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

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

Wed, 2/23 @ 6-7:30PM : Join VOCAL-NY's Albany Chapter for our monthly New Members orientation   Where : https://vocalny.zoom.us/j/ 4993599983 RSVP : Click here to join us! Contact : Lukee 838-217-0254, Lukee@vocal-ny.org     Thursday, 2/24 @3:00 PM : Join us for the monthly VOCAL-NY Users Union general membership meeting ! We will be engaging in deep political education and building the power that is necessary to end the racist and classist war on drugs. This month's discussion will include the recent racist, dog-whistle attacks on harm reduction services, (to learn more about these attacks, click here).  Where : Zoom (online) RSVP : CLICK HERE TO JOIN US ! Contact : Sessi (347.715.8251 | sessi@vocal-ny.org)

Week in Review

It’s been a busy week of actions across the state for VOCAL-NY ! Here are just a few of the events that happened this past week : In New York City, VOCAL-NY Homelessness Union leaders gathered at 310 Livingston St. – also known as "The Guild” – to protest so-called affordable housing. In Albany, leaders from New York City and the Capitol region joined advocates calling for the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) and Good Cause Eviction. The action was right on time — HAVP passed it’s final committee hearing on Wednesday and is now destined for the floor votes. In Rochester, local members and leaders, along with New York Recovery Alliance and Recovery All Ways, held a vigil at the RTS bus terminal to honor those impacted by preventable overdoses. In 2020, the most recent year we have data from, over 230 people were lost to preventable overdoses in Rochester alone, and preliminary data points to that only increasing. And online, VOCAL-NY joined the End QI NY campaign for an advocacy day to call on lawmakers to eliminate Qualified Immunity. From Rikers to Bedford and all across our state, law enforcement officers continue to show a brazen disregard for our basic constitutional rights. Ending qualified immunity is a critical step toward ending this culture of impunity.

#VOCALVaccinated Updates

In December, VOCAL-NY joined the NY Vaccine Literacy Campaign and The Public Good Projects in hosting the townhall "How to Talk to Loved Ones About Getting Vaccinated." The virtual discussion took place just a the Omicron variant began spreading across the state of New York, a reminder of how important it is to help our loved ones make informed choices about protecting themselves with the vaccine.  The discussion featured panelists from different backgrounds, including : Joe Smyser, PhD, MSPH, CEO, The Public Good Projects Hiawatha Collins, Board Member, VOCAL-NY Yin Ting Fung, MA, Excluded Workers Fund Data & Intake Coordinator, Union Settlement Julian L. Watkins, MD, Health Equity Advisor, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Watch the recording of the full discussion here to learn different ways to have a conversation with loved ones about the vaccine !

What We're Reading

The Hill : “'Crack pipes' aren't the problem — stigmatizing harm reduction is.” The City : “How Does Eric Adams’ $98 Billion First Budget Add Up?” City Limits : “Bill to Create New Housing Voucher For Homeless New Yorkers Gains Traction in Albany” New York Magazine : "How Supervised Drug Consumption Went from Radical to Reality" The Washington Post : "The ‘crack pipe’ outcry was a huge missed opportunity"

We're Hiring ! VOCAL-NY has 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. NYC Political Coordinator Housing Campaigns Director Operations Associate (Front Desk)

Consider Donating Here

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