In the News

HELL GATE: When Will the City Council Stand Up to Eric Adams?: 

“Councilmembers know that their districts will really suffer as a result of another austerity budget, and the fact they feel powerless to vote no, and don’t have a voice to send a message that austerity kills, says a lot,” said Celina Trowell, an organizer for VOCAL-NY, which focuses on the needs of homeless New Yorkers. […]

HELL GATE: When Will the City Council Stand Up to Eric Adams?:  Read More »

AMSTERDAM NEWS: Mayor Adams vetoes ‘veto-proof’ housing voucher bill package:

“New Yorkers who are experiencing homelessness are not fooled by the mayor’s lackluster endorsement of the 90-day rule reform,” said VOCAL-NY Homelessness Union’s Milton Perez. “Time and time again folks in my community have laid out the problems with CityFHEPS for this mayor and his administration, and they go beyond a 90-day waiting period. The

AMSTERDAM NEWS: Mayor Adams vetoes ‘veto-proof’ housing voucher bill package: Read More »

CITY & STATE: RIKERS OFFICIALS CHIP AWAY AT TRANSPARENCY MEASURES:

Even before officials’ recent moves to chip away at transparency, advocates questioned the accuracy of the data and other information being released by the department. Those concerns have only grown following the special report and the decision to no longer share information about deaths with the public, according to Eileen Maher, a Civil Rights Union

CITY & STATE: RIKERS OFFICIALS CHIP AWAY AT TRANSPARENCY MEASURES: Read More »

CITY & STATE: OPINION: I’VE BEEN HOMELESS AND INCARCERATED. ERIC ADAMS WANTS TO CUT SERVICES THAT HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME.

I’ve had many times in my life where I’ve struggled. When I gained my freedom after being incarcerated, it wasn’t easy reentering my community. Or when I was a regular substance user and knew I would die if I continued on that path. Even with limited resources, I was able to get the help I

CITY & STATE: OPINION: I’VE BEEN HOMELESS AND INCARCERATED. ERIC ADAMS WANTS TO CUT SERVICES THAT HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME. Read More »

GOTHAM GAZETTE: SEEKING SECOND TERM, KATZ FACES CHALLENGE IN QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRIMARY:

“If it’s between Katz and Grasso, I think regardless of the outcome, it’s bad news for Queens voters who want to see decarceration,” said Keli Young, civil rights campaign coordinator for VOCAL-NY, a progressive advocacy group. “Grasso is positioning himself to the right of Katz…and DA Katz is a carceral DA. The best that can

GOTHAM GAZETTE: SEEKING SECOND TERM, KATZ FACES CHALLENGE IN QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY PRIMARY: Read More »

THE GUARDIAN: ‘IT’S A FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM’: BEFORE JORDAN NEELY WAS KILLED, HE WAS DISCARDED

After ageing out of foster care, Neely became homeless and began spending nights on the streets, in the subway system and New York City’s shelters. New York City is one of the only places in the United States with a “right to shelter”: by law, authorities must provide a clean bed for the city’s homeless

THE GUARDIAN: ‘IT’S A FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM’: BEFORE JORDAN NEELY WAS KILLED, HE WAS DISCARDED Read More »

SPECTRUM NEWS: INSIDE CITY HALL: VOCAL-NY MANAGING DIRECTOR DISCUSSES FATAL SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD

It has been four days since the chokehold death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely on a subway train in Manhattan. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is investigating and weighing potential charges for the man who put Neely in the chokehold. Multiple law enforcement sources confirm that man is 24-year-old former Marine Daniel Penny. Mayor Eric Adams

SPECTRUM NEWS: INSIDE CITY HALL: VOCAL-NY MANAGING DIRECTOR DISCUSSES FATAL SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD Read More »

THE INTERCEPT: HOW NOT TO GET ARRESTED AFTER KILLING SOMEONE IN PUBLIC:

For advocates working on issues of poverty and police abuses, there was a simple reason why Neely’s killing happened the way it did and why, in the aftermath, nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the killer was set free: fearmongering rhetoric about homelessness and crime from Democratic New York leaders Gov. Kathy Hochul and

THE INTERCEPT: HOW NOT TO GET ARRESTED AFTER KILLING SOMEONE IN PUBLIC: Read More »

THE BUFFALO NEWS: ANOTHER VOICE: HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTERS SAVE LIVES

For the majority of my life, from Buffalo to Brooklyn, I’ve been walking over dead bodies. Every day, 17 New Yorkers are lost to the same crisis: preventable overdose. Each person we lose has their own story, their own loved ones and their own past. But until New York State takes action to combat these

THE BUFFALO NEWS: ANOTHER VOICE: HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTERS SAVE LIVES Read More »

news 12 the bronx: former inmates and lawmakers hold bail reform rally:

Lezandre Kahadu was at the protest and says her son died in jail and she’s still seeking justice. She says Hochul’s planned pushback would be a “smack in her face.” “She’s putting more parents in the boat I’m in,” Kahadu says. “You keep putting these people in a place where people are dying.” Some groups

news 12 the bronx: former inmates and lawmakers hold bail reform rally: Read More »

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