Activists pay bail for black women for Mother's Day release

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina activists who want to eliminate the cash bail system say they were able to release at least three black women from one county jail who otherwise would have spent Mother’s Day behind bars.

For the second consecutive year, about 20 Asheville^[1] activists participated in the Black Mamas Bail Out. It’s a national movement that shows support for incarcerated black mothers and protests the cash bail system.

The Asheville^[2] Citizen-Times reports that by the end of the day Friday, the Asheville^[3] group had bailed out three women from the Buncombe County Detention Center.

Southerners on New Ground started the bail protest last year.

Organizer Nicole Townsend says the group raised more than $140,000 for this year’s Black Mamas Bail Out. In Asheville^[4], organizers raised about $12,000

___