In 2022, we deepened our committments to changing systems and policies that continue to impact our community. Here are some of the highlights of 2022:

  • Beyond the Blindfold of Justice was conceived in the wake of the George Floyd protests to increase legal support FOR and BY Black, Indigenous, and People of Color impacted by the criminal legal system. Because many in our community have lost faith in the idea that “Justice is Blind,” we seek to “remove the blindfold” and expose the ways that systemic racism, anti-Blackness, poverty, oppression, and implicit biases impact the execution of “justice.” BBJ works in key areas to change systems that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color: upstream work to change laws and policies; direct legal support for resentencing; vacating criminal records and providing civil legal aid; and narrative change through media outreach, public speaking, and networking. We seek an end to Decline policies so that no child is tried as an adult in Washington State. We work to raise awareness of this policy through webinars and media campaigns and continue to pressure lawmakers to address this harmful policy. Learn more at https://www.beyondtheblindfold.org.
  • Legislative advocacy as directed by the community: We hope to see the passing of four bills we support. We will work to see that they are passed without amendments or carve-outs and continue to center the voices of those who are closest to the problem. Last year, when these bills were in committee, each one of them failed to advance because of persistent racial biases embedded in sentencing guidelines. With new tools for media campaigns, we anticipate further advancing these bills toward being instated as law. Our Legislative Advocacy committee meets weekly.
  • Court Watch: We document and share out the results of participating in Court Watch with the King County Department of Public Defense to stop the war on poverty and to end disparities experienced by Black, Indigenous and People of Color in the legal system. This is very important to us because we do not want to send the message that those with lesser offenses deserve relief, to be seen as humans, or to be respected, while those with more “serious” offenses do not.
  • We work with the Housing Justice Coalition to see to the passing and implementation of HB 2017, prohibiting the use of conviction histories in consideration for housing. We seek relief from this form of legalized discrimination.
  • Narrative Change: we produce video documentaries, newsletters, webinars, press releases, and anti-oppression workshops that engage the community and legal stakeholders in examining their biases that lead to impactful policies.
  • We collaborate with the Pretrial Policy Team coalition to provide courts with new guidelines for conducting assessment that do not perpetuate racial biases and discrimination.
  • Cannabis Policy Reform: We advocated with officials from the City of Seattle to help them implement their cannabis expungement policy.
  • Voter Registration: We went to Pierce County Jail to register people to vote who had not yet been sentenced. We also were able to connect with our brothers and sisters who were awaiting trial, see their humanity, and offer assistance where we could. We not only left registering voters, but we wound up supporting individuals during their trial, connecting with their attorneys, helping them understand certain legal processes and build relationships.
  • Racial Equity workshops with King County Department of Public Defense: We are providing workshops to all 400+ DPD attorneys and staff, so that we can support them in having more authentic conversations about the impact of race on their work, as well as move for systemic change within their organization.
  • Criminal Legal System Realignment Taskforce: We worked throughout the year with a group of community members to bring recommendations to the City of Seattle on how to realign the city legal system, to build it out in community.