Home Base

Municipal budget season is officially underway in Oklahoma City! Budget presentations continue at city council May 12 and 26, with the presentation of submitted public comments occurring May 26, and the final budget vote expected to happen June 3.

Whether you've joined us for budget workshops in the past, annually submitted public budget comment, or you're looking to get involved the first time, we'd love to see you Sunday May 17 at 2:30 in the upstairs area at Culture Hub for our last scheduled People's Budget Coalition Our Budget Workshop of this budget cycle!

Come imagine a budget and budget process that centers the needs and well-being of Oklahoma City residents. RSVP at the mobilize link 🔗 https://www.mobilize.us/flm/event/922252/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcARe-0lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAadCCVJcRLWQAOS5j49ejXTHFpxrsmUdDtCPAzQcYEzYDolUGum0rs76W1y84Q_aem_HQx625GhDYk14w6j9QCbWw

While we strive for maximum accessibility in all spaces, the area for this event is currently accessible only via one flight of stairs. To allow our immunocompromised and disabled organizers and community to engage in the space, masks in a variety of fit options will be available for those who do not bring their own.

Can we guess if next week you'll need your AC or your heater? No. But fortunately, municipal budget season is more predictable than Oklahoma weather.

That's right, this Sunday March 29, there's a 100% chance of the People's Budget Coalition! In this first virtual meeting, join us to talk in community about the OKC municipal budget process and meet your neighbors who want to figure out how we can reimagine the city budget and reinvest dollars into priorities that actually align with resident needs.

What: The first People's Budget Coalition Workshop of 2026
Where: On Zoom! (register here: https://www.mobilize.us/flm/event/922252/?referring_vol=6560676&share_context=dashboard-event-details&sharer_role=2)
When: Sunday March 29 from 3-4:30 PM CT
Who: You! and members of our community who want a better municipal budget (or just want to learn more)

Can we count on you to invest in a better budget for OKC by joining us this Sunday? Hope to see you there!

We know that many folks across Oklahoma City are preparing to mobilize at tomorrow's OKC City Council meeting to let our city know that when it comes to the proposed expansion of ICE in OKC, inaction is not an option.

At every level of government, those in power have the capacity to disrupt the harm of ICE, if only they can find the courage to act.

We're coming together in growing coalition to call on those in power to say No ICE in Oklahoma.

The harm of ICE did not start in the last month, and we know the work to disrupt the continued and growing threat to our communities will take more than a single council meeting. And, that this is a rallying point for many ready to commit or recommit to that longer action.

Folks have been doing this work, and this is the opportunity to carry some of that burden and provide safety in numbers.

We, the signatories of this letter, Home Base, Freedom Oklahoma, Foundation For Liberating Minds, Black Lives Matter OKC, Norman Care-A-Vans, The Julius Jones Institute, Dream Action Oklahoma, Block Builderz, the ACLU of Oklahoma, and Carabelle's Legacy Inc, ask you to amplify these calls to action, as you connect the urgency of your mobilizing with the organizing on the ground in Oklahoma.

We are not safe until all of us are safe, and we know that this fight impacts all of us. No ICE in Oklahoma.

GO Vote today, Oklahoma City! Here’s our voter guide for you in case you’re wondering how some trusty organizers are voting on these propositions.

✅ Quick facts:

💰 In total, this is a $2.7 Billion investment in city infrastructure that will not increase property taxes.

🧐 Head to https://vision.okc.gov/go-bond-2025 to see all the projects around you!

📋 On your ballot will be 11 different propositions making up the entire GO bond package

Send to a friend to remind them to vote 🗳️

Which one of our podcasters didn't drive a yellow Volkswagen bug in high school? Impossible to tell...you'll have to listen to this week's Home Team (wherever you get your podcasts) to find out!

https://hometeam.castos.com/episodes/rounding-first-section-1-summary

For decades, we’ve repeated the same cycle. Build a jail. Fill it with our neighbors. Suggest the problem is the building and demand a bigger jail. Build a new, bigger jail. Fill it with our neighbors. In 2022, Oklahoma County organizers came together to pitch the question, what if we broke that cycle, and demanded solutions to the real problems: the problem of jailing our neighbors pre-trial simply because they cannot afford an arbitrary ransom, the problem of jailing people because what they need is support and help meeting basic survival needs, the problem of pouring our community wealth in a system that perpetuates violence and does not keep us safe. While just over 100,000 voters ultimately decided the investment of $260 million towards an expanded carceral facility further away from the courts and resources, we knew the fight and the work wasn’t over. This fight continues in the reality of the county realizing a $260,000,000 debt would not be enough to build a bigger jail. Where additional dollars will come from is up in the air. We know it should not come from our tax dollars.

At its core, organizing is an iterative process. In getting to say what we don’t want (No New Jail), we also find opportunities to build community, build language, and build power to craft and shape the kind of future we do want to build in. No New Jail OK is now housed within Home Base, a community-centered hub where we can together learn and practice how we build power, create connections, and connect folks to resources for all of the fights we’re facing on the ground at the intersections of the carceral state. As Home Base, in addition you’ll find new-er projects (like our Home Team reading group and podcast) and recurring campaigns (including the long-form effort of No New Jail OK), plus you’ll find a growing hub of community and information in what we continue to evolve into at Home Base. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning, or are just finding us, welcome home.

NO NEW JAILS tees are printed on Comfort Colors 1717 Heavyweight shirts in ivory and a limited run in black.

All proceeds will be split between The Bail Project & Foundation for Liberating Minds

Order your shirt today at https://softhand.bigcartel.com/product/no-new-jails-1

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday June 3 at 8:30 AM, OKC City Council will vote to approve another budget that puts people last. When we showed up last week, we heard that the council has gotten exceptionally low turnout on community budget feedback. We know it can feel hard to make the effort to share your opinions when it doesn't feel like the council is taking that input seriously. And, we know we move the needle by consistently showing up. We want the council to hear from the community about what a people-first budget really looks like.

So whether you're submitting feedback online or showing up to speak after the council meeting begins at 8:30 AM, we need you to let our council members know this is not a Big League Budget.

Currently, their proposed budget numbers
🚔 Police: $297,951,982
🌿 Parks & Recreation: $63,652,076
🚏 Public Transportation: $47,601,854
Those priorities are out of order!

If you can’t make the meeting (Tuesday morning is inconvenient, right?) you can submit your feedback on the budget now at vision.okc.gov

Spread the word!

If you had a say in how the city of Oklahoma City spent our money, what would your priorities be? What would make your communities safe and whole? You can now build your own OKC General Fund budget with our People's Budget Coalition Bean Counter. Use it to dream up reprioritizing care, and to advocate for the type of city we all deserve. Don't keep it to yourself! Spill the beans, and share what your OKC general fund budget looks like!

And then, let's share those possibilities tomorrow, at the OKC City Council meeting, following our Rally for Community Safety.

Check out the bean budget tool at https://www.hbok.org/okcbudget