Working Together to Liberate our Loved Ones

The Collective Liberation Coalition

Who We Are

The Collective Liberation Coalition is a growing group of Illinois-based criminal justice transformation advocates who first gathered in the Summer of 2024 to discern our values and vision.

We embrace restorative justice principles in the way we operate internally and externally, and make all major decisions through a consensus process.

Our Goals

DECARCERATION - Shrink the carceral footprint in all of its forms, including getting as many people out of prison as possible, shrinking lengths of prison stays, stopping peoplefrom entering prison in the first place, disempowering carceral systems, and reducing thenumber of people living under e-carceration and other forms of carceral supervision.

PRISON CLOSURES - Close down as many prisons as possible, so that we no longer have the physical structure in which to incarcerate people.

NURTURE A NEW SYSTEM OF JUSTICE - Join in decades of work to establish systems and paths for justice to be served outside of the existing criminal legal system and build mechanisms for accountability, truth-telling, reconciliation, healing, and peacemaking that are collaborative rather than adversarial and restorative or transformative rather than punitive. Seek investments in communities, especially those most devastated by the existing punishment system, which strengthen our ability to care for one another.

Our Values

Right Relationship

We value all voices and are committed to loving and respecting all humans, as demonstrated by the authentic nature of our relationships and the trust we seek to build among each other. We move at the speed of trust.

Justice for All

We believe that everyone is deserving of love, autonomy, dignity, and community care, while recognizing that each person may need different systems of accountability, support, and pathways to freedom. We recognize the humanity of all people and do not base a person’s worth on their crime of conviction or the harm they caused. We are not a single-issue coalition.

Communication before Action

We commit to curiously seeking to understand and communicate directly with each other, power brokers, and system-impacted people before taking action on behalf of the coalition.

Restorative Practices

We live by the principles of the world we are trying to build for everyone. We
support community-driven, anti-carceral restorative justice practices and incorporate
them into our work.

Dismantle Systems of Oppression

We oppose and are actively working to dismantle white heteropatriarchy in all of its forms. We use the term white heteropatriarchy to refer to interlocking systems of oppression—including but not limited to racism, anti-Blackness, capitalism, patriarchy, colonialism, imperialism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, and xenophobia—that structure our society, our relationships to one another, and our relationships to ourselves. We understand the prison and wider carceral system as key mechanisms that uphold these interlocking systems of oppression. Dismantling carcerality requires uprooting these systems and creating new social structures that center liberation, self-determination, bodily autonomy, community, and care.

Coalition Members

Individuals:

Cassandra Addison, Marshan Allen, Eric Anderson, Julie Anderson, Kevin Aoussou, Quonie Barney, Katrina Baugh, Darrion Benson, Erica Bentley, Avalon Betts-Gaston, Christie Billups, Kevin Blumenberg, Alexandria Boutros, Becca Bretz, Daryle Brown, Titus Bryant, Ronnie Carrasquillo, Max Cerda, Marlon Chamberlain, Greg Chambers, Alicia Coleman, Molly Crane, Edith Crigler, Margaret Cunliffe, Andrea Dantus, Mira DeJong, Brian Dolinar, Flor Esquivel, Rev. Allison Farnum, Daniel Fernandez, Bruno Garcia, Bridget Geraghty, Eliza Gonring, Emma Gonzalez, Sharlyn Grace, Timika Gregory, Lindsey Hammond, Brian Harrington, Karen Hilberg, Ashton Hoselton, Stanley Howard, Sharah Hutson, Joi Imobhio, Raphel Jackson, Maheen Khan, Carolyn Klarquist, Ashton Klekamp, Pat Kocher-Cowan, Holly Krig, Yohance Lacour, James Lenoir, Melissa Lorraine, Susan Lucci, Nicole Lurry, Joseph Mapp, Jordan Mazurek, Michelle Mbekeani, Rory McHale, Shaneva McReynolds, Erica Meiners, Alan Mills, King Moosa, Nicolina Nava, Marta Nelson, Eric Ohara, Blair Paddock, Oscar Parham, Melissa Pavlik, Nathan Perrin, Tony Pizarro, Elena Quintana, Lee Ragsdale, Vickie Reddy, Dr. Cristina Rivers, Wendell Robinson, Erin Ross, Sarah Ross, Ben Ruddell, Chez Rumpf, Emma Ruth, Jazmine Salas, Arianna Salgado, Nicole Schult, Steven Scotti, Gail Smith, Jimmy Soto, Joan Steffen, Shari Stone, Khalif Veal, Jenny Vollen-Katz, Khalisha Wesley

Inside Members:

Darrell Fair

Organizations:

Canopy Movement, Chicago Torture Justice, Chicago Votes, Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois, End Permanent Punishment, FAMM, Illinois Prison Project, Impact for Equity, Macarthur Justice Center, Moms United Chicago, Parole Illinois, Project Sound Off, Restore Justice, Theatre Y, Uptown People's Law Center