U.S (VOCAL NEW-YORK) : VOCAL-NY Guide to Your Week !

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, October 12 @ 5:30PM : Join VOCAL-NY in Catskill for Take Action Tuesday : A training on how to get involved as an activist to end the overdose crisis and drug war in NYS !   Where : 455 Main St. Catskill, NY. RSVP : Click here to join us! Contact : Luke 917-702-8781 / Luke@vocal-ny.org     Tuesday, October 12 @ 10AM : Rally to Close Rikers Island.   Where : City Hall, Manhattan. Trains : 2,3 to Park Place or 4,5,6 to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall. RSVP : HERE. Contact : Nick 347-259-4835     Wednesday, October 13 @ 6PM : Court Watch Training.   Where : ZOOM. Register : HERE

Save The Date !   Wednesday, October 20 @ 6 PM: A Caring & Compassionate Albany:Defining Community Safety Townhall. Join us for a virtual town hall to discuss what community safety means to you and where we want to see the City of Albany invest money in the 2022 budget so that we can formulate and strategize around community-driven demands for a Peoples' Budget! Where: Zoom (Online or by phone) RSVP: Click here to join us! Contact: Lukee 518-598-4588 / Lukee@vocal-ny.org Thursday, October 28 @ 6 PM: Join RAPP & VOCAL-NY for a screening of 'The Interview', a powerful documentary about the reality behind appearing before the NYS Parole Board and the need for parole justice! The screening will be accompanied by a panel discussion with directly-impacted New Yorkers, some of whom are featured in the film. Where: Zoom (Online or by phone). RSVP: Click here to join us! Contact: Luke 917-702-8781 / Luke@vocal-ny.org

Week In Review

After more than a decade of rallying, lobbying, phone banking, and protesting, Governor Hochul has signed two life-saving bills on Thursday that willdecriminalize and expand access to syringes, and ensure access to Medicated-Assisted Treatment for people who are incarcerated in New York State prisons and jails. This is a massive victory for harm reduction and overdose prevention that is only possible because of the continued hard work of VOCAL-NY leaders.   Those same leaders stood alongside allies and the Governor on Thursday as she signed these two life saving bills into law at a press conference at John Jay College. It was an emotional moment for all, especially those who saw these bills fail in years past because of political games and austerity governing. VOCAL-NY Users Union was quoted in the New York Daily News celebrating the victory, and calling for continued work on overdose prevention : “As people who have experienced torturous withdrawal inside jails and prisons, and have been arrested for syringe possession -- we are elated that Governor Hochul has taken this necessary step towards ending the overdose crisis. It is our hope that Governor Hochul will make sure that these bills are implemented properly, and continue to lead New York on the path to end the racist and classist war on drugs that fuels our devastating overdose crisis.”

#VOCALVaccinated Updates   As a part of our #VOCALVaccinated campaign, we are partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals to provide vaccines to those who need them, and dispel myths with our outreach.  Check out NYC Health + Hospitals SHOW program, which stands for Street Health Outreach & Wellness. SHOW is a new model of mobile units aimed at providing COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, wound care, basic material necessities, and harm reduction services to New Yorkers who are unsheltered.

What We're Reading

Salon : “Democrats extend Trump drug policy that widened racial disparities — now Biden wants to keep it” NYMag : “White Riot In 1992, thousands of furious, drunken cops descended on City Hall — and changed New York history.” Vice News : “People Are Mad as Hell About the NYPD’s Plan to Hire ‘Precinct Greeters”

We're Hiring !   VOCAL-NY has two open positions for dynamic individuals who are committed to building power among low-income people directly impacted by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, mass incarceration, and homelessness. Housing Campaigns Director Development Associate Digital Associate - Part Time Community Organizer - Drug Policy Community Organizer - Western NY

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VOCAL-NY PO Box 170374 Brooklyn, NY 11217-1908 info@vocal-ny.org | 718-802-9540