Yesterday’s SCOC Celebration!
Yesterday, we gathered in downtown Brooklyn with our members and organizational partners to celebrate and honor the collective organizing we did to increase jail and prison oversight through overhauling the State Commission of Correction. We had a wonderful time being together, building community and honoring the work we did.
Our team worked for over two years to get this bill across the finish line. If you haven’t seen it, check out the press release we issued after Gov. Hochul signed the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill into law with quotes from our members, organizational partners, and elected officials.
Now that the bill has been signed, our organizing is shifting to focus on implementing these reforms and ensuring that reform-minded people, including a formerly incarcerated person, are appointed to the commission.
If you have any questions about the reforms to the SCOC or if you want to join our organizing efforts, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
New DOC Commissioner at Rikers
On Saturday, January 31st, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of Stanley Richards as the new Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). Mr. Richards is the former head of the Fortune Society and will be the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the DOC. This historic appointment came days after the federal judge Laura T. Swain appointed Nicholas Deml as a remediation manager to take control of Rikers Island to reduce violence and address the constitutional violations. Mr. Richards will officially start his tenure as commissioner on Monday, February 16. By Tuesday, February 17, the City and Remediation Manager Deml must submit a plan to the court outlining how they will work together.
Our NY Co-Directors Melanie Dominguez and Yonah Zeitz issued this statement in response to the appointment of Stanley Richards as DOC Commissioner:
“Mayor Mamdani’s appointment of Stanley Richards as Commissioner of the Department of Correction marks a critical step toward ending the violence, neglect, and mismanagement that defined the last administration. All of us at Katal, including our directly impacted members, welcome the historic appointment. Not only is Mr. Richards the first formerly incarcerated person to lead the department, but he’s a longtime reformer who’s spent decades working to make New York a safer, fairer, more just city for all who live here.
We also know Mr. Richards as someone committed to closing Rikers Island Jail Complex. Now he owns the responsibility to help make closure a reality. The previous administration fully abandoned the plan to shut Rikers, and it’s our hope and expectation that this appointment reflects Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to get the closure plan back on track.
Until Rikers is closed, the new commissioner will have to work in close collaboration with the remediation manager, Nichoals Deml, to save lives, reduce violence, and address the persistent constitutional violations faced by incarcerated people on a daily basis. This work must start immediately and be aimed toward cutting the jail population, shutting down Rikers, and investing in real community safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs.
If you have any questions about Rikers Island New Commissioner and Remediation Manager, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Hands Off NYC Community Weekends of Action February 20-22th
We are part of Hands Off NYC, a broad coalition of organizations and individuals working to protect against, preempt, and prepare for federal incursion in New York City. There are currently 200 labor unions, faith leaders, and community groups standing together in nonviolent resistance, dedicated to protecting New York City.
From February 20th to 22nd, Hands Off NYC is holding a Community Weekend of Action. These are designed to celebrate the joy of community, share useful information, and help us build a culture of defiance across the city. There are actions taking place across the city and we encourage you to join one. Here is a list of all the actions taking place.
On Sunday, February 22nd, we’ll be holding a tabling and flyering session in Brooklyn. We’ll share more details about this early next week.
If you have any questions about the Community Weekend of Action or would like to join us on February 21st, please contact Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org.
February Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
Yesterday, we held our February Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call. We discussed the recent political changes in Albany and the proposed FY2027 budget. We also heard from organizers and advocates from across New York state leading campaigns to end torture in state prisons, protect immigrant New Yorkers, end the school-to-prison pipeline, and expand mental health courts across the state.
The next Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call is on Thursday, March 12th, from 12-1. Please register for the next Statewide Call on Thursday, March 12th from 12-1pm!
If you have any questions about the statewide call or would like to be a presenter, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Inspiring Resistance This Week
– A group of volunteers in Minnesota called Haven Watch is supporting people getting released from detention who often don’t have a phone, money, or clothes for the weather. See more details here.
– NYC officials and community members reinstate the Pride Flag at Stonewall in defiance of the Trump administration’s assault on diversity initiatives. See more details here.
For more examples of resistance, check out Choose Democracy’s Resist List!
Quotes of the Week
“Ice out!” – Bad Bunny, at the 2026 Grammy’s
“I’m about seeing long-term, seeing a vision, understanding nothing really worthwhile happens overnight, and just sticking to your script long enough to make something real happen.” –Nipsey Hussle
“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found.” – Pema Chödrön
“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Katal develops intergenerational leadership and organizing capacity to build community-based power and win systemic change for equity, health, and justice.
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822.