CALEB continues their demand to end pretrial detention, cash bail

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Chattanoogans for Love, Equality, and Benevolence, or CALEB for short, is continuing their campaign to curb pretrial detentions.

They gathered in front of the Hamilton County Courts Building Tuesday morning to demand changes with our legal system.

This is after they released a report last week that found 63 percent of all inmates remain incarcerated until their cases end, many of those having committed non-violent offenses.

They are asking local officials to end cash bail, issue citations for misdemeanors instead of arrests, and automatic pre-trial releases as their data shows low-income communities are heavily impacted by these practices.

One activist who goes by the name King K, said, “Cost of living wages has gone up! Cost of education has trumped up! Cost of eligible foods is unattainable, which is costing us lives for some folks. So you tell me Hamilton County, is this about public safety? Or is this a war on poverty?”

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and county magistrate have issued statements saying their practices are constitutional.