“No One Walks Out Alone:” Jail Support at Santa Rita

By Felicia Gustin

It’s one of the largest county jails in the United States and larger than most California prisons. Santa Rita Jail, located in Dublin, California, also has one of the highest rates of in-custody deaths for county jails in the state. In 2017, one such victim, 23-year-old father Dujuan Armstrong, was only meant to serve a weekend at Santa Rita, but he never came home, killed by sheriff deputies while in custody.

In Dujuan’s honor, the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP), a Black-led Oakland-based coalition, began providing material support to folks being released from the jail as “a small but meaningful way to address the harm caused by incarceration in our community.”

Tables with free food and drinks and bins with free clothing set up on a Friday night in front of the Santa Rita Jail sign. Photo by Mack Boyle.

As APTP explains on their website, “We show up at the gates when our people are released from custody—offering warmth, resources, and connection…We believe no one should walk out of jail alone.”

Derrick Benson, APTP’s Family Resource Coordinator, manages the jail support program. He knows first-hand what incarceration is like, having served time himself. “I have a personal stake because I have been personally impacted,” he tells me. Derrick emphasizes the significance of coming out of jail and being greeted by a group of people who offer hot drinks, snacks, warm clothes, and a friendly smile. “When you get out, it’s a feeling that’s indescribable, but when you’re met with compassion and resources, you’re given hope, even when you’re not a hopeful person.”

APTP’s jail support has drawn volunteers from several organizations including SURJ Bay Area. Mack Boyle, who works with SURJ’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign, recently began volunteering on Friday nights. “A lot of my organizing has been political education, facilitation, building the world we want to live in, but I hadn’t been involved in a mutual aid effort like this before.”

SURJ jail support volunteer, Mack Boyle, stands behind a table with pastries, cookies, fruit, and drinks. Photo by Anna Blackshaw

“People are surprised we’re there,” Mack points out. “They’re immensely grateful and appreciative. It’s amazing to feel the human connection in that moment.”

On a typical Friday night, 30-40 people are released from Santa Rita—some of them have been able to make bail, some had a misdemeanor and are let go with a citation, others have been found innocent. All of them share a sense of disorientation. Then they are greeted by SURJ members and other volunteers at a table offering pizza, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and snacks. They provide clothing like underwear, pants, beanies, and hoodies, which are especially welcome since many are coming out into the cold night with only the t-shirt they had on when they were jailed. Volunteers also provide toiletry items for unhoused people. But perhaps more important is the offer of a smile, a friendly face, and sometimes, a deep conversation.

Mack says volunteering for jail support has been a transformative experience. “The solidarity model of mutual aid, the understanding that we are extensions of each other—it’s deeply humbling and feels like I’m practicing my values of abolition in a real way that has high impact as people are being released from a cage. And in that moment, you are offering someone dignity and being seen when, for them, it might feel like one of the most shameful moments of their life.”

Longtime volunteer Lew Williams agrees. “For us, greeting people with warmth and supplies can be deeply satisfying. It's a way for us to act in an immediate, concrete, personal way to put our abolitionist values in action.” Lew has been doing Santa Rita jail support for several years and serves as SURJ’s point person for the program. While APTP has been providing the food and clothing, Lew has been drumming up SURJ volunteers.

Lew emphasizes that it’s easy for folks to get involved. “There’s often just a brief orientation on Zoom. We also partner volunteers with someone who has done jail support before. There’s no long-term commitment required.”

“It’s a low-lift, high-impact opportunity. Just hop in the car and go,” replies Mack when asked what they would say to someone considering volunteering. “It’s easy – you’re just hanging out, talking to people, being a warm, friendly face, providing folks with food and clothes for the night. It’s a way to practice the care we want to have with each other.”

But as Mack points out, it goes even deeper. “The reciprocity for me is the connection, the shared humanity. Just talking to someone right after they’ve been released, about where they’re heading, about their family and kids, whatever their story is—I think about all of these humans and all of their stories.”

Jail support is a powerful program for people at the end of a dehumanizing experience. Mack adds, “It just reminds me that every human is a whole universe, a whole galaxy, with so many stories. It’s an opportunity to just provide folks with love and care no matter what the hell happened to them, to provide them with a little shared humanity, connection, and dignity.”

Interested in volunteering for jail support? Email [email protected] and put Jail Support in the subject line. A SURJ member will be in touch.

Interested in helping to keep the jail support program going? In these challenging economic times, APTP needs money and supplies to continue providing resources for jail support. There are 2 concrete ways you can help:

1. Make a donation – every dollar helps! If you donate via Venmo or PayPal, then you can specify it’s for jail support. Or you can donate to APTP here.

2. Donate to the clothing drive – Drop off new or gently-used sweatpants, hoodies, beanies, hygiene kits, or new socks and underwear at The People’s House, 893 Willow Street, Oakland, from 3:00–7:00 pm on Mondays and 1st and 3rd Fridays.