Rikers – Still in Crisis
New York City must close the Rikers Island Jail Complex to save lives and end this long standing stain on our city. This week, news broke that the rates of violence on Rikers Island continued to rise throughout the summer and 16 people have died on the island thus far this year. It’s a complete disaster and Mayor Adams continues to send more people to Rikers subjecting them to tortuous and life-threatening conditions. In the face of this crisis, we are calling on the mayor to CUT the number of people held on Rikers, SHUT down the Rikers Island jail complex, and INVEST in real community safety: housing, health care, education, jobs.
Join us by signing this petition to demand Mayor Adams take action to close Rikers!
Last week, we were out door knocking in Crown Heights and this week we’re talking to residents in Canarsie. We’re also holding weekly phone banking sessions via zoom, connecting with folks across the city about the need to shut down Rikers. Join us on the streets for an outreach session. Or join us on zoom for a phone bank session. To get involved, please email Melanie Dominguez at melanie@katalcenter.org.
NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call Recap
Today, we held our October New York Statewide Criminal Justice call. Almost 150 people registered for the call. We were joined by a slate of terrific presenters who covered a range of topics – the implications of the upcoming elections, bail reform, the fight to get a progressive Chief Judge appointed to the Court of Appeal, parole justice, and the fight to rescind the awful package policy in NYS prisons.
Want the notes from the call? Register here for the next call on Thursday, November 10 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Call invitations and notes are sent to those registered. If you have any questions about the statewide call or would like to be a presenter, please contact Yonah at yonah@katalcenter.org.
Katal at National Harm Reduction Conference
Today, some Katal staff heading to San Juan, Puerto Rico to attend the 13th National Harm Reduction Conference. Tomorrow, at 4:40pm, Katal’s Kenyatta Muzzanni and Yonah Zeitz are leading on a workshop titled: Parole Reform and Harm Reduction – Lessons from the #LessIsMoreNY Campaign. Due to the Less Is More Act, people on parole are no longer automatically incarcerated for drug use. This is saving lives and keeping families together. We’re excited to share more tomorrow.
If you’re at the conference and want to link up, just reply to this email!
To learn more about the National Harm Reduction Conference and to see the agenda, go here.
Katal Quotes of the Week
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”― Thomas Merton
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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.
