Pusha T and John Forte performed as part of California's statewide #SchoolsNotPrisons tour yesterday (September 18), bringing the first-ever music event to Calipatria State Prison. As the fourth stop on the tour, which advocates spending more on education and investing on the future success of those incarcerated in prisons, Pusha T started his stop by meeting with the prison's warden before performing in the middle of the prison yard.
"Putting an end to mass incarceration is important to me. It’s something I’ve watched destroy a generation of my peers," Pusha T said in a statement. “I was able to go to Calipatria and see there was still inspiration and hope in the inmates, that was motivation for me to keep fighting for this cause.” The tour is a call to action to reduce spending on incarceration, in hopes that the money can be used for education, health, and prevention. The press release for the tour states that California spends more than $11 billion a year incarcerating over 128,000 people.
The performance was watched by prison staff and inmates alike. Previous artists to show support for the campaign have included Ty Dolla $ign among many others. For more information about the #SchoolsNotPrisons campaign and who else will be performing on part of the tour, go here.
