ADELANTO — Immigration activists are planning a free community Schools Not Prisons concert Friday at Adelanto Stadium to call for the closures of immigrant detention centers, including the private-run facility here.
The music festival is also meant to advocate for fair treatment of detainees as they await decisions on requests to remain in the U.S.
The concert will bring artists, advocates and community members together for a “historical event,” according to event organizers, “creating a unique platform to advocate for the closure of immigrant prisons and shine a light on the many ways for-profit immigrant prisons harm California communities.”
It comes just two weeks after Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill freezing the growth of immigration detention facilities in California. The Adelanto Detention Facility, one of three in the state, is the largest — maintaining nearly 2,000 beds.
The facility has come under fire from both state legislators and advocacy groups in recent years for alleged rampant human rights abuses that lawmakers and activists say go unchecked.
Three detainees have died there in 2017.
In response to Brown inking the Dignity Not Detention Act, however, GEO Group, the private operator, defended its track record and said the law would likely lead to detainees being housed in local jails “in more punitive environments.”
The belief was echoed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Tom Homan.
The concert, part of a Schools Not Prisons tour, is presented by Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement, the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. It is being produced by Revolve Impact, a social action media and creative company which has organized the tour since summer 2016.
It will feature performances by Los Rakas and Ceci Bastida, who will be joined by special guest artists. The all-ages concert begins at 6 p.m., while gates open at 5:30 p.m. Smoking, alcohol and drugs are prohibited.
Concertgoers are encouraged to register in advance on the show’s Eventbrite page. Search “Schools Not Prisons” on Eventbrite.com.
Prison Industry Divestment Movement 