‘Wasn’t an Isolated Incident’: Black Prison Workers Associations Speak Out on Killing Associations representing New York prison and parole officers are publicly denouncing the killing of Robert Brooks, the 43-year-old incarcerated man who died last month after prison...
WESPAC Foundation is concerned about the criminal justice system. We work in solidarity with other groups and organizations in Westchester County to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws, to eliminate racial profiling, and to address the structural and institutional biases inherent in our criminal justice system. We stand to permanently remove the death penalty as a legal option for the state, and we seek to significantly reduce the prison populations by working towards a more benevolent economic system that guarantees meaningful jobs and training at a living wage to all people.
Government and Policy Updates
Government and Policy Updates To support you in your advocacy, here are some things happening in government and public policy across New York State. Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose initiatives in her State of the State address to reduce delays and improve travel on...
Role of Community Based Alternatives in Strengthening Public Safety
From Legal Action Center I am writing to announce the release of our new white paper, "Unlocking Potential: The Role of Community-Based Alternatives in Strengthening Public Safety." The paper is the result of an extensive survey of ATI and reentry providers in...
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
Dear all IADL members and friends, We are announcing the launch of a new issue of the IADL Review on Climate and Social Justice, as well as multiple new statements highlighting key issues and developments in this moment, especially the ongoing Israeli genocide in...
Better Oversight Needed at Youth Detention Facilities in NYS
Better Oversight Needed at Juvenile Justice Facilities The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is not adequately overseeing juvenile justice facilities outside New York City to ensure they meet State regulations for the health and safety of the youth...
WESPAC Annual Awards! Sunday, June 2nd at 2pm in Rye, NY!
The Children of Gaza
12-year-old Dunia lost her leg in an Israeli airstrike that killed her whole family. We filmed this video with Dunia during the seven-day truce, and yesterday an Israeli tank-fired shell killed her while she was recovering in Naser Hospital in Khan Younis....
ABA provides 10 principles for ending mass incarceration and lengthy prison sentences
The ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago has presented its 10 principles for ending pass incarceration and lengthy prison sentences. Read more here "The working group includes the following in its 10 principles: • Limit the use of pretrial detention. • Increase the use of...
WESPAC Annual Awards 2022!
Rikers Island from those who have lived there
Excellent panel discussion this evening on Rikers Island with Jose Saldana, Vincent Schiraldi, Alelur Duran and Steven Dominguez. It’s been a disaster since it opened in 1932. Plans for closure began with Ed Koch. Will Eric Adams move forward or wiggle out? Where will...
WESPAC on Facebook
November 19th marks the tragic police killing of Mr. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. Kenneth his son will open up the community forum with welcoming words and thoughts on this current moment:Please save the date and help us share widely!Our current slate of confirmed panelists includes: - Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety for the City of White Plains Joseph Castelli (Commissioner Hardy is already committed to another panel that evening)- Peekskill Police Chief Adam Renwick - Omar Lopez (Deputy Mayor and CCRB Chairman, Ossining) - Dennis Adams (CCRB Chairman, Peekskill) - Jay Buckiewicz (Secretary CCRB, Peekskill)Invited but not yet confirmed - City of Yonkers Public Safety Commissioner and Westchester County Public Safety CommissionerWe will have light refreshments from 6pm to 6:15pm and then we will head to the auditorium: @followers
WESPAC Foundation has secured the screening rights to make the documentary Who Killed Alex Odeh? available to our community for one day. This film is deeply personal to me. I was a high school student here in Westchester County at Horace Greeley when Alex Odeh, a Palestinian American civil rights leader and regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, was assassinated by a bomb planted at his office in Santa Ana, California, on October 11, 1985. I remember how deeply disturbing it was to learn of his murder, and I remain profoundly shaken by the fact that, more than four decades later, no one has been brought to justice. Even more troubling is the history of suspects who were able to leave the United States without facing prosecution. For me, Alex Odeh’s murder came to symbolize something that Palestinians have experienced for generations: a devastating sense that those who take Palestinian lives can do so with impunity. That failure of accountability has continued to haunt our people, culminating in the mass killing and destruction we have witnessed in Gaza over these past several years. When violence against Palestinians goes unpunished, it sends a dangerous message that Palestinian lives are somehow less worthy of protection, dignity, and justice. I hope our WESPAC community will take the time to watch this important film with me on December 2nd at 7pm at WESPAC, reflect on the decades of injustice it exposes, and recommit ourselves to the principle that every human life is sacred and that justice must never depend on one’s nationality, ethnicity, or identity.Wednesday, December 2nd at 7pm at WESPAC77 Tarrytown Road, Suite 2WWhite Plains, NY 10607
Come out on Sunday and support the Yonkers Sanctuary Movement!