This fall, the Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group (AMI) will be supporting our partners at Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) by canvassing at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. In this case, canvassing means having short conversations with people who are waiting to take the ferry. We ask them if they believe in second chances, share a little bit about the campaign, answer any questions they may have, and ask them to sign a postcard to show their state Senator Scarcella-Spanton that they are in support of the parole justice bills RAPP is hoping to pass during the next state legislative session. This is an excellent way to practice talking to people about important topics and we’ve found that people are more often than not happy to listen and sign.
Passing Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole would begin to mitigate the damage that New York State’s racist and draconian sentencing laws and parole system has done to Black and brown communities throughout New York State. Elder Parole would allow anyone who is 55 or older and has served at least 15 years to appear before the parole board and have a chance at coming home. Fair and Timely Parole simply ensures that the system works as most of us believe it does, determining whether someone can return home based on who they are today, and not on their initial sentence. Together these bills get us one step closer to abolishing the prison industrial complex.
The more state legislators co-sponsor the bills, the more likely it is that they will actually go to the assembly and senate to be voted on, at which point they will have enough support to pass. We believe that with enough support from her constituents, Senator Scarcella-Spanton can be moved to cosponsor this bill. We need your help to talk to our Staten Island neighbors, let them know what’s going on, and show the senator that her constituents support Parole Justice. We will be canvassing on Monday, 9/23, Monday, 9/30, Monday, 10/21 and Friday 10/25. Please sign up at these links to get the specifics and where we’re meeting each of these days. We will train you and provide you with at least 1 buddy, and we usually get a bite to eat together afterward.
Can’t make those dates but want to get involved? Join us at our monthly Anti-Mass Incarceration Working Group meeting tonight, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom, and next month on Tuesday, 10/15, same time and place.
And be sure to mark your calendar - the first Parole Justice Advocacy Day of 2025 will be Tuesday, January 28! This is a great day of community and advocacy that is hugely energizing and heartwarming.
Onward,
SURJ NYC