CT Harm Reduction Alliance Roast & Toast Gala Harvesting Change 2024
Moments Captured at Harvesting Change in Bloomfields Recreation Center, 10.26.24
Last Saturday, October 26th, 60 people from across Connecticut gathered in
Bloomfield for food, fellowship, and organizing for power. This event was our 2nd annual Vision Setting Dinner. Harvesting Change was put on by Katal’s Cultivating Justice project in collaboration with Chicks Ahoy Farm. At Harvesting Change, we reflected on the previous growing season, shared skills learned, and discussed our goals for the next growing season.
In Connecticut, where more than 98% of registered farmers are white, the people most vulnerable to food insecurity are not included in the decisions that shape the Food and Farm Bill. These are many of the same communities impacted by racial and economic segregation, mass criminalization, and mass incarceration. Saturday’s event was centered around supporting individuals often left out of agriculture conversations, promoting food growth, sharing skills, and organizing for meaningful change. Our staff and members presented efforts to correct probation and parole systems, as well as conducting title searches on vacant land, potential farm land, and to hold landlords accountable. Our youth members Ferryn, Vii, and Mimi also hosted craft tables and helped folks make beeswax candles and paint pumpkins.
To learn more about the work of Cultivating Justice, reach out to Diana at diana@katalcenter.org.
STOP Solitary Rally
Barbara Fair from STOP Solitary CT giving opening remarks at “Justice for J’allen Rally,” 10.18.24
In March of 2018, J’Allen Jones’ died at the hands of correctional officers at Garner Correctional Institution after being forcefully restrained, maced, and beaten. The public is just hearing about it now due to concerted efforts to cover up his death by various levels of government including the Attorney General’s office. On Friday, October 18th, Katal joined allies and community members at a “Justice for J’Allen” rally organized by STOP Solitary CT outside of the DOC headquarters in Wethersfield to demand transparency and accountability. Mr. Jones’ family, alongside advocates, are requesting that the footage of his last moments be released to the public and officers involved in this murder be held accountable.
In 2022, The PROTECT act was passed to end abusive restraints in DOC. In order to prevent situations like this in the future, the state must ensure effective implementation and enforcement.
Cultivating Justice Meeting 11.7.24
Ahmad Daniels and Delita Rose-Daniels with their first coop from Cultivating Justice’s Chicken Keeping Course, Spring 2023
Cultivating Justice is working to make chicken keeping ordinances in Middletown and beyond more equitable and accessible for low-income folks and BILPOC residents. With our members, we’ve worked to draft new chicken keeping rules for Middletown that focus on the needs of the chickens instead of on property size and boundaries. Want to learn more? Register to join our next Cultivating Justice Meeting on Thursday, November 7th and plan some action steps with us.
Reach out to Diana at diana@katalcenter.org for more information.
Recap: October Statewide Call Criminal Justice Reform Call
Taina Manick opening up the CT Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call, 10.17.24
Thank you for joining our October Connecticut Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call. During the call, our lobbyist, John Bailey from TCORS Capitol Group, summarized the end of the last legislative session and discussed the November elections and how they may impact various reform efforts. We were also joined by organizers and advocates leading campaigns across the state concerning protecting the rights of individuals with psychiatric disabilities, ensuring all persons convicted of a crime are treated constitutionally and fairly by the state, and Tenants Rights.
Do you want to engage in conversation around the results of the 2024 election and what that means for us moving forward? Register to join our next Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call on Thursday, November 21, from 11am-12pm.
If you have any questions about the statewide call or would like to be a presenter, please contact Taina at Taina@katalcenter.org
Katal Quote of the Week
“Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.” ― Saul Alinsky
“If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go.” — James Baldwin
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822
