GUEST: Brian Robinson, criminal justice reform activist
Activist Radio has the following guest on this week:
GUEST: Brian Robinson, criminal justice reform activist, CEO of Equitable Future Inc, and member of the End the New Jim Crow Action Network (ENJAN), discusses decarceration on the local and state levels.
Activist Radio can be heard: Thursdays 5-6 pm on WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Sundays 1:30-2:30 pm on WESU 88.1 FM at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; and Sundays 5-6 pm from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.FM. Listen to Activist Radio anytime at https://www.classwars.org.
Justice Roadmap Thursday, Dec 9th
Each year, the Justice Roadmap lays out priority legislation to shrink the size, scope, scale, and harm of the criminal legal and immigration systems, bringing together hundreds of organizations across the state. The Roadmap includes legislation to:
- Choose Community Safety over Police Power
- End the Criminalization of Mental Illness, People Who Use Drugs, and Workers
- Decarcerate Jails and Prisons and End Perpetual Punishment
- Protect the Dignity and Opportunity of Incarcerated New Yorkers
- End Wealth Extraction & Invest in Communities
Want to learn more? Join us tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 9th) at 12pm to hear from impacted leaders and legislators about the 2022 Justice Roadmap. RSVP here. Spread the word here.
Increase Funding for Youth Programs in the City of Poughkeepsie
ENJAN Members,
If you have not already signed the petition to increase Funding for Youth Programs in the City of Poughkeepsie, please consider signing. Here is the link.
If you have already signed the petition, please do not sign again.
We have attached the flyers for the Youth Funding Campaign in both English and Spanish versions. Please use these flyers to spread the word about the campaign. Thank you.
The ENJAN Curators
Invest in Poughkeepsie's Future
The PCAC has created a petition, Invest in Poughkeepsie’s Future- Invest in Our Youth! Please add your signature and share with as many people as you can! As many of you know, there was a shooting outside the high school yesterday, and another shooting on Smith St. in the evening. This follows on the heels of a single week that saw eight shooting victims in the city. We can no longer undertake reactive measures alone- WE MUST TAKE CONTROL OF CONDITIONS and intentionally create an atmosphere of opportunity and a continuum of interventions and support services for our youth!
We implore you all to do the following:
- ATTEND THE COMMON COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING THIS THURSDAY, 11/18, at 6:30pm. There should be a link to the meeting in the near future. At the beginning of the meeting there will be time for public comment- just raise your hand and you will be called on. This committee will review the administration’s proposed budget and request amendments before it’s voted on, so this is probably the most important meeting you can attend concerning this youth spending initiative.
- Attend a community meeting this Friday, 11/19, from 6:00-7:30pm, where we’ll discuss and formulate a strategy to efficiently organize and mobilize before the budget is passed in mid-December. Zoom link provided at the bottom.
- Sign the petition and share with as many people and organizations as possible (our goal is at least 1,000 signatures by Dec. 1);
- Write the common council (CommonCouncilMembers@cityofpoughkeepsie.com) and mayor (mayor@cityofpoughkeepsie.com) to demand that they drastically increase the amount we invest in our youth from less than 0.5% to 2%-3% or $2-$3 million dollars. If you have questions about what to write, you can use the petition as a guide or reply to this email for suggestions;
In the past, the city has spent little to nothing (yes, $0) on youth programming, demonstrating an utter unwillingness to engage with the community on this issue. When an effectively non-existent piece of the pie is offered to address an issue, the conversation surrounding it will inherently be non-existent. We fully recognize that specifics on how any amount of funding will be spent are critical, but at the same time we hope everyone can understand that it will take a significant financial commitment from our elected officials, a tangible amount of ownership of this city and its future by the community, for our community to become engaged in such conversations. We must demand this investment and demand that this conversation begin in earnest if we want to change the conditions we set for our young people to live and grow within.
ZOOM LINK for Friday 11/19/2021 at 6pm
Talent Davis is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://usc.zoom.us/j/91286800340
Let your voices be heard
SHUT UP and LISTEN is a community forum in which WE hold the community providers responsible for actively listening. Too often, decisions are made that affect our healthcare and our well-being without us being present in these discussions. SHUT UP and LISTEN is about having providers actively listen as we explain our needs, approaches that may or may not work for us, and our expected outcomes. Let your voices be heard, and have your contributions be considered.
December 7,2021
6:30 P.M.
505 Main St, Poughkeepsie NY 12601
(Public Safety Bldg.)
For more information
Email: BarringtonR.Atkins@gmail.com
Communities Not Cages
There will be a multi-media digital launch of Communities Not Cages, a new campaign to overhaul New York’s racist and draconian sentencing laws, on November 10 at 6pm to learn from currently and formerly incarcerated people about the impact of New York's sentencing laws, and how we're fighting for change. RSVP on Zoom here.
On November 17 at 12pm, there will be Statewide Rallies for Communities Not Cages in NYC, Rochester, Buffalo, Ithaca, Syracuse, and Long Island. We need you there! RSVP here.
United Against Hate
“United Against Hate March”
to be Held Sunday, October 3rd
Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Commission on Human Rights, in partnership with Dutchess County African American Clergy Association, All for One-One for All, and the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County, invite the public to join the United Against Hate March on Sunday, October 3rd, rain, or shine, beginning at 2pm in the City of Poughkeepsie. The march is a collaboration between African American, Jewish, and other communities, along with elected officials, local and state law enforcement, and community residents as they come together to stand against hate and bias.
Nominations for 2022 Activist Fellowship Program
Announcing the ACTIVIST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 2022 - Deadline for Letters of Intent October 30, 2021 |
We are excited to again share with you this opportunity for Fellowships for activists in underserved communities. The Elias Foundation is now accepting nominations and applications for their 2022 Activist Fellowship Program supporting Hudson Valley activists working towards local movement building in communities hardest hit by injustice and inequality. Please share this notice with your groups and note: the deadline for submitting a Nomination or Letter of Intent is October 30, 2021. |
Racial Equity Workshops
ENJAN Poughkeepsie Members
We invite you all to attend the Community Cookout scheduled for Sunday, September 12th from noon to 3:00 pm at Victor C. Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie. The event is sponsored by Decarcerate the Hudson Valley (see flyer below). ENJAN will have a table there to pass out information and talk with people about our organization. If you would like to volunteer to help out with this event, please contact Jeffrey Schneider via email: jeschneider@vassar.edu. Jeff will be discussing the event at the next ENJAN meeting. Please note the rain date is September 19th. We hope to see you all there. Thanks.
Kevin
Make a comment in support of Good Cause Eviction?
We've introduced Good Cause Eviction legislation in the Poughkeepsie City Council. There's a public hearing for it Tuesday, September 7th from 5:30 – 7:30pm at Changepoint Church on 260 Mill St.
This is a really important anti-eviction and anti-gentrification bill. And as we're seeing in New Paltz right now, opponents of it are going to turn out in force to the public hearing. So we really need everyone in Poughkeepsie who supports tenants rights and affordable housing to show up to make a public comment in support of the law.
Here's a link to RSVP: https://www.mobilize.us/nlmh/event/407355/
Please let me know if you can be there!
thank you,
March on Voting Rights, August 28 in Kingston
August 28th marks the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s historic March on Washington and his “I Have a Dream Speech”. March On, the Drum Major Institute, SEIU, National Action Network, Future Coalition, Indivisible, and a wide network of partners will march on cities across America to demand that his vision be deferred no longer. We invite all Americans who believe in the power of democracy and free elections to join us.
Join us in Kingston as we march in solidarity with the national mobilization to demand that elected officials stop hijacking democracy, denounce voter suppression and ensure fair, easy access to the vote for all.
Location and event details will be shared after sign up. This event is hosted by NY19 Indivisible.
https://actionnetwork.org/events/march-on-for-voting-rights-3
WE'RE STILL HERE! WE'RE NOT GOING ANY WHERE
The Kingston community is BUSY! WE TAKE CARE OF US!
Don't let people get away with comments about crime and drug addiction without countering with the STRENGTH OF MUTUAL AID IN KINGSTON: food, clothing, therapy, housing, cop watching, legal, education and information.
People don't know what we do because we're not grand standing with photo ops. That's why these people use the death of children by gun violence as a "what about" argument when we protest against police murder.
WE KNOW WHAT WE DO!
We are all on this train and we can't get off now. We know we're moving right because we are getting backlash from all directions.
Between the gentrification of Kingston and the pushback against police reform, we are feeling the pressure!
WW4BL is our voice in the street.
We have many orgs doing the work. RISEUP KINGSTON/DEFUND is trying to allocate $$ for counselors instead of SROs and invest in our community; ULSTER COUNTY COALITION FOR HOUSING JUSTICE and THE REAL KINGSTON TENANTS UNION are doing the work EVERYDAY for housing insecurities; KINGSTON FOOD NOT BOMBS are feeding and clothing people every Saturday @ Academy Green; ESTHERS CLOSET AND UNITY THROUGH DELIVERY does food and clothing DELIVERIES; KINGSTON EMERGENCY FOOD COLLABORATIVE DELIVERIES--NEED DRIVERS! COPWATCH is organized to record police encounters;
A J WILLIAMS-MEYERS AFRICAN ROOTS CENTER provides education, information, childrens programs--NEED PROGRAM COORDINATOR! AND SO MANY MORE!
JOIN THEM! SUPPORT THEM! DO MORE THAN RALLY!!
SIGN UP AT NEXT RALLY! SHOW UP AT DIRECT ACTIONS! MEETINGS MEETINGS MEETINGS
WW4BL
Tanks in Kingston?
Yesterday's protest against police militarization at the Kingston City Council meeting. Yes, the plan was to order a tank. Thanks to Ellen Davidson for the pictur
GUESTS: Yohana Beyene and Tunde Osazua
Activist Radio has the following guests on this week:
GUESTS: Yohana Beyene, organizer for Horn of Africa Pan-Africanists for Liberation and Solidarity, and Tunde Osazua, Coordinator of Black Alliance for Peace's U.S. Out of Africa Network, talk about the sordid history of US involvement in Somalia and Ethiopia.
Activist Radio is broadcast: Thursdays 5-6 pm from WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; and Sundays 5-6 pm from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.FM. It will also be posted on the ClassWars website for the next ten weeks. Simply click on the date to hear it.
Virtual shooting response on Thursday, August 5th, at 1:30 pm
The shootings have come at a relentless pace. Gun violence this year has cut through celebrations and funerals, places of work and houses of worship. It has taken lives in various places. And most of all, it has unfolded on city streets and in family homes. By almost every measure, 2021 has already been a terrible year for gun violence. Many fear it will get worse.
This great city has seen the collision of two major public health crises over the past year: COVID-19 and gun violence. We still don’t fully understand how damaging this collision has been, and we don’t yet fully know how it will continue to affect us. But what we do know is the effects have been far-ranging.
Please join us in a virtual shooting response on Thursday, August 5th, at 1:30 pm. We encourage family members and youth and community members to participate.
SNUG Poughkeepsie is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting.
Ending a culture of White Supremacy and Racism in policing
This announcement is from Rise Up Kingston:
Rise Up Kingston has joined in with activists and organizers around the country to demand changes to how we look at Public Safety, specifically by Defunding the Police and investing in our communities.
We are looking to build a coalition of organizations and entities in Kingston and the Hudson Valley to show the importance of having a budget that reflects the priorities of our community - Ending a culture of White Supremacy and Racism in policing. We hope that this could act as a model for other communities in the future.
Here's the zine that we created that outlines our campaign to defund the police in Kingston by 22%.
We discussed this initiative at last evening's ENJAN meeting, and will vote at the 8/11 ENJAN meeting on whether the Poughkeepsie Chapter of ENJAN should sign on. Please review this outline and be prepared to vote.
Service for Dr. Albert Williams-Myers
Activist, advocate, historian, professor emeritus, community elder, and
friend of ENJAN, A. J. Williams-Myers passed away peacefully on July 12,
2021, after a brief illness. Professor Williams-Myers was a former chair
of the Department of Black Studies at SUNY New Paltz and a widely
recognized expert who authored many books on African American history,
including moving and informative works on the Middle Passage
trans-Atlantic slave trade.
A memorial service for Dr. Williams-Myers will be held on Saturday,
August 14, 2021, at 2:00 PM at the New Progressive Baptist Church, 8
Hone St., Kingston. Please share with anyone you know who knew him and
just share far and wide and please attend the event.
GUEST: Dale Kretz, Assistant Professor African American History
Activist Radio has the following guest on this week:
GUEST: Dale Kretz, Assistant Professor African American History, Civil War and Reconstruction, Race and Slavery, Health and Medicine at Texas Tech University, talks about his recent article in Jacobin Magazine, "Juneteenth Is About Freedom."
Activist Radio is broadcast: Thursdays 5-6 pm from WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; and Sundays 5-6 pm from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.FM. It will also be posted on the ClassWars website for the next ten weeks. Simply click on the date to hear it.
Sat, 17 July at Mansion Square Park
Juneteenth--ENJAN
ENJAN will have a table at the Community Day celebration on Saturday, 17 July, at Mansion Square Park (165 Mansion St. Poughkeepsie, NY 12601) from 10 am - 5 pm. We need volunteers to help set up and staff the table.
Earl will be letting us use his table. Jeff will bring waters, flyers, sign-up sheets, and other information.
Earl will be letting us use his table. Jeff will bring waters, flyers, sign-up sheets, and other information.
As we agreed at our ENJAN meeting tonight, here is a sign-up sheet for tabling for ENJAN (with DCPAA). Please fill it out! Thank you!
Citizen Action Workshop
Citizen Action of New York is sponsoring a 3-day workshop, Reversing Runaway Inequality, on Aug 10-12 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Zoom. Register using the above link. From the announcement:
In this workshop, we examine the massive level of economic inequality we bear in America today. We will discuss both what the current inequality looks like and how it came to be. Our economic system was built on exploitation of Black and brown people and, in order to achieve economic justice, we must understand and dismantle the racism inherent in the system.
Summer Organizing Institute to help end mass incarceration
Apply now for CCA's Summer Organizing Institute to help end mass incarceration in New York State! Flyer attached. Applications due by July 14th.
In the Summer Organizing Institute, you'll learn the ins-and-outs of grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy and campaign strategy. You'll also meet leaders, advocates and organizers across the state as we collectively build a movement to end mass incarceration & fight for the change our communities need.
If you've wanted to deepen your organizing and advocacy skills, learn more about how to get laws passed or how to organize a protest, this is your moment! The Institute is specifically geared towards formerly incarcerated people, families and others who have been directly impacted by systems of incarceration and criminalization.
The Institute will begin Saturday, July 24th and then run weekly on Tuesday evenings from July 27th through September 7th. All sessions will take place on Zoom.
Apply here by July 14th! Spread the word with the attached graphic/flyer.
REE PALESTINE is the theme for this Wednesday Walk for Black Lives
FREE PALESTINE is the theme for this Wednesday Walk for Black Lives on June 9 at 5:00 p.m. at Academy Green Park in Uptown Kingston. Jewish Voice for Peace/Middle East Crisis Response will present a handful of speakers including Palestinians, Muslims and Jews. They will give brief overviews of the region’s history, current political situation and Palestinians’ resistance to Apartheid Israel.
The weekly Wednesday Walk for Black Lives is a coalition of grassroots organizations including ENJAN, Rise Up Kingston, Citizen Action and Real Kingston Tenants Union.
Race Amity Day and Juneteenth!
This month, instead of its regularly scheduled Wednesday meeting, the Race Unity Circle (RUC) will join with other forward-leaning community groups in celebration of Race Amity Day and Juneteenth! The RUC will host a two-day online symposium entitled "We, together . . . Exploring Race Unity from the Perspective of Head, Heart, and Spirit"
on Saturday, June 12, 8:30 AM -- 4:45 PM and Sunday, June 13, 9:00 AM -- 1:00 PM. Participants at this virtual event can select between two concurrent sessions during Saturday's 9:00--10:30 timeslot:
- Track A: Race & Biology -- The Science versus the Myth
- Track B: Current Genetic Science and the Race Debate
Pre-registration is required here; contributions are requested, but are optional. The attached flier and the pre-registration page have further details.
Rise Up Poughkeepsie on May 25
Eastman Park is behind the old YMCA. If you want to attend just the rally at the Post Office, there is limited parking on the side-streets, else you can use the parking garage on Market Street and Main across from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, and walk 2 blocks north.
Release Mumia Now: April 30
PRESS RELEASE!!!
A critical/virtual event sponsored by ENJAN
WARRIORS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE DEMAND THE RELEASE OF MUMIA ABU JAMAL NOW!
April 30th 6-7:30 ZOOM
To join: https://vassar.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GrdpXmJWQTupQjn9vviGag
PAMAFRICAspeakingforMUMIAABU-JAMAL MumiaAbu-Jamalistheworld’smostfamous political prisoner. He was tried and unjustly convicted of the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death in 1982. Until a recent victory that allowed him to return to the general prison population, Mumia was on death row with most of the time spent in solitary confinement. Despite ballistics evidence, which proved otherwise, the recanting of key witness statements and a confession by someone else, Mumia remains in prison. Known as the Voice of the Voiceless even from prison he is a commentator on worldwide events, an organizer, and a much-heralded author. Now 39 years later Mumia needs our urgent help as he is facing life threatening COVID 19 and congestive heart failure and infected sores on his ankles and wrists from being shackled to his bed. He has systematically been denied the medical attention that any sick person in prison deserves. It seems like they are trying to kill him. Pam Africa has worked tirelessly for Mumia getting European parliaments to support him, city governments here such as San Francisco and Nobel Laureates Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Toni Morrison.
Local Warrior Speakers : Paul Bermanzohn took a bullet to his head by the KKK in 1979, Noel CaseyRAPP Releasing Aging People from Prison Westchester/ Hudson Valley community organizer, Li’L Joe Johnson Former member of the Black Panther Party CA. Warrior Entertainers: Stephen Johnson 350 Nu Bossa Singer, Songwriter,, Taina Asili Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Poet, Melvin Greenwich Billie Holiday Sound Like, Cellist, Jazz Sepia Network, Nomi Power Struggle Hip Hop Artist San Francisco
For more information contact Odell Winfield: 914 388 3092
Black Lives Matter at School
Black Lives Matter at School:
Disrupting White Supremacy
Friday, April 16 | 6p – 7:30p
Friday, April 16 | 6p – 7:30p
Presented by Anthony Dandridge and Kiersten Greene, founding members of the Black Lives Matter at School Collective at SUNY New Paltz.
Read more about the program and register here.
Read more about the program and register here.
Join Us April 13, 14, and 29
JOIN US FOR RALLIES, ADVOCACY DAYS & ACTIONS
We have much to celebrate. Two Justice Roadmap bills - the HALT Solitary Confinement Act & the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act - are now law.
But we are far from done. Each day in New York State, thousands of elders languish behind bars, families are weighted down by predatory court debt, and millions of New Yorkers are denied jobs or housing because of old conviction records.
Join us throughout April for rallies, advocacy days and actions as we fight to end perpetual punishment:
- April 13th: Parole Justice Advocacy Day
- April 14th: No Price on Justice Rally
- April 29th: Clean Slate Advocacy Day
How Black actors help audiences understand the links
Activist Radio has the following guest on this week:
GUEST: Jen Marlowe, award-winning author, documentary filmmaker and playwright, talks about her most recent film, "There Is a Field," and how Black actors help audiences understand the links between Black Lives Matter and Palestinian liberation.
https://www.thereisafield.movie
Activist Radio is broadcast: Thursdays 5-6 pm from WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; and Sundays 5-6 pm from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.FM. It will also be posted on the ClassWars website for the next ten weeks. Simply click on the date to hear it.
ENJAN's petition for police reform
In conjunction with ENJAN's petition for police reform in the City of Poughkeepsie, I'm attaching the two documents released by the Poughkeepsie Community Action Collaborative (PCAC) to which many ENJAN members contributed:
- Findings and Recommendations for the City of Poughkeepsie in Response to New York State Executive Order 203 on Police Reform and Reinvention (2/28/2021)
- Report Addendum #1: Arrest and Crime Data (3/9/2021)
Bill
Please sign this petition
With the Poughkeepsie Common Council scheduled to vote on the Police Reform Plan for EO 203 on Monday, 29 March, we are releasing ENJAN's petition for police reform in the City of Poughkeepsie, which will go to the Mayor Rolison and Common Council. Please sign it and then ask ALL your Poughkeepsie friends and activists to sign it as well! You can do that from the petition after you sign it or you can send them the link below.
Here is the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/call-on-the-mayor-and-common-council-for-police-reform-now/
Thanks,
Jeff
[Ideally, those signing would have some connection to the city of Poughkeepsie (live, work, play, worship, frequent visitor, etc). There is a space for people to explain their connection to the city.]
Women’s History Month Kingston
|
Justice for Breonna Rally
The Breonna Taylor Albany Solidarity Rally for this Saturday location has CHANGED due to a conflict with another event held in East Capitol Park. Please see the flyer below.
The rally will be held at Washington Park's Playhouse on Saturday at 1 PM EST. Please share this email widely and ask others to reshare. Please also call any of those you know who are coming to make sure they know the location has been changed due to conflicting events at the mutual location.
**Please fill out this google form link if you are attending: RSVP HERE
For any questions, email: EO203NYNetwork@gmail.com
Ending solitary confinement
END THE TORTURE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
Every year, tens of thousands of people are locked in solitary confinement for months, years, and 
even decades. Recognized by the United Nations as torture, solitary confinement causes immense physical and psychological harm and has led to the deaths of Kalief Browder, Layleen Polanco and other loved ones.
But New York can end this torture. Will you take urgent action today to help win the passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act?
Three ways to take action TODAY:
- Contact your legislators: Take 2 minutes to contact your legislator and demand they pass the HALT Solitary Confinement Act. This digital tool will allow you to call, email and tweet at your representatives - please contact your legislator now!
- Rally at 12pm: Join us at 12pm for statewide rallies demanding the immediate passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act. Join us on Zoom here or in person. For exact locations or to join digitally, RSVP here.
- Organize at 6pm: Join us at 6pm for our Statewide Organizing Meeting. Get inside updates on our campaigns and take action to end the torture of solitary confinement. RSVP here.
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