Rally at Gov. Hochul’s NYC Office to Demand Justice and Accountability
Katal Members and Staff rally outside of Gov. Hochul’s New York City office, 4.14.25
On Monday, we joined the Incarcerated People Lives Matter coalition for a rally outside of Governor Hochul’s New York City office to demand an end to the crisis unfolding in state prisons. The coalition emerged following the brutal killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy prison in December. At Monday’s rally there were calls to shutdown Marcy, Mid-State, and Attica prison, which have long histories of abuse, harm, and neglect. Check out photos and videos here.
During the rally, our member Ziyadah Amatulmatin spoke about the need to get justice for her deceased brother who died in state prison and for her son who is currently incarcerated at Mid-State prison. Ziyadah called for the Governor and legislature to increase jail and prison oversight by passing (S. 856)-Salazar / (A.2315)-Gallagher which aims to expand and diversify the State Commission of Correction to bring greater accountability and ensure that it meets its mandate. See her full speech here.
If you want to support efforts to increase jail and prison oversight, please reach out to Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Fighting Back Against ICE at Rikers
Katal’s organizing director Melanie Dominguez speaking at ICE Out of Rikers rally at City Hall, 4.10.25
Last week, news broke that Mayor Adams made good on his quid pro quo with Trump by issuing an executive order which allows ICE to operate on Rikers. To fight back, we helped organize a rapid response rally with the New York Immigration Coalition, the Immigrant Defense Projects, and others to reject this move by the mayor.
This shameful move by Mayor Adams comes after multiple meetings between the Mayor and Tom Homan, the “border czar” charged with carrying out Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Instead of cozying up to Trump and attacking immigrants, the Mayor of the City of New York should be working to defend New Yorkers, protect immigrants, and shut down Rikers once and for all.
We issued this statement with the Immigrant Defense Project, Families for Freedom, and Make the Road Action rejecting this callous and dangerous move by Adams and calling on the City Council to take action. On Wednesday, the City Council responded by filing a lawsuit against Mayor Adams over the decision to allow ICE back onto Rikers Island.
Yesterday, the City Council Committee on Criminal Justice held a hearing on Rikers. We submitted testimony for the hearing where we applauded the lawsuit opposing ICE at Rikers while simultaneously asking the Council where that same energy is when it comes to closing Rikers and holding the mayor accountable to the 2027 closure plan. For over three years, the Council has done little to hold the line on the 2027 closure law, even as the death toll continues its grisly rise under Mayor Adams. See our full testimony.
If you’re interested in joining the fight to shut down Rikers and hold Mayor Adams accountable, please contact Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org.
Organizing Workshop at Brotherhood Sister Sol’s Mindfest Youth Conference
Katal’s organizing director and advocacy director at the Brotherhood Sister Sol, 4.15.25
On Tuesday, we led a workshop on “Organizing to Change” at the Brotherhood Sister Sol Mindfest Youth Conference. The conference focused on mental health, peer support, and youth organizing. During our workshop, we discussed community organizing, building power, and our campaign to Shut Rikers. This was an excellent follow-up to the summer outreach and door-knocking session we led with their young participants in July.
We’re grateful for the energy and passion the young people brought to this session and look forward to future collaborations with Brotherhood Sister Sol.
Weekly Pro-Democracy Phone Zaps
Join us on Wednesday, April 23rd, for our weekly Pro-Democracy Phone Zaps! Every Wednesday from 12-12:45pm (EST), we’re gathering on Zoom to call our elected officials. We’ll start by calling our congressional representatives in D.C. to demand they take action to defend the constitution, stop unelected billionaires like Elon Musk from destroying government agencies, protect free speech, and more. Then, for those who want to do more, we’ll call our state-based officials about local campaigns. If you’ve been looking for a starting point to take action, this is a great place to jump in!
Join us for our next Pro-Democracy Phone Zap on Wednesday, April 23rd. Register here!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Lily at lily@katalcenter.org. We hope to see you there!
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“Solidarity is the enemy of all oppressions.” —Suzanne Pharr, from Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism
“Strong people don’t need strong leaders.” —Ella Baker
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download the Katal Weekly Update PDF version.
Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance equity, health, and justice. Join us: web, Twitter, Facebook! Email: info@katalcenter.org Phone: 646.875.8822.
