Hundreds of community members, organizers, and advocates from across Louisiana converged Monday on the State Capitol for Reclaiming Justice Lobby Day, calling for urgent investment in education, housing, mental health care, infrastructure, and health access — and rejecting the state’s continued reliance on mass incarceration as public policy.
Organized by groups including the Promise of Justice Initiative, ACLU of Louisiana, VOTE, Power Coalition for Equity & Justice, Operation Restoration, and the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, the day underscored a simple but powerful message: strong, supported communities—not prisons—are the foundation of true public safety.
The event featured a rally on the Capitol steps, direct engagement with lawmakers inside the building, and organized legislative visits where attendees shared their stories and demands. State Senator Royce Duplessis was among those who spoke to the crowd, highlighting the stakes of this year’s legislative session.
“Today, we just want to let our state representatives know that we are here, that our voices are loud, and that we’re going to do whatever it takes to reclaim justice for our communities and for our families,” said San Pope, community impact organizer with the Promise of Justice Initiative and the event’s emcee. “This is our house, and we have the power and the voice.”
A central focus of the lobby day rally was Senate Bill 218, which would provide retroactive relief for individuals still imprisoned on the basis of non-unanimous “Jim Crow” jury verdicts. Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling deeming such convictions unconstitutional, over 800 people remain incarcerated in Louisiana without a path to fair relief.
Beyond SB 218, organizers and participants rallied against a broader agenda of punitive legislation moving through the session — including bills that would allow 15-year-olds to be incarcerated alongside adults and efforts to block compensation for people wrongfully convicted.
“This is actually Freedom Day,” said Mike McClanahan, President of the NAACP Louisiana State Conference. “They want the legislature to know that you can’t continue to keep us enslaved because we’re free, and we are going to continue to fight for that freedom for all people. If there’s no justice, there should be no peace.”
In remarks to the crowd, McClanahan and other leaders emphasized that the Capitol belongs to the people — not corporations or political insiders — and that Louisiana’s history of systemic injustice demands action, not excuses.
In an interview, Alanah Odoms, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana, framed the day as part of a broader push to strengthen civic engagement and direct action at the Capitol:
“Days like this get us closer to all the people who make our laws and closer to the infrastructure itself,” Odoms said. “But the challenge going forward is how do we actually catalyze this level of support into voting, too? We need to make sure that people’s voices are not just heard on the Capitol steps, but also at the ballot.”
Despite Louisiana’s notoriously low voter turnout, organizers argued that the energy seen Monday is a foundation they intend to build upon through the 2025 legislative session and beyond.
Throughout the day, participants shared a common commitment: to hold legislators accountable to the needs of the people — and to resist policies that prioritize punishment over progress.
