HPDC’s Consolidated Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss

Plaintiffs bring claims in their purely private and individual interest. Plaintiffs again urge Defendant Harvard to consider, in good faith, divestment from the prison-industrial complex. Defendant Harvard’s Motion to Dismiss comes at a moment when the need for prison abolition is more evident than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic now exposes prisons, jails, juvenile detention facilities, and migrant detention centers throughout the world for what they have always been: death traps. Prisons are where those at the margins suffer without recourse. The basic necessities of life––soap, clean water, communication with loved ones––are often impossible to access for those behind bars. Imprisonment renders the very ability to socially distance impossible. Given this context, the issues raised by Plaintiffs’ Complaint are more pressing than ever.