemployment reaches Great Depression levels.