Gainesville grassroots nonprofit organization Community Spring kicked off its first annual block party Saturday afternoon outside of its downtown office, filling the neighborhood with the vibrant sounds of live music and a colorful crowd of residents, sponsors and fellowship.
Community Spring is an economic justice organization that focuses on the intersection of poverty and mass incarceration.
By moving the event outside of an office setting and into the neighborhood, the organization sought to lower barriers and invite a broader demographic toward the topic of systemic poverty in a friendly way.
Its events are usually limited to open houses, so the organization’s block party was a colorful way to reach the public.
It featured live music from Gainesville artists, youth circus performers, food trucks and local vendors, aiming to create a space where residents and families impacted by the challenges of mass incarceration could enjoy time together.
Kelly Lynch, the operations manager at Community Spring, said she’s looking forward to future events and is also hoping to draw support from local volunteers.
Lynch is looking to recruit five to 10 additional volunteers to support their six-member team for future event setup.
“We are a team of people that have been impacted by poverty and the criminal justice system, everyone on the team has a criminal record,” she said. “Since our event is themed on the work we do, I would like people to know how family oriented and beautiful it is.”
Kevin Scott, the Guaranteed Income Director, manages unrestricted direct cash assistance to previously incarcerated people after release.
Scott said Community Spring has accomplished change through programs like its fellowship and guaranteed income program.
The paid fellowship program is a hiring system for impacted individuals for leadership development and advocacy roles, while Community Spring’s guaranteed income program initiative provides returning citizens with $800 a month for a full year, Scott said.
Community Spring is entirely privately funded through philanthropy, grants and individual donors, he said.
Beyond financial aid the organization campaigns for policy changes against fines, fees, costs and employment for individuals impacted by the challenges that come with life after release from incarceration, according to Max Tipping.
Max Tipping, who co-founded the organization and now directs systemic policy initiatives and legislative advocacy, said Community Spring has removed a few of the fees that are imposed on these individuals.
“There used to be a fee if you wanted to participate in community service; that fee is gone,” Tipping said. “There used to be a daily subsistence fee at the jail; there used to be a fee to try and see a doctor, all for people who don’t actually have money in the first place. Now those fees are gone.”
The organization wants to continue to work toward its slogan, “Nobody’s too poor to be free.”
Its next step lies in collaborating with individuals in the court system to address financial shortcomings for people under supervision, either on probation or parole, preventing them from falling back into incarceration.
By targeting these underlying financial traps, Community Spring aims to shift public awareness and educate policy makers of what the reality of these systemic consequences look like.
“When you highlight and show what it’s like for people coming home with a record, whether it’s employment barriers or whether it’s unreasonable fines and fees, most people understand that is not justice,” Tipping said. “When you can reach people like that, you can begin to effectively find ways that we can all get on the same page and look for solutions.”
Lindsay Kallman, the organization’s executive director and other co-founder, wants community members who have not had personal experiences with incarceration and poverty to consider how they may be indirectly affected by these issues.
Kallman believes people that have not been directly affected by the criminal justice system should care about finding solutions regarding tax dollar allocation and public safety.
“People who are depleted of resources pivot to criminalized acts out of survival,” Kallman said. “They are also discriminated against in the employment sector and housing. This leaves them without ways to conventionally obtain the resources they need.”
Community Spring continues to host several opportunities for Gainesville residents to become involved in the development of their mission through writing and storytelling workshops, weekly meditation and open houses held in the spring.
Amanda Blumberg is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
