Speaker Profile

Eric Martinez, Executive & Policy Director of Mano Amiga, is a Latino male impacted by criminalization through his father's experience. Before Eric knew him, his stepfather served prison time, and decades after his sentence, it still affected where he could work, and his family could live. Fast forward, and Eric's work on the criminal legal system became more well known after he was invited to do legal reform work for Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, the first Hispanic Judge in the county's 170+ year history. There he helped lead Judge Becerra's office to initiate a criminal justice assessment prompting an article titled "Hays County judge leads renewed criminal justice committee as cost of jail rises nearly 7,000% in five years." Eric, alongside staff, has led Mano Amiga in creating and establishing the 1st and only Cite & Release ordinance in Texas, bringing a revolving community bail fund, The bail project, to Hays County, an $11 million public defender's office, a cash assistance fund for non-citizen families, and more.

‍About Mano Amiga   Mano Amiga is a 501c3 non-profit with a 501(h) election, 45 min south of Austin, Texas, founded in Hays County in 2017, that works with communities harmed by criminalization or immigration to push for systemic progressive policy change at the local level. Our campaigns work to hold the police to the same standard as everyone else, support immigrant families in need with cash assistance,help free wrongfully accused people, get proper care for those suffering from medical neglect while detained, and promote alternatives to incarceration.