Resources

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.

5 minute Colbert Interview 

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.