Last Week’s Rally to Protect Bail & Close Rikers
Last Tuesday, in the final drizzle of the latest winter storm, we rallied outside of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s NYC office. With allied community groups and advocates, we denounced the governor’s proposal to gut bail reform and increase pretrial detention across the state. The proposal, if enacted, would lead to thousands more people – mostly Black, Brown, and low-income – being jailed across the state, including at the notorious Rikers Island Jail Complex. Gov. Hochul’s proposal would also imperil the plan to close Rikers. Read the full press release from the rally here.
- AMNY covered the action – check out their article here.
- Share these very powerful photos from the action!
- Take action here to tell Albany: no bail rollbacks!
- Sign and share this petition to Mayor Adams calling shuts down Rikers.
For more information and to learn how to get involved, reach out to Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org or by phone at (516) 588-0127.
March Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call Recap
Today, we held our March Statewide Criminal Justice Reform call with nearly 100 people calling in from across the state. The NYS State Budget is due by April 1st and Gov. Hochul is working to include rollbacks to bail reform that would send more people to jail pretrial. On the call, our lobbyist provided insights from Albany and discussed the dynamics of the current budget negotiations. We heard from groups about how to get involved to defend bail reform, updates on efforts to pass the Treatment Not Jail Act, and the latest on efforts to end the wrongful conviction crisis in New York.
The next NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform call is Thursday, April 13 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Register here to join us on 4/13.
If you would like to present your campaign on a future call, or you have any questions, please contact Yonah Zeitz, at yonah@katalcenter.org
Thursday, March 16: Close Rikers Phone Banking Session
Since Mayor Adams took office, 20 people have died in New York City jails. Rikers is the deadliest it’s been in 25 years. Instead of working to save lives and shut down Rikers, Mayor Adams is calling for bail rollbacks so more people can be incarcerated there. This is unacceptable, and we’re taking action to stop Adams and close Rikers. Join us next Thursday, March 16th from 5:00-6:00 pm via Zoom for our next Close Rikers Phone Banking Session. We’ll be calling community members across the city to discuss the need to shut down Rikers and invest in communities. Register for the phone banking session here!
For more information and to learn how to get involved, reach out to Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org or by phone at (516) 588-0127.
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“We are all works in progress, always in the process of being and becoming. Periodically there come times like the present when the crisis is so profound and the contradictions so interconnected that if we are willing to see with our hearts and not only with our eyes, we can accelerate the continuing evolution of the human race towards becoming more socially responsible, more self-conscious, more self-critical human beings. Our country is also a work in progress. This is our time to reject the old American Dream of a higher standard of living based upon empire, and embrace a new American Dream of a higher standard of humanity that preserves the best in our revolutionary legacy. We can become the leaders we are looking for. Towards that end we need to keep combining practice with reflection and urgency with patience. That is what I have learned after nearly seven decades of struggle for radical social change.” –Grace Lee Boggs
“Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible.”–Carol Moseley Braun
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Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance equity, health, and justice. Join us: web, Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook! Email: info@katalcenter.org Phone: 646.875.8822.
