Wednesday, June 5th: RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison) Monthly Coalition Meeting
On June 5th at 6pm RAPP hosted their monthly coalition meeting by phone. On the call, they discussed updates, actions and next steps for all of RAPP’s initiatives (Elder Parole, Fair and Timely Parole and fully staffing the Parole Board) as the end of the state legislative session on June 19th was approaching.
Thursday, June 20: World Refugee Day Rally and March
We joined the African Communities Together (ACT) and the City of Refuge Coalition for their third annual World Refugee Day Action. Hundreds of New Yorkers from dozens of refugee, immigrant, religious, and community organizations staged a march from the New York Public Library and rally in front of Trump World Tower and the United Nations. Read more about the action and RSVP on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 25: Project Reach Art Show Fundraiser
One Art Space hosted an exhibit that raised funds for Project Reach as rent continues to rise in Chinatown.
Thursday, July 11: SURJ NYC Chapter Meeting
While SURJ NYC is clear about the necessity and urgency of closing Rikers Island, there has been debate both among SURJ’s membership and groups we are in relationship with–especially the CLOSErikers and NoNewJails campaigns–about the best way to reach that goal. At July’s chapter meeting, we discussed various proposals around potential next steps. If you’re unfamiliar with the matter, we recommend watching the Manhattan hearings on the Borough-Based Jail Plan to learn more. You can watch Part One here, and Part Two here through Gale Brewer’s Facebook page.
Thursday, July 18, 6:00-8:00pm and Saturday, July 20, 12:00pm-2:00pm: Nonviolent Direct Action Training
Our friends at Cosecha and coalition partners planned a direct action on August 10 in NYC to say NO to the concentration camps on the US border. There was a series of non-violent direct action trainings leading up to the action.