A large group of protestors who had caravanned in from the Bay Area, as well as a number of locals, rallied on the steps of the State Capital today April 8th, for a few hours starting at 12:30 p.m., with several different speakers presenting.

Named the Caravan for Justice, the group buses and drives in large numbers of people from around California in the hopes of getting lawmakers to reform different laws that specifically affect urban youth, touching on such subjects as law reform, prison reform and school reform.

This was not the first protest that the Caravan for Justice has hosted on the steps of the Capitol. On February 19, the Caravan for Justice bussed in hundreds of people who had been attending town hall meetings in nine cities in and around the Bay Area, motivated by the killing of Oscar Grant III by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, as well as other major threats in the community.

The focus of today’s protest was to have the Three Strikes Law reformed or removed, because, the group claims, it continues to put non-violent offenders behind bars for too long. The group also believes that lawmakers should be focused on why there are more urban youth in prisons and correctional facilities than in schools. The Caravan believes that citizens should be looking toward helping to keep the youth in schools and out of gangs.

After a few hours on the steps of the Capitol, the group rallied supporters and headed inside the Capitol to be heard by lawmakers.

For more information about the Caravan for Justice visit caravanforjustice.com.