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weekly update – january 16, 2020

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In this issue…

In Hartford: Community Members Fighting for Health, Equity, and Justice

#BailReformNY: “No Rollbacks, Hold the Line!”

Join us in Albany for Parole Reform: #LessIsMoreNY Day of Action, 1/28

In Hartford: Community Members Fighting for Health, Equity, and Justice

Katal members from across Connecticut at our first Monthly Member Meeting of 2020 in Hartford.

In Connecticut, our first Monthly Member Meeting of 2020 set the stage for the energy that our team is bringing into this new decade.

In our Hartford Headquarters, we had a full house — with people from Stamford, Meriden, Norwalk, Hartford, Manchester, Bloomfield and more — discussing the issues we’ll collectively prioritize in 2020. The meeting began with our signature Incarcerated Communities Exercise, facilitated by apprentice organizer, Dajuan Wiggins — which provoked a robust conversation on probation and parole in the state, and the need for reform. (That’s why we’re working on a new campaign, #LessIsMoreCT!) Katal Leaders led a discussion about our campaigns on housing, halfway houses, and harm reduction. And we outlined dates to meet with elected officials in the state about our priorities, as well as dates for leadership development (including an upcoming CT State of the State Address watch party)!

Our next monthly member meeting will be held on Thursday, February 13, from 6:00-7:30 pm at our office in Hartford, and we hope you’ll join us. Come along and bring a friend!

To RSVP, or for more information, contact senior community organizer, Kenyatta Thompson, at kthompson@katalcenter.org or at 860-937-6094. 


#BailReformNY: “No Rollbacks, Hold the Line!” 

Impacted community members, advocates, and state legislators from across New York State stand together in solidarity on the steps of the Million Dollar Staircase at the Capitol to defend the new bail reforms passed in 2019.

In 2019 New York passed one of the most expansive bail and other pretrial reform packages in the nation. At only 16 days old and lacking full implementation, opposition to the reforms are campaigning to open up the law and add new crimes to be bail eligible.

In a powerful effort to defend the new reforms, Katal members and staff joined allies from across the state – including JustLeadershipUSA, NYSDA, Vocal-NY and more — for an emergency lobby day and rally — demanding legislators hold the line on bail reforms. The rally included compelling words of support and commitment to defend the new law, from community members and advocates of bail reform including: Justleadership President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, Assemblyman Jamaal Bailey, Assemblywoman Linda RosenthalAssemblyman Michael Blake, Robert F. Kennedy Foundation President Kerry Kennedy, and more.

We must stand strong and united against potential rollbacks to the new law. Bail reform brings more justice to New Yorkers.

Follow the #BailReformNY and #NoRollBacks hashtags on twitter to watch videos of yesterday’s actions.

Here’s a few updates and resources we want you to know about: 

Addressing Opposition to Bail Reforms: Our own gabriel sayegh spoke on the premature rush to open up the new bail law in New York with the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Read the full article at this link.

Background on the Reforms: For some background on bail reform in New York — including how the law came to be and why it looks the way it does, we urge you to dive into our Making Sense of Bail Reform in NYS 2-part summary, available at this link.


Join us in Albany for Parole Reform: #LessIsMoreNY Day of Action, January 28

The 2020 NY legislative session started last week, so of course we’re back in Albany. Last session, legislators in Albany passed important pretrial reforms, but ended session without passing parole reforms, including #LessIsMoreNY. 2020 is the year to pass a range of reforms to parole in New York — including #LessIsMoreNY, transforming the way in which the state handles technical violations of parole supervision.

On Tuesday, January 28 from 10am-3pm the #LessIsMoreNY coalition is convening at the NYS Capitol to demand that lawmakers and the Governor pass #LessIsMoreNY. By passing this bill, New York can decarcerate jails and prisons around the state, accelerate the closure of Rikers, and advance the cause of justice in New York.

Details and RSVP to our #LessIsMoreNY Day of Action are at this link.

To learn more about our effort to pass #LessIsMoreNY, and further details about this action including transportation inquiries, contact our Director of Policy, Erin Corbett at ecorbett@katalcenter.org or 860.578.8242. We hope that you’ll join us!

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