Pecolia Manigo, the political director for Oakland Rising concluded the press conference by calling on all Alameda residents, elected officials, and other capable organizations to show sustained support for DA Price’s promise to try juveniles in juvenile court.
“I do fundamentally believe in the power of our juvenile justice system and the power of our community programs and the power of mentors to really work with our young folks,” Manigo stated.
Despite acknowledging the struggles that many youth in “underinvested” neighborhoods “infused with systems that do not serve them” face (such as in parts of Oakland), Manigo remains optimistic that policy changes can create “the society that we all believe is possible.”
In the aftermath of the critique that DA Price is facing, Manigo argued, “We are standing here today because we believe in the rehabilitation of young folks. We are standing here today because we believe it is important to continue to urge our district attorney to fulfill her commitment, to fulfill her campaign promise to try juveniles in juvenile court and to end the overcriminalization of our young folks.”