To Jasmine Budnella, director of drug policy at VOCAL-NY, the rhetoric around breaking up supply chains is a repackaging of the same policies that have historically targeted drug users. “The way that Governor Hochul was framing it was like we would go after the Pablo Escobars of the world. But in reality, we know who […]
NEW YORK FOCUS: HOCHUL QUIETLY BETS ON POLICE TO BATTLE FENTANYL: Read More »
VOCAL-NY community leader Roger Clark says the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act would help him clear his name. “If it becomes law today, it will simply open up the door for me to get back into court [to] have a hearing, get discovery and—after my lawyers look through everything—have a long conversation about what’s the best
“Every single day, I have constituents who are emailing me, calling me, texting me in desperation because they’re losing their homes,” Barnhart said. “They did nothing wrong. They’re just told they have to move. Sometimes because they complained about the conditions. … People with lower incomes, people with financial hardships are not there because they
Jasmine Budnella, policy director for the progressive VOCAL-NY, said that she is pleased to see both chambers take some sort of action on the measure, adding the timeline gives advocates more time to mobilize on the issue before the legislative session ends in June. “Given that we’re losing so many people, now is the time
TIMES UNION: LEGISLATURE VOICES SOME SUPPORT FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION CENTERS: Read More »
The Senate Democrats are proposing adding $40 million to the governor’s proposal to spend on recommendations from the settlement board, including overdose prevention center programs and services. A similar investment was not included in the one-house budget proposal by the Assembly Democrats, according to VOCAL-NY, which supports the centers. Read More
CaPITOL PRESS ROOM: Senate Dems endorse overdose prevention centers: Read More »
City Council spokesperson Rendy Desamours issued a statement slamming the NYPD for failing to attend the hearing. “Agencies are expected to be transparent with the City’s residents through public hearings, and the message sent by NYPD leadership today is that the department does not need to be accountable to the everyday New Yorkers they swore
If the Adams administration is serious about moving homeless New Yorkers from the streets and shelters and into permanent housing, they should just do it, said Milton Perez, an activist who spent five years in shelters before winning an affordable housing lottery in Brownsville. The “Housing First” approach eliminates onerous eligibility packets and preconditions, like
“I was bullied into pleading guilty to something that I didn’t do and that conviction has had a negative impact on my life,” Eileen Maher, a community leader at VOCAL-NY, said in a statement. “It’s not right that now I have no recourse to vacate the conviction even if I can now prove that I
GOTHAMIST: NY lawmakers reinvigorate push to upend wrongful convictions: Read More »
When New York changed its laws around where incarcerated people were counted, the next step was to quantify which areas sent the most people to prisons, according to VOCAL-NY’s civil rights campaign director, Nick Encalada-Malinowski. He sees the numbers of incarcerated people coming from upstate communities as a reflection of politics. As New York City
People who have been treated unfairly by public officials without legal recourse argue more accountability for all officials will improve public safety, and Hochul’s position on the proposal doesn’t make sense. “Gov. Kathy Hochul has said that no one should be above the law and public safety is her top priority, but then yesterday said
