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In the News

Young Women Work to Heal Themselves and Overhaul the Justice System

Posted by: YWFC
April 4, 2022

Published by MindSite News & The San Francisco Standard

On a cloudless San Francisco afternoon, I scrambled to keep up with Lucero Herrera as we climbed seven flights of stairs in a South of Market office building. Earlier that morning, Herrera explained, the elevator had lurched to a sudden halt, leaving her heart pounding. It stalled for only a few seconds, but it took Herrera – who spent much of her adolescence inside a locked cell – much longer to recover from the terror of being trapped. This time, she said, she wasn’t taking any chances.

Our destination was the main office of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a statewide organization that has helped lead the decades-long movement to close California’s youth prisons and local juvenile halls while supporting thousands of young women in their journey to healing. We arrived at the light-filled office slightly winded, and Herrera, in bright green sneakers and a “Movement Warrior” hoodie, raised her arms toward the ceiling and took a deep breath before settling into a history of the Center’s work and her own transformation.

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Read More from In the News

SF’s Juvenile Hall Remains in Limbo, Four Years After the City Promised To Close It

Two years after San Francisco’s juvenile hall was slated to close, questions remain over how that closure might come to fruition. The city may instead build a new detention center on the same site, a reflection of California’s decision to close state detention facilities as much as philosophical questions over how to handle young offenders.

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YWFC April 19, 2023

Alameda County youth are trying to lead a tough conversation around juvenile justice. We should listen

Evelyn Medina Zepeda (left) of 67 Suenos and Tae Thomas of Young Women’s Freedom Center emcee the “End Youth Incarceration” town hall at the California Ballroom in Oakland on Wednesday. They are both 17 years old and work as organizers.

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YWFC April 11, 2023

Advocates Call for Transparency in Arrest of San Jose Cop Union Exec. Director on Drug Smuggling Charges

Justice reform advocates are calling for full transparency after Joanne Marian Segovia, executive director of the San Jose Police Union for nearly 20 years, was recently arrested by the U.S. Dept. of Justice for attempting to import synthetic opioids from overseas, including fentanyl.

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YWFC April 6, 2023
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YWFC in the News

SF’s Juvenile Hall Remains in Limbo, Four Years After the City Promised To Close It

YWFC April 19, 2023

Alameda County youth are trying to lead a tough conversation around juvenile justice. We should listen

YWFC April 11, 2023

Advocates Call for Transparency in Arrest of San Jose Cop Union Exec. Director on Drug Smuggling Charges

YWFC April 6, 2023

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