Representative Steven Jackson Issues Statement on Dismissal of Charges Against Calvinitri White

"I want to thank District Attorney James Stewart for standing on the side of justice and refusing to criminalize poverty. His office swift dismissal is the correct decision to the unfounded arrest and felony charges against Ms. Calvinitri White.

My office was able to confirmed that Ms. White had a lease, a payment agreement with the Housing Authority, and documentation that she was paying rent. Yet she was arrested, jailed, and had her children taken from her without a single charge of squatting or trespassing. That is not justice. That is what happens when institutions punish poverty.

The initial agencies involved in this case should publicly explain how they allowed a bad situation to become worse. They should also explain how a mother trying to provide shelter for her children was arrested, yet remain silent and inactive when it comes to landlords who have stolen upward of hundreds of thousands of dollars from tenants across this city. To date, there have been no arrests and no consequences for those who pocketed money while tenants were left in units without running water and with pest infestations.

If we have the capacity to jail a mother who is paying rent but cannot hold those who create these conditions accountable, then the system is broken.

I believe Ms. White deserves a full public apology and a commitment to restoring her name, her image, and her dignity. What happened to her was not just a legal mistake. It was a moral failure."

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