GETTING STARTED: In honor of Crime Victims Week, today we'll be hearing directly from crime victims & survivors as part of our advocacy day in support of #ParoleJusticeNY, survivor justice & expanding pathways to hope, healing & accountability.

Join us: http://bit.ly/3awvtEW 
TeAna Taylor ( @ttgyal444) with the People's Campaign for Parole Justice starts us off with a moment of silence for Ma’Khia Bryant, George Floyd, and other Black lives lost to state violence and anti-Blackness in this country and worldwide.
Luz Marquez Bembow of #IamNegrx, an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, says: "I'm tired of being used as a pawn to continue to dehumanize people, especially other survivors who are behind bars." Luz wants support and prevention, not punishment. She backs #ParoleJusticeNY.
In 1985, Kathleen Pequeno's brother was murdered. Her family was devastated to lose him. Two people were convicted and given long sentences; their families lost them, too, which Kathleen never wanted. She says we need to be realistic about what actually brings safety.
She says, "You know, since the 80s I think there is more spending on survivor services but it's never matched the sort of money that is spent on punishment. There cannot be the resources we need for survivors when we're so obsessed with punishment."
Kathleen supports Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole to put a stop to endless punishment: "These bills are about being realistic about assessments for safety, making decisions about people based on who they are at pressent."
Melissa Tanis, a RAPP member and crime survivor whose father passed away in prison, says: "Parole justice is survivor justice because we realize that survivors of harm are often criminalized and the systems of punishment are responsible for much of the violence in our lives."
NY @SenatorBiaggi says: "I am proud to stand with all of you today as a co-sponsor of the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills. These bills will no doubt lead us in the right direction to end the cycles of trauma that incarcerated New Yorkers experience."
Anique Edwards, Youth Organizer with @LeadSoulSisters, says "Simply just existing as a Black woman or gender non-conforming person is a revolutionary act...I'm also struck with a sense of yearning for a world where Blackness can be synonymous with freedom and life."
Assembly Member @yuhline says "Our criminal justice system is something that really truly can be called a nightmare. It delivers trauma to victims and survivors and our loved ones. Those scars impact our community members in ways that are seen and unseen. We need to end that."
Assembly Member Niou continues: "As many as 94% of women in some prisons are survivors of trauma and violence. Violence and abuse are also prevalent behind bars. The system is racist and sexist literally by design."

She's supports #ParoleJusticeNY.
Assembly Member @yuhline Niou recounts the debate in the Assembly yesterday on restoring voting rights to people on parole. Some lawmakers opposed this reform, citing supposed victims' concerns. As a survivor herself, Assembly Member Niou is clear: They don't speak for her.
Sharon White-Harrigan, Executive Director of The Women's Community Justice Association, a survivor of violence, and a formerly incarcerated woman, says: "Once you're in prison, nothing is addressed. It's just trauma on top of trauma. We have to pass #ParoleJusticeNY."
She calls on us to expand our definition of survivors: "The Black community comes with historical trauma in the fabric of our DNA. On top of the trauma that we have endured throughout a lifetime, we wind up getting criminalized for that trauma that is inflicted upon us."
Chel Miller of @NYSCASA, a survivor of sexual assault, says, "I can't speak for all survivors. Survivors' needs & beliefs are just as varied and diverse as any group. But we must include state violence in our work to end violence. We must center those who are most marginalized...
"...and who have been most oppressed, particularly our Black and brown siblings, our neurodivergent and disabled siblings, our trans and gender-nonconforming siblings."
" @NYSCASA supports Elder Parole and Fair & Timely parole. We want to make more people in prison eligible for parole release consideration based on a holistic understanding of who they are, what they've accomplished & not the one thing that they can never change–their conviction."
@ACSawyerJustice with @GGENYC says "The criminal legal system is not undoing the harm that young people have experienced...When people say survivors all want more prison, more punishment, that's not true – not for Girls for Gender Equity. We want prevention and healing."
@deemsum of @survivepunishNY says: "So many of our incarcerated members have survived gender-based violence, including sexual violence." She lifts up the high rates of trauma in men's & women's prisons alike.
Deema continues: "Most sexual assault behind bars is perpetrated by guards. Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole will prevent a lot of sexual abuse by freeing people from prison."

@survivepunishNY urges @NYGovCuomo to release incarcerated survivors and backs #ParoleJusticeNY.
You can follow @RAPPcampaign.
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