In this issue…
Katal’s Statement Regarding City Council Hearing on the Mayor’s Plan to #CLOSErikers
Katal Actions on International Overdose Awareness Day 2019
In Hartford: Join Us for Our Monthly Meeting
Katal’s Statement Regarding City Council Hearing on the Mayor’s Plan to #CLOSErikers
Directly impacted people, grassroots community groups, and faith organizations convene on the steps of New York City Hall prior to today’s public hearing.
Yesterday, directly impacted people, grassroots community groups, and faith organizations convened on the steps of New York City Hall, demanding the City Council shutter Rikers Island Jail Complex. The rally follows the City Planning Commission’s 9-3 vote on Tuesday in favor of the De Blasio administration’s land-use proposal for borough-based facilities.
It is a moral imperative that the City shutters Rikers once and for all. To fast-track the closure of the toxic jail complex and reduce jail populations in NYC and around the state, Albany MUST enact changes to the parole system, beginning with the Less Is More: Community Supervision Revocation Reform Act. Through the passage of #LessIsMoreNY, the state can ensure that the detention population shrinks in NYC and the future detention footprint in the City is much smaller.
Read our full statement from Donna Hylton, here.
If you want to get involved in New York in our #LessIsMoreNY campaign for parole reform, please contact Cedric Fulton at cfulton@katalcenter.org or at 518.965.6771.
Katal Actions on International Overdose Awareness Day 2019
Capitol Region community members and harm reduction groups rally during International Overdose Awareness Day 2019. Photo credit: Deborah Seely
On Friday August 30th, 2019, several hundred people from all over New York’s Capital Region gathered in West Capitol Park to remember those we’ve lost to drug-related death, overdose, and the failed war on drugs, and rally to demand a governmental response that meets the scope of the crisis we’re facing. The event was planned and organized by Katal, Second Chance Opportunities Inc., and the Capital Region Harm Reduction Roundtable in conjunction with other key partners. Local harm reduction, treatment, recovery, nonprofit, and advocacy groups were present to provide resources and opportunities for attendees to get involved.
On behalf of Katal and the Capital Region Harm Reduction Roundtable, we offer our deepest thanks to our members and Leaders, the event’s speakers, the area organizations who donated their time and resources, and all the people who showed up in solidarity to grieve, speak, scream, chant, and show radical love to one another.
If you would like to learn more and get involved with Katal’s harm reduction work, contact Keith Brown at keith@katalcenter.org or at 518.527.6263.
In Hartford: Join Us for Our Monthly Meeting
We invite you to join us next Wednesday, September 11th, from 6:00-7:30 pm at our office in Hartford as we will be resuming our Monthly Meetings! During these meetings we will share updates on our current initiatives at Katal throughout Connecticut, and identify and discuss resources for collective action on issues that affect YOU.
Learn more about our upcoming Hartford Monthly Meeting, here.
To learn more about our work in Connecticut and to RSVP for our Monthly Meeting, contact our Community Organizer, Kenyatta Thompson at kthompson@katalcenter.org or 860.937.6094. We hope that we’ll see you there!
