Who are we?
Mass Liberation Arizona is building power to end mass incarceration and divest from the carceral system in Arizona.We are a directly-impacted people’s organization headquartered in South Phoenix with a growing membership in Black communities, as well as inside prison facilities.
MASS LIBERATION AZ: HISTORY
We began organizing in 2018 when formerly incarcerated people in Arizona collaborated with and received training from the Oakland-based Mass Liberation Project. Since then, we have organized town halls around the state, advanced decarceral legislation, fought (and won) for police accountability, educated the public on the role of prosecutors in mass incarceration and targeted former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall for their misconduct and harm to our communities.
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE
Our approach to organizing centers Black liberation because we believe by liberating Black people, we all get free. We must reclaim the power to determine what restores us. Therefore we focus on base building, leadership development, healing and personal transformation. We believe all prisons, detention centers and jails should be abolished and we must invest in solutions that strengthen our communities.
PRINCIPLED STRUGGLE
The Mass Liberation values center around love and rigor. Our approach to organizing centers liberation through leadership development of directly impacted people and base building. We believe that we must reclaim the power to decide what restores us. We must put people before property, invest in solutions that strengthen our communities, and center healing and personal transformation. And we must never put people in cages.