Community Advocate: Reimagining Community Safety

Community Advocate: Reimagining Community Safety (CA 2)
Criminal Justice Reform Program
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
Hybrid Work Schedule, Based in San Francisco, CA
Non-Exempt, Full-time position

Applications are due by March 3, 2023

Position Summary

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (ALC) seeks to hire an empathetic, grassroots-centered, self-motivated Community Advocate to join its growing Criminal Justice Reform Program. The Criminal Justice Reform Program aims to diminish societal reliance on carceral systems – police, jails, prisons, ICE detention, surveillance, and supervision – in ways that will strengthen the low-income and immigrant Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities we serve. In particular, we seek to disentangle police from immigration enforcement and to reimagine AAPI community safety by building preventative, restorative, and community-based alternatives to our punitive criminal legal system. Our work includes community education, legal representation, and policy advocacy on behalf of low-income immigrants and communities of color.

The Community Advocate will represent ALC in work to implement and build trust in restorative justice programs that serve AAPI communities, as well as other ways to heal and build community in response to violence and other harms. This will involve helping to establish and grow our program’s collaboration with organizations and individuals from other communities of color, especially Black and Latinx communities. It will also involve building relationships with AAPI community partners and community leaders, and educating members of low-income AAPI communities about non-punitive responses to interpersonal violence.

In addition, although the primary focus of this Community Advocate will be on reimagining community safety, this Community Advocate may represent ALC as needed in local and state coalitions in our work to disentangle police and prisons from immigration enforcement.

The Organization

Advancing Justice – ALC is the nation’s first legal organization focusing on advancing and defending the civil rights of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Since 1972, Advancing Justice – ALC has litigated high-profile civil rights cases, advocated for the passage of landmark policy changes, and provided an array of services, including community education, advocacy, and direct client representation to further the rights of low-income immigrants and communities of color. Current program areas include Workers’ Rights, Immigrant Rights, Housing Rights, Criminal Justice Reform, National Security & Civil Rights, and Voting Rights. A growing staff of 46 provides strong collegial support and opportunities to learn about and collaborate with other program areas. Advancing Justice - ALC is a founding member of the national Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation with partners in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.

Advancing Justice – ALC is based in San Francisco, a hub of the Asian American rights movement, progressive politics, and social justice activism. Our location in Chinatown is the first mixed-use, affordable housing co-op in San Francisco, serving as a model for preserving affordable housing in the city and protecting tenants’ rights.

Responsibilities

The Community Advocate will have the following responsibilities:

• Help identify, develop, and maintain relationships with community partners to support implementation of restorative justice programs and other non-punitive responses to interpersonal violence that impacts AAPI communities. This will include cross-community collaboration with Black and Latinx community partners and leaders, as well as with AAPI community partners and leaders.
• Organize, promote, and help conduct community outreach (including tabling, flyering, educational sessions, and community meetings) and generate written materials to inform Bay Area AAPI communities about non-punitive responses to interpersonal violence and to build trust in these programs.
• Work with survivors of anti-Asian violence to choose and navigate non-carceral forms of accountability, healing, and other responses to harm.
• Maintain and build relationships with ALC clients who are incarcerated and under supervision.
• Collaborate with the program manager and other staff in the Criminal Justice Reform Program.
• Maintain knowledge and compliance with funding deliverables.
• Advocate for the passage of decarceral and pro-immigrant policies at the local and state level.
• Participate in local and statewide policy coalitions on criminal legal system issues, and other coalitions as needed.
• Other duties, as assigned by the Program Manager.
• All ALC staff are expected to participate in regular check-in meetings with their supervisor, staff meetings, program team meetings, and other organization meetings, as requested.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing the rights of low-income, people of color, and/or immigrant communities.
• Direct experience with the criminal legal system (preferred), or experience working with people directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
• Previous experience with community organizing, coalition building, or mutual aid coordination. This experience can include volunteer efforts or family/interpersonal networks and does not need to have been through formal nonprofit organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to work with and facilitate consensus-building among diverse groups of people, especially in Black-led spaces.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral communication, and organizational skills, and strong research, analytical, and writing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks in a timely manner.
• Ability to work some weekends and evenings, scheduled in advance.
• Advocacy experience involving police abuse, jails, prisons, immigrant rights, and/or restorative justice is preferred. This can include advocacy within the institution while incarcerated.
• Experience facilitating or participating in a restorative justice process preferred.
• Some familiarity with Google Suite apps (including Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Voice) and Microsoft (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and experience using smartphones and laptop computers.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, but not required. Relevant experience may be substituted.
• Ability to drive preferred.
• Bilingual skills in Chinese, Vietnamese, or another API language preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a regular, full-time, non-exempt position. The annual compensation depends on years of relevant experience; the range, starting from one year's experience, is $58,710 up to a maximum of $84,158. ALC offers an additional $1,000 annual compensation for proficiency in a language other than English and an additional $1,000 annual compensation for a graduate degree(s).

ALC’s comprehensive benefits package includes the following: generous vacation and paid holidays; medical, dental, disability, and life insurance coverage (ALC pays 100% of premiums for employees and 75% for qualified dependents); a flexible spending account (FSA); and 401K retirement plan with employer non-elective contribution and match

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit the following by March 3, 2023:

(1) cover letter explaining your interest in the position
(2) resume
(3) writing sample (no more than 5 pages)
(4) three professional references

Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, HIV status, marital or domestic partner status, or religious affiliation.