Here are fact sheets on a few major bills pending before the Massachusetts Statehouse for the 2015-16 term.
Summary_Justice reinvestment_EPOCA Compassionate release_EPOCA
Restorative justice Community caregivers Pretrial Reform RMV_sanctions_EPOCA
Felonies vs misdemeanors_EPOCA Eliminate mandatory minimums_FAMM
A quick easy link to find state lawmakers for every US state: http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Michelle Alexander’s book and online videos.
The landmark book that launched a nationwide movement: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness. A must-read. Keep reading through your outrage. Convince others to read it. Hold a book discussion on it. It will change your mind and actions. The publisher offer bulk discounts.
23 minute Tedx Talk of Alexander making her main points.
53 minute talk at Riverside Church, Alexander’s persuasive stump speech.
The House I Live In is a comprehensive look at the failed War on Drugs that leads to incarcerating too many poor, black and brown people.
The two-hour version is available streaming at the movie website and on Netflix. To borrow a one-hour version, contact susan dot tordella at g mail dot com . The filmmaker requests a licensing fee for public screenings, between $50 to $94 or more, depending on the audience size.
See “The House I Live In,” the video of Michelle Alexander and/or host a book group on “The New Jim Crow.” It’s important to do it together to generate hope in the face of a complex problem. Serve chocolate and wine. Talk about your response to the information, and make an action plan to joining the movement.
Here are some potential speakers from Eastern Massachusetts.
- Formerly incarcerated people from EPOCA, Ex-prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement.
- Andrea James from Families as Justice as Healing, a lawyer and author of “Upper Bunkies Unite.”
- Barb Dougan of FAMM or your state chapter of Families Against Mandatory Minimums.
- Louellyn Lambrous will speak about pre-trial reform. She will describe her personal experience with the system between being charged with a crime and resolving it at trial.
- Prison volunteers from Alternatives to Violence, Toastmasters and Emotional Awareness will speak about individuals with whom we have formed relationships. Getting to know incarcerated individuals humanizes them. Contact emit . susan at gmail . com for contact information.
- LEAP, Law enforcement Against Prohibition is an international group of former police officers and other people involved in arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning people in the War on Drugs. Jack Cole, a co-founder who lives near Boston, worked undercover making drug busts for 14 years as state cop, then realized the futility of the War on Drugs.
