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.
Westchester DA launching new program
Thank you very much for this initiative, DA Rocah! https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2021/09/28/westchester-miriam-rocach-fresh-start-program-may-spare-some-offenders-jail/5899836001/ The program announced by the Westchester District Attorney will allow certain...
Attica is All of Us
Attica is All of UsTo commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Attica uprising, AFJ (Alliance of Families for Justice) and the National Lawyer Guild NYC will be cohosting two evenings of panel discussions about the uprising and its aftermath. Both will be live...
Community Cookout – Decarcerate Hudson Valley
Advancing Restorative Justice in Westchester County
We are receiving fabulous feedback from this very informative panel discussion yesterday regarding "Advancing Restorative Justice in Westchester County." You can watch the full recording here: https://youtu.be/MqemoUpdebQ
Advancing Restorative Justice in Westchester
Justice Roadmap Presentation
WESPAC Director on Bronxnet
https://youtu.be/Cm0DIKWZwtQ
Future of Public Safety
September 10 - October 1, 2020 At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, advocates, policymakers, law enforcement, and community leaders around the country have raised concerns about policing and public safety. People want change. They want America to be...
A Call to Police Leaders
The Antiracist Alliance, WCPR, the local chapter of NYCLU as well as WESPAC have worked together to put together this letter. We are asking for additional organizations, groups and congregations to please add your names if you support our list of specific reforms...
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!