Critical Resistance LA at Mobile Homestead


The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA

Critical Resistance Los Angeles (CRLA) occupied the Mike Kelley Mobile Homestead, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. A visual installation by CRLA was on view, and three workshops took place throughout the week. Mobile Homestead sat in front of the Geffen Contemporary Building; a full scale replica of Kelley's childhood home on wheels, the Homestead is designed to carry out public service when detached from its permanent "residence" in Detroit.

The visual installation, comprised by CRLA members and their allies, conceptualizes the past, present, and future of the prison landscape and the prison industrial complex—specific to Los Angeles County and California. The installation includes posters from Melanie Cervantes and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, photography and a viewing piece by Ashley Hunt, media by CH.R.O.M.E., an archival piece reflecting the history of the Lincoln Heights Jail by Heather M. O'Brien - Takahashi, poetry by Linette Park, and a video of a recent action by Critical Resistance Los Angeles and their allies. The protest took place at the Antelope Valley Mall in March 2014 to raise awareness about the proposed women’s jail at the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster. The action is part of CRLA’s current campaign to stop the construction of a new women’s jail that has been offensively described as a “women’s village.”

Critical Resistance seeks to build an international movement to end the prison industrial complex (PIC) by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. We know that more policing and imprisonment will not make us safer. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities secure. As such, our work is part of global struggles against inequality and powerlessness. To learn more or get involved, visit: criticalresistance.org