Sacramento County Sheriff Terminates Jail Support Volunteer Program: What Really Went Down

On August 27, Sheriff Jim Cooper of Sacramento County instructed mutual aid volunteers to vacate the downtown jail premises, labeling them as trespassers. The volunteers, part of Decarcerate Sacramento and the Anti Police-Terror Project, have been running a monthly jail support initiative for over five years, providing essentials such as food, clothing, water, and transport to individuals released from the jail, alongside support for their families.This incident marked the first occasion that the volunteers were expelled since the program's inception. According to Christopher Camilo-Carbajal, coordinator for Decarcerate Sacramento, Cooper stated, “I’m the boss and I’m not going to argue about this.”Sheriff’s spokesperson Amar Gandhi contradicted by claiming Cooper only instructed the volunteers to avoid obstructing sidewalks. Community advocates initiated the program after a settled lawsuit concerning jail conditions, focusing on assisting individuals often released late at night without adequate provisions.