Dear Communities Not Cages coalition,
Today, the father of Robert Brooks who was murdered by a swarm of prison guards at Marcy Correctional Facility published an op-ed in the Times Union calling for the passage of the Second Look Act, Earned Time Act, and Marvin Mayfield Act.
In his op-ed, “New York’s Prison System Killed My Son. Sentencing Reform Could Save Yours,” he writes: “Many of us who’ve been incarcerated come from places where there’s never enough of what we need, and too much of what harms: poverty, racism, hopelessness, lack of housing and education. But instead of helping us, this system disappears us…New York urgently needs the Earned Time Act, Second Look Act, and Marvin Mayfield Act to advance safety and justice, change toxic prison cultures, and offer fair pathways home for people who have transformed. Until these bills and other needed reforms become law, deaths will keep coming and families like mine will keep burying our children. New York must act now.”
Please help amplify his voice on social media. You can repost here and here or use the template posts below.
With grief, rage, and gratitude,
Katie
Template Post #1
MUST READ: The father of Robert Brooks who was murdered by prison guards at Marcy Correction Facility calls for the passage of the Second Look Act, Earned Time Act, and Marvin Mayfield Act. #CommunitiesNotCages https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/prison-system-killed-son-sentencing-reform-save-20331603.php
Template Post #2
“New York urgently needs #CommunitiesNotCages to advance safety and justice, change toxic prison cultures, and offer fair pathways home for people who have transformed. Until these bills become law, families like mine will keep burying our children.” https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/prison-system-killed-son-sentencing-reform-save-20331603.php
Template Post #3
From the father of Robert Brooks who was murdered by a swarm of prison guards: “New York is at a crossroads. We must choose: Do we continue on with unjust sentencing laws and a system of brutality? Or do we invest in real safety and accountability?” #CommunitiesNotCages https://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/prison-system-killed-son-sentencing-reform-save-20331603.php
Katie Schaffer
Director of Advocacy and Organizing
Pronouns: She/they
Center for Community Alternatives, Inc.
25 Chapel Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
Cell: 646-265-2044
Twitter: @KatieH_Schaffer