WEDNESDAY, June 3, 2020, 6:00-8:15 pm • RAPP Virtual Open Membership meeting • Join the movement to #FreeOurElders and end death by incarceration • Join by Zoom here
THURSDAY, June 4, 2020, 6:00-8:00 pm • Transform Commutation: A People’s Response • Live on Zoom (REGISTER HERE) • Envisioning changes, now and in the future, to Pennsylvania’s commutation process & release of elders in PA and everywhere • sponsored by #FreeTheVulnerableCampaign & Campaign to Restore Meaningful Commutation • panel includes speakers from RAPP
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Past events:
TUESDAY, June 2, 2020, 10:00 am • Press Conference: Community Organizations Demand NYS Legislature Address Systemic Racism across New York’s Criminal Legal System, Pass HALT Solitary Confinement Act, Elder Parole, and Fair and Timely Parole, Policing Reforms • Watch the recorded Zoom here (Password: 8o^qLg.7)
SATURDAY, May 30, 2020, 1:00-2:00 pm • Healthcare Workers Demand: Cuomo, Let Them Go! • socially distant action at Gov. Cuomo’s NYC office, 633 Third Ave., NYC (at 40th St.) • wear your scrubs or white coat • sponsored by NY Docs, RAPP, and VOCAL-NY • ATTEND BY ZOOM HERE
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020, 10:00 am • Press Conference: Supporters of Imprisoned, 68-year-old Black Panther with COVID-19 Seek His Release • Socially Distant Conference in front of Brooklyn office of NYS Attorney General Letitia James, 55 Hansen Place, Brooklyn 11217 • contact 347.447.8110
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020, 4:00 pm • Brooklyn Town Hall on COVID-19 Behind Bars • Join formerly incarcerated advocates, family members, and elected officials representing Brooklyn to discuss the pandemic’s impact in prison, how it disproportionately affects People of Color, and what can be done • REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020, starting at 10:00 am: Virtual advocacy day to demand the NYS legislature include incarcerated New Yorkers and family members in COVID-19 legislation.
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020, 10:00 am • Confined Arts virtual exhibit “Open Call for Clemency”—art from incarcerated people on why decarceration is the only way to avoid a disaster with COVID-19 behind bars
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020, 1:00-2:00 pm • Incarcerated: COVID-19 and the Plight of Families • Family members with loved ones incarcerated in New York State prisons share their lived experiences and urgent concerns. Featuring Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director, AFJ; Danny Glover, Actor, Activist, and AFJ Board Chair; Senator Brian Benjamin; Assemblyman Michael Blake; Members of four families including RAPP organizer Donna Robinson • ZOOM REGISTRATION HERE (you must register in advance)
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020, 10:00-11:00 am • COVID + Prison = Death: Rally to #HALTSolitary and #FreeOurElders • As the NYS Legislature plans to reconvene, join advocates, formerly incarcerated people and families will hold coordinated rallies at the offices of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins’s and at the Queensboro Correctional Facility (and via zoom) to demand that New York’s COVID-19 response include people in NYS prisons. We’ll call on the legislative leaders to do what Gov. Cuomo refuses to do: save lives behind bars. ZOOM LINK HERE
MONDAY, May 18, 2020, 6:00 pm • Queens Town Hall on the COVID-19 pandemic behind bars • RAPP’s Mark Shervington joins other formerly incarcerated people and elected officials • WATCH recorded video here
MONDAY, May 18, 9:00 am • virtual press conference • WATCH video of this powerful virtual press conference on NYS legislature’s failure to hear from incarcerated communities during all-day legislative hearing on COVID-19’s Impact on People in State Prisons • (password: 5F.56%K2)
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020, 11 am, Bedford Hills, NY (socially distant and virtual): Vigil/rally to honor Darlene ‘Lulu’ Benson-Seay, who died of coronavirus, and fight for all the other women incarcerated at Bedford Hills CF who are facing deplorable conditions and the threat of illness • Watch on facebook HERE
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020, 6:00 pm • COVID & Incarceration • 24 Hour Viral Monologues • IGTV @24hourplays • and HERE after 6 pm, one play every 15 minutes • stories of currently and formerly incarcerated people and those advocating for them during the COVID-19 crisis, sponsored by RAPP along with Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Confined Arts, Zealous and the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia University
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020, 10:00 am • Rally and zoom protest #ClemencyNow • Socially distant rally (please wear a mask) at Edgecombe CF, 611 Edgecombe Ave., NY 10032 (ZOOM LINK HERE)
SUNDAY, May 10, 2020: Virtual benefit concert for RAPP by Morgan Bassichis and other friends • 4:00-4:45 pm • RSVP/Register HERE; read about Morgan HERE
THURSDAY, May 7 and FRIDAY, May 8 • 2-Day Vigil and graveside sit at Fishkill CF, the NYS prison to honor those who have died of coronavirus behind bars and fight for NOT ONE MORE DEATH (photo by Walter Hergt):
WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2020, 10 am • Solitary is Torture/HALT Solitary Rally (socially distant, by car, or virtual) • Details and registration links HERE
THURSDAY, April 30, 2020, 12:00-12:30 pm • Social Impact LIVE on COVID-19 – Decarceration and Public Health • Focus on RAPP’s campaign for #ClemencyNow for vulnerable incarcerated people and how you can join in, with Mark Shervington and Melissa Tannis of RAPP and Cameron Rasmussen of Columbia Center for Justice • REGISTER HERE
FRIDAY, April 24, 12:30 pm • Rally at Nassau Jail for release of all who are older, pregnant, or otherwise at high risk for coronavirus. Car caravan and zoom; WATCH the archived video here
THURSDAY, April 23, 2020, 7pm Eastern Time • Free Them All! Prison is no place for a pandemic • Panel organized by Movement for Black Lives/M4BL • Register & more info HERE
THURSDAY, April 23, 10:00 am • No More Deaths Behind Bars • Vigil for Leonard Carter • at Queensboro CF (47-04 Van Dam St., Long Island City) and on zoom
TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2020, Starting at 1:00 pm • DAY OF ACTION • COVID + Prison = Death • #CuomoLetThemGo • Virtual and in-person rallies statewide – Albany, Buffalo, Hudson Valley, Westchester • Zoom registration here
THURSDAY, April 16, 10:00 am • NY Justice Roadmap Press Conference • The People’s Briefing on the state of coronavirus in jails, prisons, and immigration detention. Hear what Governor Cuomo won’t tell you in his daily updates • WATCH HERE
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2020, 5:00-7:00 pm • Clemency Works for COVID-19 • Virtual panel •
TUESDAY, April 14, 2020, 12:00-1:30 pm • A Poor People’s Response to the NYS Budget • Virtual Town Hall, NYS Poor People’s Campaign • including Thomas Kearney of Capital Region RAPP • via Zoom and Facebook •
TUESDAY, April 14, 2020, 11:30 am • Socially Distanced & Virtual Rally Outside Queensboro Prison, 47-04 Van Dam St, Long Island City, NY 11101 • Demand that @NYGovCuomo immediately release all people incarcerated here • Virtual and In-person rally
FRIDAY, April 10, 2020, ALL DAY • #ClemencyCoast2Coast Twitter/Call-In Campaign • @NYGovCuomo and @GavinNewsom must release incarcerated elders and others vulnerable to COVID-19 • CLICK HERE FOR CAMPAIGN TOOLKIT • We’ll have two Twitter “power hours:” The first during Governor Cuomo’s daily COVID-19 briefing, around 11:30 am EST/ 8:30 am PST, the second during Newsom’s daily briefing, around 3 pm EST/12 pm PST.
THURSDAY, April 9, 2020, 5:00-6:00 pm • Incarceration and the COVID-19 Pandemic • speakers include Jose Saldana, Johanna Fernandez, and Kevin Rashid Johnson (on phone from Indiana State Prison) • an episode of the podcast, Shelter and Solidarity • REGISTER HERE or Dial-in by phone: 605-475-4120, 712-832-8330, 425-436-6260 or 605-475-2875; Access code: 309 5629. This info is also available on facebook
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2020, 8:00 pm • Saving Lives By Releasing Vulnerable People from Jails & Prisons • RAPP’s Mark Shervington • Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Woodside Coronavirus Webinar Series • REGISTER HERE
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2020, 7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST • #ClemencyCoast2Coast Virtual Town Hall • Join organizers/survivors of incarceration from New York and California to discuss the urgency of release during COVID-19 pandemic • REGISTER HERE
TUESDAY, April 7, 2020, 6:00 pm • STATEWIDE RAPP Open Membership Virtual Meeting
MONDAY, April 6, 2020, 3:00-5:00 pm • Braving a Pandemic: A Call to Action Webinar • Speakers include RAPP’s Jose Saldana • sponsored by Circle for Justice Innovations • REGISTER HERE
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020, 12:00 Noon • COVID-19 Press Conference & Vigil Outside Sing Sing CF • #NoMoreDeaths • Ossining, NY, in front of the prison grounds, between South and Lafayette Streets • come in a car or zoom if you can’t come (CLICK HERE to watch the recorded video)
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020, 12:00 noon • Virtual Press Conference: Community Demands Gov. Cuomo Release Incarcerated People Vulnerable to COVID-19 • WATCH HERE
FRIDAY, March 27, all day • #ClemencyCoast2Coast • Call on NY Gov. Cuomo and CA Gov. Newsom to release incarcerated people vulnerable to COVID-19 • Special segment at 3pm EST (12 Noon Pacific Time) for a power hour Twitter storm • Toolkit with instructions HERE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020, 7:00-9:00 pm • Statewide Virtual Forum on COVID-19 & Incarceration: Release Elders & Vulnerable People Now! You Can Watch Now • New speakers added • Formerly incarcerated speakers, a former parole commissioner, and a public health expert lead a discussion on how COVID-19 makes clemency/parole release imperative • sponsored by RAPP, WESPAC, Lower Hudson NYCLU, VOCAL-NY, Women 4 Women, Parole Preparation Project • Register HERE
SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020, 7:00-8:30 pm • Decarceration & Dignity Virtual Assembly: Getting People Home; Keeping People Safe and Connected • Release Aging People in Prison, RECH Foundation, Worth Rises, National Council for Currently & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls, and #FreeThemAll4PublicHealth • RSVP HERE to join
WEDNESDAY, March 11, 2020, 12:00 Noon • Steps of New York City Hall, Manhattan • Emergency Action calling on Governor Cuomo to 1) release the oldest, sickest incarcerated New Yorkers who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus; 2) ensure that families stay connected through visiting. Press release HERE.
CANCELLED: TUESDAY, March 10, 2020, Noon to 1:10 pm • Muslim Perspectives on Abolition, Justice & Ending Mass Criminalization • Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall Rm. JG104 • 435 W. 116th St., Manhattan • sponsored by the Muslim Law Students Association of Columbia Law School
SATURDAY, February 29, 2020, 2:00-5:00 pm • NYS Manhattan Budget Forum • 1216 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2020, 6:30-9:00 pm • Building Solidarity and Justice from Mississippi to New York/Ending Torturous Conditions, Decarcerating, and Closing Prisons • Columbia Law School, 1125 Amsterdam Avenue basement 107, Manhattan • a teach-in including speakers from RAPP • RSVP here
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020, 5:30-7:00 pm • RAPP-Buffalo Open Membership Meeting • CAO Rafi Greene Resource Center: 1423 Fillmore Ave, Buffalo. Contact Donna with any questions: 716-526-7314
THURSDAY, February 6, 2020, 4:30-6:00 pm • NYS Westchester Budget Forum, 1 Larkin Center, YONKERS
FRIDAY, February 7, 2020, 5:30 pm, ALBANY • Teach-in on Bail Reform Activism, Addressing the Backlash, & How to Fight for Civil Rights Issues including police reform, parole justice, voting rights, ending solitary confinement, and more • sponsored by VOCAL-NY Albany • Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany • for info: 917-702-8781 /Luke@vocal-ny.org
SATURDAY, February 8, 2020, 7:00 pm • Forum on the Death Penalty and Solitary Confinement, Manhattan (exact location TBD)
WEDNESDAY, January 29, 2020, 7:00-10:00 pm • RAPP’s Jose Saldana will speak after a showing of Just Mercy by the Greenwood Baptist Church and Brooklyn Community Fund • Regal UA Court Street Theater, 106 Court Street, Brooklyn 11201 •
TUESDAY, January 21, 2020 • #HALTSolitary day of action in Albany • Join the Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, RAPP, and others to put an end to the torture of solitary confinement in NYS prisons •
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020: BRING THEM HOME! mobilization to Albany to end death by incarceration and promote parole justice • free transportation and food, rally, march, and meet with legislators •
SUNDAY, January 12, 2020, Noon to 6:00pm • sign and banner-making for for Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany on 1/14 • 168 Canal St., 6th Fl, NY NY 10013
WEDNESDAY, January 8, 2020, 6:00-8:15 pm, NYC • NY RAPP Open Membership meeting and Training for Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany on 1/14 • 168 Canal St., 6th Fl, NY NY 10013 • pizza & discussion • all welcome! The meeting will include training for the Jan. 14th Day of Action in Albany
WEDNESDAY, January 8, 2020, 5:30-7:00pm • Training for January 14th Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany • Open to those who have RSVP’d for the Albany action • CAO Rosi Greene Resource Center, 1423 Fillmore Avenue, Buffalo, NY
TUESDAY, January 7, 2020, 5:30-7:30pm, Albany, NY • Training for January 14th Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany • Open to those who have RSVP’d for the Albany action • Albany Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany, NY, 12210
TUESDAY, January 7, 2020, 11:00 am, Albany, NY • Black State of the State • Capitol, war room
MONDAY, January 6, 2020, 6-8pm, Brentwood, LI • Training for January 14th Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany • Open to those who have RSVP’d for the Albany action • 725 Brentwood Road, Main Building 2, Brentwood, LI 11717
SATURDAY, January 4, 2020, NYC • Noon to 2:00 pm: Training for January 14th Bring Them Home mobilization to Albany • Open to those who have RSVP’d for the Albany action • 168 Canal St., 6th Floor, NY 10013 • click here for other trainings in NYC, Long Island, Buffalo, and Albany
FRIDAY, January 3, 2020, Albany, 6:00 pm • Candlelight Vigil for Clemency • Governor’s Mansion, 138 Eagle Street, Albany, NY • Rally to demand the governor grant clemency to incarcerated New Yorkers
FRIDAY, December 20, 2019, 6:30-8:30 pm • Baldwin, LI • Town Hall on long sentences and solitary confinement • Second Baptist Church, 2050 Grand Avenue, Baldwin 11510 • sponsored by RAPP and #HALTSolitary
THURSDAY, December 19, 2019, 5-8 pm • Albany, NY • Town Hall on how mass incarceration affects the Capitol Region and why we must #FreeOurElders and #HALTSolitary • Howe Library; 105 Schuyler St, Albany, NY 12202 • sponsored by RAPP, Vocal-NY, and NYCAIC
WEDNESDAY, December 18, 2019, Noon • Rally: Home for the Holidays • Tell Governor Cuomo: Grant clemencies and commutations to reunite families and communities! • Gov. Cuomo’s office, 633 Third Ave.
SATURDAY, December 14, 2019, 6:00 pm • Justice for Rodney Reed and Abolish the Death Penalty! • The People’s Forum, 320 West 37th Street, Manhattan (8th/9th Avenues) • RAPP’s Jose Saldana will speak on abolishing life-without-parole (LWOP) sentences, “the other death penalty”
SATURDAY, December 14, 2019 • 3:00-5:00pm • The Work to Promote Parole Justice and End Death By Incarceration • the Village Zendo, 588 Broadway, Suite 1108, Manhattan (one block south of Houston) • free event
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019, 6:00-8:00 pm • Human Rights Day Harlem Town Hall to #HALTSolitary and #FreeOurElders • Raw Space Gallery, 2031 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Blvd. (between 121st and 122nd Streets), Harlem
SATURDAY, December 7, 2019, doors open 5:00pm • Remembering Our Political Prisoners • 90-40 160th St., Jamaica, NY, Harvest Room at Jamaica Market • panel includes: Kairi Al-Amin, Mauri Saalakhan, Ramzi Kassem, Mark Shervington of RAPP, Aisha Al-Adawiya
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019, 7:30pm • Launch Party for the Certain Days/Freedom for Political Prisoner Calendar with RAPP • 168 Canal Street, 6th Floor, Manhattan
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019, 6:00-8:00pm • Boricua College, 890 Washington Avenue, Bronx, NY (Faculty Colloquium Rm. 405) • Bronx Town Hall on Solitary Confinement & Elder Parole• RAPP and HALTSolitary with Senator Luis Sepulveda, Chair of the NYS Senate Committee on Crime, Crime Victims, and Correction
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2019, 9:30am-12:30pm •Washington, DC • Justice Roundtable Assembly featuring Jose Saldana on a panel on lengthy sentences • True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 • Details and livestream
TUESDAY, November 26, 2019, 12:30pm • RALLY to Reunite Families and Promote Parole Justice • Hope for the Holidays • Foley Square, Manhattan • Join RAPP, the Parole Preparation Project, and some of our leaders with family members currently serving long sentences in the New York State prison system to call on New York State lawmakers to reunite families and bring hope to our loved ones behind bars. Click here for PHOTOS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019, 7:00pm • Parole Preparation Project Welcome Home Party + Fundraiser • Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., Manhattan • Buy Tickets (starting at $25)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019, 6:00pm • RAPP Teach-in for students • 168 Canal St., 6th Fl., Manhattan • getting ready for a student contingent to January 14th Albany mobilization day
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019, 6:00-8:00 pm • Yonkers town hall: #HALT Solitary and #FreeOurElders • end inhumane treatment and death by incarceration in New York State • Yonkers Public Library, 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers • sponsored by VOCAL-NY, NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, and RAPP
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2019, doors open at 5:30pm • 13th Annual Citizens Awards • Citizens Against Recidivism • Our Children’s Foundation, 527 West 125th St., Harlem • Awardees include RAPP Director Jose Hamza Saldana • tickets and more information
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2019, 8:00 pm-1:00 am • CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF FREEDOM FOR ASSATA SHAKUR at the 11th annual Freedom Dance • National Black Theater, 2031 Fifth Avenue, Harlem (between 125th and 126th Streets) • $20 entrance; food and beverages available for sale • DJ Lumumba (a/k/a Revolution) • ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT US POLITICAL PRISONERS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019, 6:00pm • Rally Outside Gov. Cuomo’s Fundraiser: Cuomo is hosting a fundraiser at 205 W. 46th St. (off 7th Ave in midtown Manhattan.) Join RAPP and HALTsolitary to rally and demand an end to the punishment of solitary, long sentences, and parole denials. Help us let the governor know that New Yorkers want a real end to the racist incarceration system.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2019, 6:30pm • Re-examining Mandatory Minimum Sentences • a panel discussion at the NYC Bar Association, 42 West 44th Street, NY • panel includes RAPP’s Carlos Ivan Calaff
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019, Noon-3:00 pm • Upper Manhattan Showing Up For Racial Justice gathering with RAPP • Come learn about RAPP’s work on parole justice and ending life imprisonment, and the ways SURJ members can support it. All welcome! • Please email ryan.acquaotta@gmail.com for location
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019, 3:00-6:00 pm • Dessert party fundraiser for RAPP • 168 Canal St., 6th Fl., New York, NY 10013 • a gathering with a variety of treats to celebrate the work the RAPP community has been doing to end mass incarceration. Please join us whether or not you can donate. Bring a friend or make a new one there! All are welcome.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2019. 7:00-8:30 pm • Town Hall on Solitary Confinement and Parole, hosted by NYS Assembly Member Harvey Epstein (District 74 Manhattan) • The Boys and Girls Republic, 888 East 6th St. (between Avenue D and FDR Drive, Lower East Side) • RSVP: Events.District74@gmail.com or 212-979-9696 (space is limited) • sponsored by RAPP and NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NYCAIC)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019, 4:00-6:00 pm • Bedford Hills, NY • Adopt-A-Prison • Bedford Town House, 321 Bedford Rd. • Free and open to the public • more info
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2:00-5:00 pm • Brooklyn, NY • Picnic: Come Together to End Mass Incarceration • Prospect Park, below Center Drive near the Nethermead • fundraiser for RAPP by Showing Up for Racial Justice-NY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019, 6:30-9:00 pm, Harlem • Ending Life Imprisonment • a panel featuring Marc Mauer and Ashley Nellis, authors of “The Meaning of Life: The Case for Abolishing Life Sentences;” Jose Saldana of RAPP, and Saleem Holbrook of Pennsylvania’s Campaign Against Death by Incarceration (CADBI) and the Abolitionist Law Center. Both Jose Saldana and Saleem Holbrook are formerly incarcerated long-termers working to end life imprisonment. • Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, 439 W 127th St (between Amsterdam and Convent Avenues), New York, NY 10027 • FREE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 – Lunchtime, 12:15-1:45 pm – the same panel will lead a teach-in at the Columbia School of Social Work, Rm. C03, 1255 Amsterdam Ave., NYC (at 122nd St) • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2019, 7:00-9:00 pm • The enduring legacy of Attica • Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11213 • A conversation with Heather Ann Thompson, Tyrrell Muhammad, and Jose Saldana • Free, RSVP
SATURDAY, August 24, 2019, 3:00-7:00 pm • 24th Annual Dinner Tribute to Political Prisoners • Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center, 100-01 Northern Blvd, Corona, Queens • Dinner served at 4:00 pm; admission $40 in advance ($45 at the door) to raise funds for political prisoners • info, call or text 973-202-0745
FRIDAY, August 23, 6:00-8:00 pm • RAPP’s Mark Shervington on a panel, Movement Lawyering: Building Community Power & Challenging the Nonprofit Industrial Complex • CUNY School of Law Community Room, 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY • sponsored by CUNY Law’s Luis DeGraffe Racial and Social Justice Orientation (RSJO)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019, 5:00 pm • Rally, march, and memorial to remember Valerie Gaiter and voice our outrage that she died in NYS DOCCS custody • Rally and speak-out: 250 Broadway (NYS legislative offices), 5:00-6:00 pm; march to 168 Canal St.: 6:00 pm; memorial, 6:30 pm • CLICK HERE to read media about Val Gaiter, the rally in her memory, and the Elder Parole bill that could have allowed her to go home.
SUNDAY, August 4, 2019, 1:00 pm • Brunch That Benefits: A Notecard Fundraiser for Political Prisoners – original notecards by Sophia Dawson on sale, performances, and more • Five Spot Soul Food, 459 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 • more info: 914-439-7765 • sponsored by Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition
FRIDAY, July 12, 2019, Detroit, Michigan, 7:00-9:00 pm • “The Case For Abolishing Life Sentences,” featuring Marc Mauer of The Sentencing Project and a panel discussion • Wayne State University, Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium • part of a conference on “Ending Perpetual Punishment” (July 12-23) co-sponsored by RAPP • click for more info • This event is part of a national effort to end life imprisonment
MONDAY, July 8, 2019, 1:30-4:30 pm • Race, Criminal Justice, and Human Rights, Child Immigrants and the Universal Periodic Review • UNA-USA Southern New York State Division • RAPP’s Jose Saldana will speak • Nelson Mandela room at the Ford Foundation office, 42nd St., NYC (RSVP required)
THURSDAY, June 27, 2019, 7:00-9:00 pm • Celebrate 175 years of the Correctional Association of NY • NeueHouse, 100 E. 25th St., NYC 10010
Help pass the HALT Solitary bill – urgent events and updates right now (click for details)
WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2019, 9:00 am-5:00 pm • Call-in day to press Gov. Cuomo to appoint rehabilitation-based commissioners to the NYS Board of Parole • (click for details)
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019, 7:30 pm • Caring for the Incarcerated: Will a Single Payer System Protect the Rights of the Most Vulnerable? • Mt. Sinai Med School – Annenberg Rm. 12-01 – 1468 Madison Avenue (between 99th & 101st Sts.) • sponsored by Physicians for a National Health Plan, New York Metro Chapter
TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2019 • Albany Advocacy Day for parole justice
SATURDAY, May 11, 2019, 1:00 pm • Rally to support children and family visits in NYS prisons • 848 Columbus Circle (at 59th St.), Manhattan • We Got Us Now campaign, the Osborne Association
FRIDAY, May 3, 2019, 6:00-8:00 pm • Join RAPP in the movement for parole justice • New Hour for Women and Children-LI, 1725 Brentwood Rd., Main Building 2
TUESDAY, April 30, 2019, Albany, all day • RAPP will join HALT Solitary to push the NYS legislature to pass the HALT Solitary bill (A.2500/S.1623) • RSVP for free transportation and more information See this link for other actions to support the passage of this important bill (and NYC actions on April 23 and trainings on 4/19 and 4/22).
MONDAY, April 29, 2019, 2019, 7:00 to 9:00pm • RAPP will join the Sero Project and the Gay Center NYC to launch issue #2 of Turn It Up! Staying Strong Inside, dedicated to the late Mujahid Farid • with Brian Carmichael, Turn It Up! contributor recently paroled • 208 W. 13th St., Manhattan (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
FRIDAY, April 26, 3:00-8:00pm, and SATURDAY, April 27, 10:00am-5:00pm • Queens • Black Family Empower Summit• Queens Education Opportunity Center, Jamaica, Queens • Free event, complimentary meals
THURSDAY, April 25, 2019, 7:00 pm • “Lockdown,” by Cori Thomas, with Jose Saldana on a talkback panel after the play • Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, Manhattan • tickets here
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2019, 6:00pm (cocktails; dinner at 7:00 pm) • North Star Fund 40th anniversary Gala • RAPP received the Frederick Douglass Award • More information here
SATURDAY, April 13, 2019, 1:00-3:00 pm • RAPP member orientation • 168 Canal St., 6th Fl., Manhattan • snacks and discussion of RAPP history, principles, and goals
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019, 12:30 pm • RAPP’s Jose Saldana on aging in prison at Fordham Law School, Rm. 303 • sponsored by Advocates for the Incarcerated and Feerick Center for Social Justice, Fordham Law School
SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2019, 2:00-3:00 pm • RAPP’s Mark Shervington on panel, “Deconstructing Injustice/Challenging Incarceration,” at the National Action Network conference, Sheraton Hotel, 811 Seventh Avenue, Empire West, second floor, Manhattan • Free, register here
SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2019, 9:30am-4:30pm • Paving the Way conference, Healing Equity • St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf, 260 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
THURSDAY, April 4th, 2019, 10:00 am • RALLY for parole justice • Governor Cuomo must fill the 7 empty seats on the NYS Board of Parole with new commissioners who understand & believe in rehabilitation, second chances • Governor Cuomo’s office, 633 3rd Ave., between 40th & 41st Streets, New York, NY 10017 • Info here
WEDNESDAY, March 27, 2019, 7:00 pm • The Long Term: Resisting Life Sentences, Working Toward Freedom, with Mariame Kabe • Housing Works Cafe, 126 Crosby St., Manhattan
TUESDAY, March 12, 2019, 6:30-8:30 pm • RAPP’s Jose Saldana featured on a panel with preview of the play “Lock Down” • 110 Hudson St, 10th Floor, Manhattan
Sunday, March 10, 2019 • Beyond the Bars 2019 • This year’s theme: Until She’s Free (details here). Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave. at 122nd St., Manhattan
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019, 6:00-8:00 pm • Abolition in Practice • Jose Saldana of RAPP in conversation with other formerly incarcerated advocates • CUNY School of Law 3rd Floor Community Room, 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY • RSVP here
SUNDAY, March 3, 2019, 6:00-8:00 • Queer Soup Night featuring RAPP •
WEDNESDAY, February 27, 2019, 10:00 am-3:00 pm • End Mass Incarceration Legislative Awareness Day • NY State Capitol, State Street, Albany NY 12210 • sponsored by VOCAL-NY
THURSDAY, February 7, 2019: 9:30 am • Press Conference & Rally for The Justice Road Map: Turning the Tide on Criminalization • 60 Centre Street, Manhattan (Manhattan Supreme Court)
TUESDAY, January 29, 2019 • Albany, NY Parole Justice Advocacy Day • Join us! Meet with NYS elected officials, march and rally to demand: 1. A fully staffed Parole Board (19 Commissioners with professional backgrounds in rehabilitation); 2. Elder parole: all incarcerated older people, aged 55 plus, get an opportunity for parole release after serving 15 consecutive years in prison; 3. A parole process that centers change and transformation instead of punishment and re-sentencing.
See RAPPCampaign.com/Reports to read testimony of RAPP and The Sentencing Project to the NYS Legislature Hearing on Public Protection Budget, January 29, 2019
THURSDAY, January 24, 2019 • 10:00am – noon • Human Justice Summit • with a RAPP panel on parole justice • Bronx Christian Fellowship, 1015 E. Gun Hill Rd., Bronx, NY 10459
THURSDAY, December 13, 2018, 6:00-8:00 pm • Dismantling Injustice and Challenging Incarceration: A Multi-Issue Forum on Criminal Justice • National Action Network House of Justice, 106 W. 145th St. (just west of Malcolm X Blvd.), Harlem
SATURDAY, December 8, 2018, 7:00 pm • Candles for Clemency rally at Governor Cuomo’s home, intersection Crow Hill & Millwood Rd (Rte 133), Mt. Kisco, NY •
THURSDAY, December 6, 2018, 6:00 pm, Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive (at 120th St) Assembly Hall Harlem • “Justice Long Overdue: Lessons Learned from the Successful Release of People Serving Life in Prison in Maryland and New York – and Why More People Must Come Home” • with RAPP, the Osborne Association, the Justice Policy Institute, Columbia Justice Lab and Center for Justice, and the Riverside Church
TUESDAY, December 4, 2018, 9:00-11:30 am, Washington, DC • Campaign to End Life Imprisonment Launch event • Public Welfare Foundation Inc, 1200 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20009 • sponsored by The Sentencing Project and Public Welfare Foundation • Jose Saldana of RAPP will speak • LIVESTREAM starting at 9:30 am
TUESDAY, November 27, 2018, 10:00 am -4:00 pm • “Public Hearing on NYS Parole Hearings, Structure of Parole Board and Data Indicating Systematic Bias in the Parole Board’s Decision-Making” • Sponsored by NYS Senator Luis Sepulveda and Gustavo Rivera, Ranking Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime, Crime Victims, and Corrections, & the Senate Health Committee • 250 Broadway, 19th fl, Senate Hearing Room, NYC
THURSDAY, November 15, 2018, 7:00 pm • Parole Preparation Project 5th Annual Welcome Home Party and Fundraiser • Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, 439 W 127th St, New York, NY 10027 • purchase tickets here
WEDNESDAY, November 14, 2018, 11:00 am • Foley Square, 111 Worth Street, lower Manhattan • NYC rally, Speak Out Across NY State to Dismantle Injustice in the state’s jails, prisons, and parole system • RSVP & more info
THURSDAY, November 8, 2018, 12:30-2:00 pm • Justice and the Punishment Paradigm featuring Jose Saldana and Anthony Dixon of RAPP • sponsored by the William Patterson University Philosophy Club, University Hall 114, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, New Jersey 07470
SATURDAY, November 3, 2018, 9:00 pm-1:00 am • Freedom Dance • celebration & support for long-held US political prisoners • National Black Theater, 2031 Fifth Avenue, Harlem (at 125th St.) • Sounds by DJ Revolution • Donation, $20 • beverages and food on sale
SUNDAY, October 28, 2018, 5 pm-8 pm • Preparing for Parole: A Training for Family Members, with the Parole Preparation Project, Rockland Prison Justice Project, Rockland Coalition to End the New Jim Crow and RAPP • Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd, Spring Valley, NY 10977.
WEDNESDAY, October 24, 2018, 9:30 am-12:30 pm • Inside and Outside the Visiting Room: Improving the Visiting Experiences of Children with Incarcerated Parents, with RAPP’s Jose Saldana and others speaking on prison visits in the context of lengthy sentences, violence and healing • John Jay College, 899 10th Ave, Manhattan (Haaren Hall) b/n 58th & 59th Sts., Moot Court, 6th Floor • free; light refreshments will be served • sponsored the Osborne Association and the Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice • More info and RSVP
SATURDAY, October 20, 2018, 5:30-9:00 pm • Citizens Against Recidivism 12th Annual Awards Program • RAPP’s Anthony Dixon will receive the Freedom Fighter award; keynote speaker will be Shaun King • Our Children’s Foundation Inc., 527 West 125th St. (between Broadway and Amsterdam), New York, NY 10027 • RSVP & buy tickets
SATURDAY, October 20, 2018, 1:00-4:00 pm • Dismantling Injustice (Series) • Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (Gallery), 439 West 127th Street, NY NY 10027 • Legislative Workshop, Public workshop with RAPP, CAIC, and JLUSA • Organizers will give an overview of the legislative process in New York, outline their specific bills and stages in the legislative process, and discuss how participants can get involved in producing concrete policy changes that will help radically transform New York’s prison system.
FRIDAY, October 5, 2018 • 5:30-6pm Reception, 6-8pm • Dismantling Injustice: (Series) • Panel with RAPP, Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC), VOCAL-NY, and Coalition for Women Prisoners (CWP) about efforts to challenge the criminal injustice system in New York • Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (Gallery), 439 West 127th Street, NY NY 10027
THURSDAY, October 4, 2018. 6:00-8:00 pm • Dismantling Injustice (Series) • Readings by people in solitary confinement • Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (Gallery), 439 West 127th Street, NY NY 10027
TUESDAY, October 2, 2018, 11:00 am • Hicksville, LI • RAPP and other community advocates protest Senator Patrick Gallivan’s fake “hearing” on parole WATCH our press conference from the Monday “hearing” in Albany
MONDAY, October 1, 2018, 11:00 am, Albany • Press conference in response to Republican Senators’ “hearing” on parole and voting for parolees (WATCH here) • LCA Press Room 130, Legislative Office Building, 198 State St, Albany, NY 12210 Albany • Free transportation from NYC. If you would like to attend, RSVP here and spread the word using this Facebook event page. PLEASE WEAR WHITE in Albany!
SUNDAY, September 30, 2018, 6:30-8:00 pm • Nyack, NY • Parole in NYS: A Panel Discussion • Grace Episcopal Church, 130 1st Ave, Nyack, NY 10960
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, September 21-23, Buffalo, NY • Connecting the Struggles: Prison Abolition in Western NY, 2018 Conference • RAPP & Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition panel on incarcerated elders, Saturday, 9/22 at 1:00-2:50 pm • Canesius College Science Hall, 1901 Main St., Buffalo 14208
SUNDAY, September 16 2018, 1:00-6:00 pm • Harlem • 46th Annual African-American Day Parade • Free Political Prisoners • Join RAPP in the Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition contingent • gather at the eastern end of 111th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass Blvds.
WEDNESDAY, September 12, 2018, 5:30-8:00 pm • A Question of Compassion: Parole for People Aging in Prison • RAPP and the Vera Institute of Justice discuss parole and the Vera Institute’s report on compassionate release in NYS (read it on RAPPCampaign.com/reports) • Vera Institute, 233 Broadway, 12th Floor, NY 10279 (b/n Park Pl and Barclay St) • wine & cheese 5:30-6:30; program from 6:30-8:00 • Free, please RSVP
SATURDAY, August 16, 2018, 4:00-8:00 pm • RAPP & CAIC (Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement) Potluck Gathering, Castle Gardens, 625 West 140th Street (between Broadway & Riverside Drive), Manhattan, 11th Floor • you are invited to bring a dish to share.
MONDAY, August 6, 2018: 8:00 am • Take Action for Parole Justice in Memory of John MacKenzie and all who have died in prison after unjust parole denials • rally at Governor Cuomo’s NYC office, 633 Third Avenue, NYC
THURSDAY, August 2, 2018, 7:00-9:00 pm • Breaking Bars: Fighting Incarceration from the US to Palestine • an event with RAPP, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Organization • Join us to explore systems of domination and parallels of structural violence between the US and Palestine • Barnard College, Diana Center Rm. 504, 3009 Broadway, NYC (at 119th St.)
THURSDAY, July 26, 2018, 11:30 am • Bronx, NY • Press Conference to demand that Gov. Cuomo sign bills to Dismantle Injustice • Bronx Supreme Court, 159th St. and Grand Concourse • RAPP & many community members join elected officials to push for a series of bills that will reduce brutality toward incarcerated people, expand parole, and move toward ending mass incarceration in NYS • (below: Jose Saldana of RAPP speaking at the press conference)
MONDAY, July 23, 2018, 5:30-7:30 pm • Queens, NY • Dismantling Injustice Community Event • Hillcrest Library, 187-05 Union Turnpike, Queens 11366 • Conversation with RAPP, Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, Vocal-NY, Correctional Association of NY, and Coalition for Women Prisoners
THURSDAY, JULY 12—SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2018 • Ossining, NY • Set the Captives Free: The Church and Mass Incarceration, a conference to raise awareness about the experience of incarceration in the U.S., the impact on families and community; and the role the church needs to play in support of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons and families, with the goal of having each participant identify an action related to incarceration to implement in their local church. Mariandale Retreat & Conference Center, 299 N. Highland Ave., Ossining, NY 10562 • For information, please contact Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Sealy, Mott Haven Reformed Church, (718) 585-3636
SATURDAY, July 14, 2018, 2:30-4:30 pm: “Dismantling Injustice: Community Education and Organizing Event” • Kensington Branch, Brooklyn Public Library, 4207 18th Avenue, Brooklyn 11218
MONDAY, June 18, 2018, 5:00-7:00 pm • Dismantle Injustice in NYS– Rally at Governor Cuomo’s Fundraiser • Plaza Hotel, 768 5th Avenue (at 59th St), New York, NY 10019 • Join RAPP, the #HALTsolitary Campaign, JustLeadershipUSA, and other advocates, organizers and concerned New Yorkers to demand freedom for people in New York State prisons and jails. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE
Over 100 New Yorkers came together outside Governor Andrew Cuomo’s fundraiser at the Plaza Hotel on June 18, 2018, calling on the New York governor to act on climate and prison injustice under the umbrella of “Cuomo’s Pipelines: Prisons to Poisons Are Bad For New York.” This is the first time these two movements have come together to demand systemic change from the governor. (Photo by Erik McGregor)
THURSDAY, June 7, 2018, 3:00-5:00 pm • Approaches to Medical Parole Across the US, with special focus on New York State • Pace University, 3 Spruce Street, CIVIC W612, New York, NY 10038 • sponsored by the Correctional Association of NY • with speakers from RAPP and the Correctional Association • Details and RSVP
TUESDAY, June 5, 2018 • Day of Action for Parole Justice • 8:00-9:00 am sendoff rally at Governor Cuomo’s office in NYC, then travel to Albany for a vigil and rally at governor’s office and legislature • Photos to come – watch this space! Read the article on the protest in The Daily News
SUNDAY, June 3, 2018 • Running Down the Walls 5K run/walk/jog/bike benefit for US political prisoners • Prospect Park, Brooklyn; $10 registration fee (exact directions here)
WEDNESDAY, May 30, all day, Albany, NY • Toward Freedom: Dismantling Injustice in New York State • (RSVP) • Join RAPP, JustLeadershipUSA, the Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC), and others to demand real pre-trial justice (bail, discovery, and speedy trial), an end to long-term solitary confinement, and the release of older and aging people in prison.
MONDAY, May 21, all day, Albany, NY • Poor People’s Campaign National Call for Moral Revival – Action for racial justice and to end mass incarceration • 7:00 am: buses leave NYC (Union Theological Seminary, 120th St. and Claremont Ave) • 1:30 pm: March leaves from The Shrine Church to the Capitol (includes a stop at the NYS Parole Board’s headquarters). The March will not involve civil disobedience. RSVP and further details
WEDNESDAY, May 9, 2018, 6:30-10:00 pm • Washington, DC • Vote for Justice: An Evening of Empowerment with Artists and Activists, sponsored by the Justice Roundtable and including award of Certificate of Excellence to RAPP’s Mujahid Farid for his advocacy work. 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001; RSVP
THURSDAY, May 3, 2018, 6:00-8:00 pm • Preparing for Parole: A Training for Family Members • 168 Canal Street, 6th Floor Photo
SATURDAY, April 14, 2018, 9:00 am-5:00 pm • RAPP at Free Them All: A Mass Commutations Convening • Barnard Hall, 3009 Broadway, 4th Floor, James Room, New York, NY 10027
WEDNESDAY, March 28, 2018 • 7:00-9:00 pm • “Dismantling Injustice: A Public Forum on Ending Mass Incarceration,“ featuring RAPP and other key advocacy groups • College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY • Details here
TUESDAY, March 20, 2018 • RAPP Potluck dinner • 6:00-9:00 pm • RAPP/Parole Preparation Project office, 168 Canal Street, 6th Floor, Manhattan • Eat, talk, make art for the April 23 Parole Watch action in Albany (see below for 4/23 details)
TUESDAY, March 13, 2018 • Join Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC) at an advocacy day in Albany to push for passage of the HALT Solitary bill • end the torture of solitary confinement • Read a report by the Correctional Association of NY on the impact of solitary in a NYS prison
THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, March 1-4, 2018: 8th Annual Beyond the Bars Conference, Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave. (at 122nd St.), Manhattan • Closing Jails and Prisons • Free registration
SUNDAY, February 18, 2018 • 9:00 am EST • Radio event • Last Mile/Second Chances, ‘Violent vs. Non-Violent’ Part 1 and Part 2 • Mujahid Farid and Donna Hylton with host Topeka K. Sam on SiriusXM Urban View Channel 126
SATURDAY, February 17, 2018 • RAPP will be at the 47th Annual Legislative Weekend of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus • RAPP will be on a panel on Real Criminal Justice Reform sponsored by Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubry, at 9:15-10:30 am • Albany Capital Center, 55 Eagle Street, Albany Meeting Room #6
WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2018, 12:15-1:45 pm • Reflecting & Advocating for Our Growing Population of Elder Incarcerated People • This event is over now, but it was amazing. WATCH the archived livestream • Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave. (at 122nd St.), Room CO6, Manhattan • Free and open to all • Melissa Tanis and Dave George of RAPP • Register to attend or to watch livestream
SATURDAY, February 3, 2018, 6:30-8:30 pm • “Correspondence,” Art by Sophia Dawson • paintings based on correspondence with Black political prisoners, all elders • Okay Space, 281 N. 7th St., Brooklyn, NY 11211 • part of #ToBeFreeProject Note: This show runs until February 24
WEDNESDAY, January 31, 2018, 6:00 pm: “Cruel and Unusual: The Story of the Angola 3” screening and discussion with NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NYCAIC) • The Lion Theater, 410 W. 42nd Street, Manhattan • free
TUESDAY, January 30, 2018, 6:00 pm • “Cruel and Unusual: The Story of the Angola 3” sneak preview, with book signing and panel on the Black Panther Party • The Lion Theater, 410 W. 42nd Street, Manhattan • free
SATURDAY, January 27, 2018, 4:00-7:00 pm • 22nd Annual Dinner, Tribute to the Families of US-held Political Prisoners/POWS • Unitarian Church of All Souls, 1157 Lexington Ave., Manhattan (at 79th St.) • Sponsored by the Malcolm X Commemoration Committee Buy Tickets (proceeds go to commissary accounts of the political prisoners)
SATURDAY, December 9 • 7:30-11:00 pm • Look For Me in the Whirlwind/Human Rights Day Celebrating Political Prisoners • An evening of cultural performances and more from the Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition • The Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
THURSDAY, December 7 • 6:00 pm • Citizen Action 2017 Progressive Leadership Awards • RAPP’s Mujahid Farid will be honored • District Council 1707 AFSCME • 420 West 45th Street, 4th Floor, NY 10036
WEDNESDAY, November 29, 7:00 pm (doors open at 7:00; program begins promptly at 7:30) • The Criminalization of Home: Organizing to Protect Communities from NYC to Palestine • Speakers from Addameer, Adalah-NYC, Black Youth Project 100, and RAPP • Verso Books, 20 Jay Street, Suite 1010, Brooklyn, NY 11201 • This event honors the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
THURSDAY, November 16, 7:00-9:30 pm • 4th Annual Fundraiser & Welcome Home Party, Parole Preparation Project • WeWork Dumbo, 81 Prospect St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
TUESDAY, November 14, 6:30-8:30 pm • NYC Council Speaker Criminal Justice Forum • Teachers College, 3040 Broadway, Manhattan • the 8 candidates for speaker of City Council speak on issues of justice
SATURDAY, November 4, 9:00 pm-1:00 am • 9th Annual Freedom Dance honoring the elder Black political prisoners & celebrating the freedom of Assata Shakur • National Black Theater, 2031 Fifth Avenue (125th St.), Harlem • 917.415.5653
FRIDAY, November 3, 11:00 am • Memorial Service for the late Charles (Chas) Ransom, dear friend and member of RAPP • Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, 231 West 142nd Street, Harlem
SATURDAY, October 21, 5:30-9:00 pm • Citizens Against Recidivism Awards Dinner • the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, 3940 Broadway, Manhattan
SATURDAY, September 23, Noon-2:00 pm • Meeting of Challenging Incarceration Coalition • The Fortune Castle Gardens, 625 W. 140th St, Manhattan
WEDNESDAY, September 20, 8:00 pm EST (5:00 pm PST) • Urgent Action Call in support of Herman Bell, 69-year-old grandfather assaulted by prison guards in Comstock, NY • register for the call: bit.ly/hermanbellcall; text “Herman” to 91990 for updates • sponsored by The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
WEDNESDAY, September 20, 9:00 am/10:00 am • Press Conference and NY City Council Hearing on the CARE Act (Compassion & Assistance for Reentering Seniors) • Steps of NY City Hall (press conference)/City Hall Park, NY 10007 Click to see some photos
TUESDAY, September 19, 6:00-8:00 pm • “Prison Abolition & the Fight for Justice: screening/discussion of ‘Breaking Down the Prison Industrial Complex'” • Free event • Brooklyn Public Library, Eastern Parkway Branch, 1044 Eastern Pkwy. at Schenectady Ave (2/3/4/5 trains to Utica stop) • sponsored by Challenging Incarceration, Critical Resistance, and RAPP
SUNDAY, September 17, 1:00 pm• Harlem’s 48th Annual African American Day Parade, Freedom Fighters Contingent • Assemble at 112th St. & Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Blvd; march to 136th St.
THURSDAY, September 14, 1:00-1:50 pm • RAPP on panel, “Access to Justice Issues Arising During and After Incarceration” • Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, 55 Fifth Avenue, NY 100003 • This panel is part of a conference, “Redeeming the Pledge…And Justice for All,” sponsored by the New York State Bar Association Committee on Civil Rights • conference runs from 8:45 am-5:00 pm; preparation materials
WEDNESDAY, September 13 • Albany • Rally for Human Rights and Against Abuse in NYS Prisons and Jails • 5:00-7:00 pm • West Capitol Park (State and South Swan Streets) • sponsored by the March for Justice
SATURDAY, September 9, 11:00 am-5:00 pm • Bronx, NYC • Block Party, Mott Haven Reformed Church • 350 East 146th St., Bronx, NY 10451 • For further information please contact Pastor Patricia Sealy at 718-585-3636 or email patsealy@verizon.net
SUNDAY, September 3, 6:00-7:30 pm • Film, “Strength of a Woman,” and discussion of Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act • Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, 67 S Randolph Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 • part of the March for Justice
FRIDAY, September 1, 7:00 pm • 1st Presbyterian Church, Cold Spring, NY • Teach In to HALT Solitary Confinement in NYS Prisons • a stop on the March for Justice
SATURDAY, August 26, 9:00 am-12:30 pm • Kickoff Rally for March for Justice • National Black Theater, 5th Avenue at 126th St, Harlem
SATURDAY, August 19, 2017, DC • 11:00 am-5:00 pm • Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March on Washington • Gather at 14th and Pennsylvania Ave. NW; march at 11:30 am to Lafayette Park (across from the White House) Images/interview
MONDAY, August 14, 4:30 pm • Rally to Support Rasmea Odeh • Union Square Park, NYC • more information on Rasmea Odeh
SATURDAY, August 5, 2:00-4:00 and 5:00-8:00 pm • “39 Years Too Long; Free the Move 9” • House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY • 2:00-4:00, MOVE Art Exhibit/Fundraiser featuring art by Sophia Dawson; 5:00-8:00 pm, Program of Speakers, Cultural Presentations (free)
FRIDAY, August 4, 3:30-6:00 pm • Brooklyn, NY • Memorial in Loving Memory of John MacKenzie • The Commons Café, 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY • RSVP
WEDNESDAY, August 2, 11:00 am • Detroit, MI • “A Matter of Time: Building a Movement to Challenge Long Prison Terms” • RAPP and Urban Justice Institute • at the Soros Justice Fellowships Conference, The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd., Detroit, MI • information: christina.voight@opensocietyfoundations.org
SATURDAY, July 22, 3:00-6:00 pm • Harrisonburg/Rockingham VA RAPP, MDRAPP, and RIHD (Resource, Information, Help for the Disadvantaged and Disenfranchised) host “Virginia’s Aging People in Prison; Creating New Pathways for Release and Re-Integration to Family, Community, and Society” • The Church of the Incarnation, 292 N. Liberty Street. Harrisonburg, VA 22802, Town Hall and Membership Drive; For details contact: harrisonburgrockinghamrapp@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY, June 28, 2:15-3:30 pm • Philadelphia, PA • “Our Elders Behind Bars: The Fight to Bring Aging People in Prison Home” workshop at Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit , 8:00 am-5:00 pm • Pennsylvania Convention Center (13th and Arch Streets on the NW corner) • Philadelphia FIGHT
SATURDAY, June 17, 2:00-5:00 pm • 1st Annual West Baltimore African American Children’s READFair • Coppin State Health and Human Services Building • contact MDRAPPCampaign@gmail.com
TUESDAY, June 13, 2017 • 11:00 am-5:00 pm, Albany, NY • Press Conference & Advocacy Day by RAPP and NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement • PHOTO
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 • 2:00-4:00 pm • Harry S. Truman Building, Room 1105 • U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC: DC RAPP testifies at a Discussion regarding priorities for the 35th session of the UN Human Rights Council • hosted by The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Department, The International Organizations Affairs Bureau
SATURDAY, May 20, 11:00 am-6:30 pm • Resilient New York: A Forum to Advance Grassroots Organizing • Tishman Auditorium, 63 Fifth Avenue, NYC (register/RSVP)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 • Challenging Incarceration in New York advocacy day • Albany, NY • Urging state policy makers to take steps to 1) End Mass Incarceration; 2) Promote Community Empowerment; 3) End State Violence and Torture; and 4) End Structural Racism and all Intersectional Identity-Based Oppression • PHOTOS
MAY 5-7, Philadelphia • A Conference Presented by the MOVE Organization • Universal Audenreid Charter High School, 3301 Tasker Street, Philadelphia, PA • MDRAPP will exhibit/table
WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2017, 6:00-8:15 pm • NY RAPP Coalition meeting • Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue (at 122nd St.), Manhattan, 8th Floor • Pizza, soda and meeting
SATURDAY, APRIL 29 • MD RAPP and Richmond RAPP Workshop: “The Black Family After 500 Years of Trauma; Re-Constructing a Paradigm of Human Rights, Freedom, and Healing” • part of a conference, An African Centered Approach to Trauma Informed Care: Pulling Together and Navigating Systems, sponsored by Richmond Association of Black Social Workers • L. Douglas Wilder Building, Virginia State University (VSU), Petersburg, VA
SUNDAY, April 23, 12:15-1:45 pm • Richmond, VA • “A Quest for Justice and Humanity; Art as Confession” • ART 180, 114 W Marshall St, Richmond, VA 23220 • workshop presented by MD RAPP and VA RAPP during ROOTS Weekend, Richmond, VA: Creating a World Without Prisons
THURSDAY, April 20, 6:30-9:00 pm • Mass Incarceration & Parole Reform: A Matter of Life & Death • RAPP’s Mujahid Farid and others speak at Columbia University Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Rm. 102B, 435 W 116th St, New York, NY 10027 • sponsored by the Justice Forum, Center for Justice at Columbia University
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2:00-3:30 pm • RAPP & Osborne Association panel, The Graying of New York State Prisons:What Happens to Elders after They’re Released? at “Social Work in the City: Challenges, Uncertainty, and New Opportunities” • National Association of Social Workers conference (paid registration necessary; conference goes from 8:00 am-5:30 pm)
MONDAY, April 17, 6:30-8:30 pm • How Parole Justice Promotes Decarceration: A Teach-In with RAPP, sponsored by Showing Up For Racial Justice/SURJ-NYC • Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan, Room C06 Concourse (in the basement)
THURSDAY, March 30, 10:00 am-1:00 pm • Symposium: Housing and Health/Issues and Challenges for Formerly Incarcerated Elders • Mary Pinckett Lecture Hall Rm. 212, Medgar Evers College CUNY, S-Building, 1637 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (corner of Crown St.)
WEDNESDAY, March 29, 6:30-8:30 pm • DC • Letter Writing in Solidarity with Aging Prisoners • the Potter’s House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009 • sponsored by DC Stampede Photos
SATURDAY, March 25, 4:00-8:00 pm • Futures Without Walls: Welcome Home Maliki Shakur Latine (recently release after 33 years in NYS prison) • MayDay Space, 3rd Fl., 176 St. Nicholas Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn (please note: location is not wheelchair accessible)
FRIDAY-SATURDAY, March 10-11 • Illinois • “Mass Incarceration: Increasing Awareness, Determining Next Steps” • A Denominational Meeting of the Reformed Church in America • Hilton Garden Inn O’Hare, 2930 South River Road, Des Plaines, IL • RAPP member Colby Thompson is a presenter
FRIDAY, March 10, 9:00 am-5:00 pm • Washington, DC • First Annual DC Prisoner & Reentry Symposium: The State of Our Union • UDC David Clarke School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC 20008 • Sponsored by Corrections Information Council & D.C. Public Defender Service (DC RAPP will have table)
SUNDAY, March 5 • Beyond the Bars conference, Transcending the Punishment Paradigm • Center for Justice at Columbia University • RAPP will be part of Challenging Incarceration workshop from 1:45-3:15 pm (Banding Together: Uniting Community and Challenging Incarceration and Punishment in New York)
SATURDAY, March 4, 3:00-7:00 pm • NYC • 21st Annual Dinner Tribute to Political Prisoners & Their Families: 800 Years of Legacy, Commitment & Sacrifice: Honoring our captive Black Freedom Fighters • Harlem State Office Building, 163 W. 125th St. @ Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., 3rd Fl., New York, NY • Tickets $40 in advance, $45 at the door
FRIDAY, March 3, 7:00 pm • Beyond the Bars opening plenary, Columbia University Center for Justice, NYC • PHOTOS
THURSDAY, March 2, 7:00 pm • MD RAPP Teach-In • The Last Vestige of Slavery: Prisons and the Punishment Paradigm; a Challenge to Humanity • Art Sociology Building; 1st Floor, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD
SUNDAY, February 26, 12:00-2:00 pm • Rally at the steps of New York City Hall to oppose Governor Cuomo’s proposed cutbacks on visiting for people incarcerated in maximum security prisons • rally & press conference organized by elected officials, advocacy organizations and community members (Photos here)
THURSDAY, February 9, 6:30-8:00 pm • “Locked in Solidarity” • Mott Haven Reformed Church community event for awareness and action on mass incarceration • 350 E. 146th Street, Bronx, NY 10451 (between 3rd Ave. and College Ave.)
THURSDAY, February 9, 12:00-3:00 pm • Virginia • “Reforming the Criminal Justice system and Reducing Incarceration” • Film: “Rocktown Justice” • Trinity Presbyterian Church, 725 South High Street, Harrisonburg VA • Valley Justice Coalition and MDRAPP co-sponsoring
THURSDAY, February 9, 2:00 pm • Webinar on new Sentencing Project report, “Delaying a Second Chance: The Declining Prospects for Parole on Life Sentences” • Presenters: Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph.D., The Sentencing Project; Mujahid Farid, Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP (NY); Barbara Levine, Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending (MI); Heidi Rummel, University of Southern California Gould School of Law • Listen to webinar recording
WEDNESDAY, January 25, 2017, 5:00-8:00 pm • Symposium: Real Women, Real Voices • “Where the People Meet the Policy” • National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls • NYU Law School, 40 Washington Sq. South, NYC (check Council FB page for photos)
SUNDAY, January 22, 1:00-3:00 pm • Washington, DC • Meeting with co-founders of Millions for Prisoners March (see August 19, below) to discuss and plan the march. Open to all. Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE Wash. DC 20011; about two blocks from Fort Totten Metro
SATURDAY, January 21, 6:00-9:00 pm • Baltimore, MD • Meeting with co-founders of Millions for Prisoners March (see August 19, below) to discuss and plan the march. Open to all. Coppin State University (for further details email mdrappcampaign@gmail.com)
WEDNESDAY, January 18, 12:00-2:00 pm, DC • “How Can We Respond to Police Violence as a Public Health Crisis?” George Washington Milken School of Public Health (Lecture Hall B on the B1 level), 950 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC 20052
SATURDAY, January 14, 10:00am-2:00 pm • “A Faith Call to End Mass Incarceration” • Mott Haven Reformed Church, 350 E. 146th St., Bronx, New York 10451
SATURDAY, January 14, 12:00-4:30 pm • “Transformation from the Inside Out: an event to honor the leadership and resilience of women on both sides of the walls and celebrate the transformation of Bayview (formerly a women’s prison) into the Women’s Building • See the beautiful, powerful photos
SATURDAY, January 7, 2017, 3:00-7:00 pm • Baltimore • Maryland Justice Project, MDRAPP, the Eraina Pretty Project, and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls present the First Honoring of Chaplain Lettie Carr • at The Answer Inc., 1212 E. 25th Street Baltimore, Md 21213
TUESDAY, December 13, 12:00 pm • NYC City Hall Steps • Rally and Press Conference to launch the platform, Challenging Incarceration/Struggling for Justice in New York State • Contact: Aaron Talley, 347-261-4891 Storify coverage and Photo
SATURDAY, December 10, 5:00-8:00 pm* DC • Candlelight Vigil at the White House as part of Human Rights Week • Indigenous Rights and Clemency for Leonard Peltier
SATURDAY, December 10, 7:30-10:30 pm • “Cultural Night for International Human Rights Day” • 388 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (b/n Hoyt and Bond Streets; the Commons) • Northeast Political Prisoner/POW Coalition (which includes RAPP)
FRIDAY, December 9, 3:00 (street rally) and 6:00 (indoor event) • Philadelphia, PA • “Don’t Let Them Kill Mumia” (link includes instructions for buses from NY)
DECEMBER 4-10, DC • Human Rights Week • Indigenous Rights and Clemency for Leonard Peltier • 12/10 8am Conference at Washington College of Law, American University, Tenley Campus, 4300 Nebraska Avenue, NW, Yuma Building, Claudio Grossman Hall, Washington, DC 20016 • 12/10 5:00-8:00 pm, Candlelight Vigil at the White House
MONDAY, December 5, 2:00-3:30 pm • Baltimore, MD • RAPP workshop, “Growing Up in the System: From Juvenile to Aging Prisoners,” at the Coalition for Juvenile Justice Conference (registration required)
SATURDAY, December 3 • 12:00-2:30 pm • Challenging Incarceration: Struggling for Justice in New York State, multi-policy organizing meeting, open to all • Castle Gardens Community Room, 625 W 140th St, NYC 10031 • RSVP
MONDAY, November 28 • 3:30-5:00 pm • Zuccotti Park, NYC (Liberty Street & Broadway, NY Rally for Rasmea Odeh, who goes to court on 11/29 in Detroit to fight deportation. Read about Rasmea’s case
THURSDAY, November 17, 7:00-9:30 pm • 3rd Annual Parole Preparation Project Fundraiser and Welcome Home Party • NYU Law School, Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, NYC 10012
WEDNESDAY, November 16, 12:30-1:30 pm • Standout for Clemency for Women • Washington, DC • in front of the White House • Demand clemency for all eligible women in the federal prison system • sponsored by the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and Can-Do Clemency
SATURDAY, November 12, 7:00-11:00 pm • Launch Party for Certain Days/Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar (proceeds benefit RAPP & other groups) • Interference Archive, 131 8th St. #4, Brooklyn, NY 11215
SATURDAY, November 12, 11:00 am-4:00 pm • “The Black Panther Party and 21st Century Matters of Social Justice” • RAPP’s Mujahid Farid will be on panel, “Mass Incarceration & Reentry,” 12:15-1:15 pm • The ARC XVI of Central Harlem, 120 W. 140th St., Manhattan (Part of the Black Panther Party 50th Anniversary, NYC, November 11 to 13)
WEDNESDAY, November 9, 4:30-6:00 pm • Alternatives to Incarceration/Making a Different Road • Fordham University School of Law, Lincoln Center Campus, 150 West 62nd St., Rm. 3-02
SATURDAY, November 5, 9:00 pm-1:00 am • 8th Annual Freedom Dance • National Black Theater, 2031 Fifth Avenue, Harlem, NY (at 125th St.) • Celebrate the freedom of Assata Shakur, support political prisoners
FRIDAY, November 4, 4:00-6:00 pm • MD RAPP on “Social Change and Public Health” panel discussion/teach-in • George Washington University Milken School of Public Health, 2400 Eye Street NW, Washington DC
WEDNESDAY, November 2, 8:30-10:30 am • RAPP receives a New York Nonprofit Media Cause Award • The Capital Grille, 120 Broadway, NYC 10271 (photo below)
THURSDAY, October 27 • 8:30 am-4:30 pm • Excluded: Dialogue on Safe, Supportive and Affordable Housing for People with Justice System Involvement • John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Student Dining Hall, 524 West 59th Street, NYC 10019 (Free; register here)
TUESDAY, October 25, 5:30-8:30 pm, Arlington, VA • “Revitalizing Vulnerable Communities: A Networking Session and Eco-Café” • DC RAPP • Career fair, poster session, exhibits and resource vendors • gather information, meet other experts in your field and share information. Crystal City Marriott, 1999 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202
MONDAY, October 24, 11:30 am, DC • UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Press Conference, preliminary observations (RAPP has testified to the Working Group) • United Nations Information Center, 1775 K Street NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
SATURDAY, October 22, 6:00 pm • Citizens Against Recidivism 10th Annual Awards Celebration • Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, 3940 Broadway, Manhattan • for tickets, journal ads, and sponsorship: info@citizensinc.org Here are some photos of the event, thanks to awardee Dinah Ortiz
WEDNESDAY, October 19, 11:00 am-8:00 pm • Common Time including presentations by RAPP at 2:00 pm • CUNY Hunter’s Silberman School of Social Work, 119th Street and Third Avenue, NYC
FRIDAY, October 14 • 1:00-3:00 pm • Baltimore • Workgroup on Collateral Consequences of Convictions Stakeholders Meeting • MDRAPP testimony • the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum, Founders Room, 1417 Thames Street, Baltimore, MD 21231
WEDNESDAY, October 12, 7:00 pm-8:30pm • Baltimore, MD • MD RAPP Coalition Meeting (Coppin State Criminal Justice Department, 2500 W. North Avenue) For details, email MDRAPPCampaign@gmail.com. (MDRAPP meets on the second Wednesday of every month.)
TUESDAY, October 11, 6:00 pm – RAPP presenting on panel to UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Washington, DC
SUNDAY, October 9, 12:00 Noon • Lafayette Park, Washington, DC • Rally for the freedom of Oscar Lopez Rivera, elder and political prisoner • “President Obama: 35 Years is Enough!” Article, photos here
SUNDAY, October 9, 10:45 am-12:15 pm • DC • RAPP panel, “Transcending Historical Oppression and Injustice through Agents of Change and Imagination from Palestine to Colin Kapernick to American University,” at the 2016 Public Anthropology Conference, American University, Mary Graydon Center, Butler Boardroom
WEDNESDAY, October 5 • 7:00-9:00 pm • “Survival Crimes: From Mumia Abu-Jamal to the Bronx 120” • National Black Theater, 2031 Fifth Avenue, NYC
WEDNESDAY, September 28, 6:30-8:30 pm • DC • “Solidarity With Aging Prisoners” • DC Stampede and DC Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP sponsor an evening to write letters to older people behind bars • The Potter’s House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20009
SATURDAY, September 24 • NYC • 2:00 pm • March and Rally to Close Rikers • March from Queens Plaza to the Rikers Bridge; Rally at 19th Avenue and Hazen at 5:00 pm
FRIDAY, September 23 2016 • 4:00-5:30 pm, DC • DC RAPP College Coalition Meeting • University of Maryland College Park, Student Stamp Center
WEDNESDAY, September 21 • 12:30-3:00 pm • “The New York State Parole Board: Denial after Denial, Enough is Enough!” Community Service Society of New York (CSS), 633 Third Avenue (40th/41st Streets), 10th Floor • Lunch at 12:30, program at 1:00 pm • panel includes RAPP, NY Prisoner Justice Network, National Lawyer’s Guild Parole Preparation Project • RSVP: ghairston@cssny.org; 212-614-5405
SATURDAY, September 17 • Philadelphia, PA • 8:00 am (regional meeting); 5:30-7:30 pm (Tribunal); 7:30 pm (Dinner and Closing) • US Human Rights Network • RAPP chapters from NY, Baltimore, and DC will present testimony at the tribunal • FACTS Charter School, 1023 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA 19123
SATURDAY, September 17 • Bronx, NYC • Block Party, Mott Haven Reformed Church • 350 East 146th St., Bronx, NY • for more information or to join as a vendor: 718-585-5001; Motthavenchurch350@verizon.net
SATURDAY, September 17 • 7:00pm • Mt. Kisco, NY (home of Gov. Cuomo) • Candles for Clemency Rally & Vigil • Information: Allen Roskoff, Jim Owles Democractic Club, jimowles@gmail.com, 917-553-7180
FRIDAY, September 16 • 6:00 pm • Profiles in Abolition: The Hard Road to Abolition/Strategies to Win • The New School Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., NYC 10011 • Mujahid Farid with Ruthie Gilmore, and Mariame Kaba, moderated by Abraham Paulos • a fundraiser for Critical Resistance
FRIDAY, September 16 6:00-9:00 pm • National Day of Action to Free Imam Jamil Al-Amin, an elder and political prisoner incarcerated in the federal system • Harlem State Office Building,
THURSDAY, September 15, 10am-3pm each day • College Park, MD • DC RAPP at the First Look Fair at University of Maryland College Park
THURSDAY, September 15, 1:00-3:00 pm • DC • DC RAPP will present at the UPR (Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review) Working Group 5 hearing on recommendations related to immigration, trafficking, labor, and children • U.S. Department of Labor’s Francis Perkins Building at 200 Constitution Avenue., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210
THURSDAY, September 15 • 3:30-5:30 pm • NYC • Memorial for John MacKenzie • National Black Theater, 2031 5th Ave, NY 10035 (at 126th Street)
SATURDAY, September 10 • 2:00-5:00 pm • Jessup, MD • Protest and Noise Demonstration at (MCI) Jessup in Support of National Prison Strike • Women’s Maryland Correctional Institute , 7943 Brock Bridge Rd, Jessup, MD 20794 • carpools will be arranged (see Facebook event page for details)
FRIDAY/SATURDAY, September 9-10 • Oakland, CA • Conference, Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People and Families Movement • RAPP on panel, “Political Prisoners: Connecting Generations of Struggle” (Friday, 2:45-4:00 pm). Saturday night: meeting, National Council for Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls
THURSDAY, September 8 • NYC • Close Attica rally • 12:30 pm • Governor Cuomo’s office, 633 3rd Avenue at 41st Street
WEDNESDAY, August 24 • 6:00 pm • Visions of Confinement, Film and Panel: Rosalie Comes Home • Hunter East Harlem Gallery, 2180 Third Avenue, NYC (at 119th Street), Rm. SB 115/116 (next to the gallery)
SATURDAY, August 20 • 4:00-8:00 pm • Basketball Tournament to Build A Winning Team Against Mass Incarceration • Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., Manhattan • Free, with food/drinks/panel/prizes! Check out some photos from the b-ball tournament
MONDAY, August 8 • 5:30 pm • Albany & NYC • Protest the death of John MacKenzie at the hands of the Parole Board • Albany: Office of New York State Board of Parole, 97 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • NYC: Lincoln Corr. Ctr., 31 W. 110th St, Harlem (just west of 5th Avenue) • Hold the Board responsible for the death of John MacKenzie, who took his own life after commissioners denied him release for the 10th time—despite a standing order of contempt against the board for repeating their baseless denials. Village Voice coverage by Victoria Law
SATURDAY, July 16 * NYC * 12:00 to 3:00 pm • Challenging Incarceration, Building Empowered Communities • Castle Gardens Community Room, 625 West 140th St., NYC, NY 10031 NYC • Please RSVP
FRIDAY, July 15 • NYC • 6:30 pm • Imprisoned Resistance: Politics of Incarceration in Palestine and the US • Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, 3940 Broadway (at 165th St.), NYC • cosponsored by RAPP
SATURDAY, July 9 • 9:00 am-3:00 pm • Queens, NYC • “Elders in Prison: Bringing Them Home & Rebuilding Our Communities” • Workshops, networking, community-building by Queens Community Board 12 & RAPP • Queens Educational Opportunity Center • 158-29 Archer Ave, Jamaica, NY • WATCH the video of the opening session here (thanks to Dan Vea)
SATURDAY, June 18 • 12:00-2:00 pm • NYC • “Challenging Incarceration: Struggling for Justice in NY State” • Castle Gardens Community Room, 625 West 140th St., NYC, NY 10031
SATURDAY, June 12 • 3:00 pm • Baltimore, MD • Re-Intergration Workshops: Aging Women in/out of Prison (By invitation only) These workshops will assist in reconnecting the aging woman in/out of prison to self, family, and community. Any aging woman in/out of prison interested in attending can email mdrappcampaign@gmail.com. Workshops are held every 2nd Saturday of the month at Coppin State University/Criminal Justice Department, 2500 W. North Avenue, 5th Floor.
SATURDAY, June 4 • Albany, NY • 8:00 am-12:00 pm (tentative schedule) • “The Womb to the Tomb: The Containment of Black Life” at Justice Studies Association Conference, University at Albany, SUNY • A panel will discuss the historical continuum of the confinement, containment, and imprisonment of Black lives and the impact on family, community, and society • Sponsored by MD RAPP, with Tomiko Shine and other MD RAPP speakers, and René Valdez (NY RAPP)
WEDNESDAY, May 25 • 7:00-9:00 pm • NYC • RAPP’s Mujahid Farid in conversation with Jean Trounstine on her new book, “Boy With a Knife: The Need for Youth Prison Reform.” Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen St., New York, NY 10002
SUNDAY, May 22 • 3:40-5:40 pm • NYC • “Free Them All! Political Prisoners and POW’s in the US” • RAPP members Mujahid Farid and Laura Whitehorn join a panel at the Left Forum, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 524 West 59th St., NY, Room 1.82 (register)
THURSDAY, May 19 • 6:30-8:00 pm • Queens, NY • As exemplified in the Life of Al-Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X), everyone deserves a second chance! Presentation on the Fair Chance Act • Islamic Circle of North America (Al-Markaaz) • 166-26 89th Avenue, 2nd Floor (F train to 168th St.; walk 2 blocks to 89th Avenue), Jamaica, NY 11432 • Further information: 347-806-7998 • All are welcome • The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) with the New York City Commission on Human Rights, the South East Queens Muslim Collective (SEQMC) and Release Aging People In Prison/RAPP
TUESDAY, May 3 • Washington, DC • 11:45 am-2:25 pm • DC RAPP’s Alexandra Warren at American University Senior Anthropology Majors’ Capstone Presentation, presenting “The Willingness To Maintain the Struggle No Matter What: Elder Incarceration in the United States”
THURSDAY, April 28 • 7:00-8:30 pm • “Life Outside: Rosalie Comes Home” screening & panel including RAPP’s Mujahid Farid • Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University, 74 Morningside Drive (Enter on 116th Street) New York, NY 10027
WEDNESDAY, April 27 • 4:00-6:00 pm • DC RAPP • “Aging Prisoners Dying To Be Free: A Public Health Crisis” panel discussion • George Washington University Milken School of Public Health, 2400 Eye Street NW, Washington DC
MONDAY, April 25 • 7:00 pm • Washington, DC • Beyond our Criminal Justice System: A Panel on Prison Abolition and Drug Reform, with DCRAPP’s Nathan Brandli & speakers from MD RAPP • #0102 Tydings Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
SATURDAY, April 23 • 6:00-8:00 pm • Baltimore • William Gardner of MD RAPP on a panel UPP_ReturningCitizensFlyer-MDRAPP • Coppin State University, Health & Human Services Building (HHSB 103)
WEDNESDAY, March 9 • 7:00-9:00pm • Aging, Health, & Incarceration •
The Faculty House at Columbia University, 64 Morningside Drive, NYC • Speakers: RAPP’s Mujahid Farid and Jack Beck of the Correctional Association of NY
FRIDAY, March 4 • 7:30pm • Columbia University • Kick-off for Beyond the Bars, Connecting the Struggles (doors open at 6:45)
SATURDAY and SUNDAY, March 5 and 6 • NYC • 10:00am-5:00pm • Beyond the Bars Conference: “Connecting the Struggles” • Center for Justice, Columbia University (including RAPP speakers at plenaries & panels) Saturday/Sunday events: Columbia School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave. at 121/122 Streets, NYC
SATURDAY, February 20 • 7:00 pm • Washington, DC • Aging in Prison, Mass Incarceration, and the Legacy of COINTELPRO (FBI Counterintelligence Program) • La Casa, 3166 Mt. Pleasant NW, Washington, DC • Sponsored by DCRAPP; RAPP speakers include Tomiko Shine and Alexandra Warren of DC and MD RAPP.
WEDNESDAY, February 10 • 7:00 pm to 8:30pm • Baltimore • Meeting of MDRAPP (Coppin State Criminal Justice Department, 2500 W. North Avenue) For details, email MDRAPPCampaign@gmail.com. (MDRAPP meets on the second Wednesday of every month.)
SATURDAY, February 13, 2016 • 2:00-3:15 pm • RAPP’s Mujahid Farid was an invited panelist on Incarceration & Health, hosted by Senator Gustavo Rivera during the NYS Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators’ conference (photos available soon)
SATURDAY, January 30, 2016 • 8pm-11pm • DCRAPP celebrated the homecoming of returning citizen Abdus-Shahid Ali, released after serving 50 years in prison. Sadly, Bro. Ali was too ill to attend, and he passed on March 3rd. Bro. Ali’s funeral was held on Monday, March 7 at Islamic Heritage Foundation, 3765 I Street SE Washington, DC; he is buried at Al-Firdaus Memorial Gardens, Frederick, MD. All RAPP chapters mourn his loss. In his memory, we will work harder than ever to release aging people in a timely manner.
FRIDAY, January 16, 2016 • 12:00 to 2:00 pm • Washington, DC • DC Prisoners Matter Rally • US Parole Board Commission, 90 K Street NE, Washington DC. Check out the PHOTOS of the rally. For background, read “DC’s Forgotten Residents” and “Visitation Slights: How Two Policies Stack the Deck Against D.C. Inmates”
WEDNESDAY, January 13, 2016 • 7:00 pm • Baltimore • Meeting of MDRAPP (Coppin State Criminal Justice Department, 2500 W. North Avenue) For details, email MDRAPPCampaign@gmail.com. MDRAPP meets every other Wednesday.
SUNDAY, January 10, 2016 • 1:30 pm • RAPP at Fabrengen (joyous gathering of friends) • Union Temple of Brooklyn, 17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn 11238 (RAPP presentation, with section on Parole Reform NY, 2:30 to 3:30 pm)
THURSDAY, November 19 • 7:00 pm • Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY: “Locking Up Dissenters and the Poor: Understanding the Roots of Mass Incarceration in the U.S.” with Eddie Conway, Johanna Fernandez, & Laura Whitehorn of RAPP • sponsored by Difference and Media Project, Center for Civic Engagement, & student groups
MONDAY, November 16 • Tufts University • Amnesty International Hosts Discussion of Solitary Confinement, with Al Tony Simon of RAPP
Friday, October 30 • 7:00-8:30 pm • Panel, Conditions of Confinement: Mass Incarceration and Access to Information
The New School, 66 West 12th St, NYC, Rm. A510 Conference Rm. Read a report here by the sponsoring group Social Justice Special Interest Group
Tuesday, October 27 • 6:00-8:30 pm • Parole Preparation Basics • NYU Law, Vanderbilt Hall, Room 210, 40 Washington Square South (Presenters include RAPP’s Mujahid Farid) • RSVP
sponsored by the National Lawyer’s Guild-NY Parole Preparation Project
Snacks at 6:00, program starts promptly at 6:30
Saturday, October 24 • 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. • Rise Up to Stop Police Terror & Murder • Rally, Washington Square Park • Police unions not only defend brutality but also block parole & release of incarcerated elders
Friday, October 16 • 7:00 p.m. • “RAPP & the Struggle for Decarceration” • Solidarity Center, 147 W. 24th Street, 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10011 (b/n 5th & 6th Ave) • RAPP speakers Al “Tony” Simon & Anita Rosenblithe WATCH
Saturday, October 3 • 12:30-2:00 pm • American University, Washington, DC • RAPP’s René Valdez spoke on “America’s Aging Prisoners: The Imprisonment of Black Life” at the Public Anthropology Conference on “Shifting Climates” • MGC200 (directions to Mary Graydon Center #200)
Saturday, October 3 • 2:30-4:15 pm • RAPP on “The Aging Incarcerated Population” • Bennington College, Bennington, VT
Friday, October 2 • 9:00 am-12:30 pm • Decarceration & NY Medicaid Waiver Funds • Panel including RAPP • BronxWorks Betances Community Center, 547 East 146th Street, Bronx NY
Register online; contact for more info
Saturday, September 26, 2015 • 7:00 pm • Candles for Clemency vigil at home of NY Gov. Cuomo in Mt. Kisco (BUSES LEAVE NYC AT 5:00 SHARP)
(buses from NYC leave from: Trinity Church (Broadway at Wall St., lower Manhattan) and Riverside Church (120th St. and Claremont Avenue) To reserve a free spot on the bus with RAPP, email rappcampaign@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 15, 2015, 2:00-3:00pm • RAPP on MNN-TV
RAPP will be on Both Sides of the Bars, MNN-TV (TWC channel 34 & 1995; FIOS channel 33; RCN channel 82)
Saturday, September 12, 2015: 11:00 am-5:00pm • Community Block Party/The Mix on 146
Mott Haven Reformed Church, 350 E. 146th St., Bronx, NY 10451 Music, dancing, face-painting. RAPP & other groups will have info tables contact: 718-585-3636, Pastor Patricia Sealy
Wednesday, August 26, 2015 • 5:00-6:00 pm • RAPP on MNN-TV
RAPP on The Gilchrist Experience, MNN-TV (TWC channel 34 & 1995; FIOS channel 33; RCN channel 82) WATCH the show
Saturday, August 8, 2015, 8:00 am-4:00 pm • FACES NY Reentry Summit, “Take Away the Stone: Reducing Post-Incarceration Barriers”
Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, 155 Lenox Ave, NY 10037 (co-sponsored by RAPP)
Sunday, June 7 • 4:00 pm • “The Nature of the Crime” Syracuse, NY (Artrage, 505 Hawley Avenue)
Sponsored by Parole Justice Now! Campaign
Co-sponsored by Center for Community Alternatives, Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse, and Syracuse Peace Council
Saturday, April 25 • the Oscar-nominated film, “Prison Terminal” by Edgar Barens • Two showings: 12:30 to 2:00 and 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus) Pope Auditorium, 113 West 6oth St.
sponsored by Be the Evidence Project
Friday, March 20 • 7:00-9:00 pm
Nothing to Lose But Our Chains: Black Resistance and the Roots of Mass Incarceration
Intergenerational discussion between former political prisoners and Black Lives Matter activists
Malcolm X. and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, 3940 Broadway (165th St.), Manhattan
Friday, March 6; Saturday, March 7; Sunday, March 8, 2015
Beyond the Bars: Transforming (In)Justice conference at Columbia University
Broadway at 116th Street, NYC
Check Twitter hashtag #BeyondTheBars2015 for thoughts, news
Saturday, Feb. 1 • 7:00 pm, and Sunday, February 2 • 11:00 am –
Mujahid Farid talks about RAPP and parole on Eldridge & Co.
CUNY-TV (Time Warner and Cablevision/Optimum Brooklyn, Ch. 75; RCN/ Ch. 77; and Verizon/ Ch. 30) Or watch this terrific half-hour show online
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 • 6:00-8:30 pm •
Mujahid Farid spoke on parole in NY State • NYU School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, Rm 214
PAROLE PREP BASICS: How advocates & attorneys can change New York’s unjust parole system. With presentation by Mujahid Farid, Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP • For more information, click HERE
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 • 7:00 pm •
RAPP celebrates Maya Schenwar’s important new book: “Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better” • Bluestockings Bookstore, Café, & Activist Center, 172 Allen St., NYC
Monday, November 17, 2014 • 10:30 am to 12:00 pm • New Orleans • RAPP Presentation at the American Public Health Association conference
Thursday, November 13, 2014 • 7:00 pm • “Steps Toward Prison Abolition: A Strategic Conversation” • part of “Self-Determination Inside/Out” at Interference Archive •
131 8th St., Brooklyn (R/F/G trains to 4th Avenue/9th St. stop)
RAPP will join organizers from Milk Not Jails, Decarcerate PA, Books Through Bars, & other projects for an informal discussion on how our work works, or doesn’t, to change the prison system
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 • 7:00 to 9:00 pm • From Slavery to Sing Sing: The U.S. Prison System’s Inhumanity to the Family • with Mujahid Farid on the need to release aging people in prison • National Black Theater, 2013 Fifth Avenue (b/n 125-126th Streets)
Free Admission • Doors open at 6:30 pm
Sunday, September 14, 2014 • 2:00 to 4:00 pm • Brooklyn
Panel: What’s Age Got to Do with It? Incarcerating Children and the Elderly
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn, NY 11238 • Sponsored by the Correctional Association of NY and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art
Sunday, September 7, 2014 • 2:00 to 7:00 pm • Brooklyn • “Running Down the Walls” 5k Run/Walk/Jog/Bike benefit for political prisoners and RAPP • Info here
Saturday, September 6, 2014 • 7:00 pm • Mt. Kisco, NY
Candlelight vigil for Clemency at home of Gov. Andrew Cuomo • Organized by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club • Check out these PHOTOS
Thursday, August 7, 2014 • 7:00 pm • Political Candidates Forum on Criminal Justice
Moderated by Dean Meminger of NY1 TV • NY Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th St., Manhattan • Sponsored by Communities for Criminal Justice Awareness and the NY Society for Ethical Culture
Saturday, July 12, 2014 • 10:00 am to 1:00 pm • RAPP Outreach & Town Hall • Harlem State Office Bldg., 163 W. 125th St., corner of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Blvd. • Outreach: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm • Town Hall on solitary confinement: 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, 8th Floor
Tuesday-Wednesday, June 3-4, 2014
A Public Health Approach to Incarceration: Opportunities for Action • Columbia University Mailman School for Public Health, NYC • Including a panel on Using Evidence for Action in Public Health Practice, with Mujahid Farid, Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP • Conference attendees agreed on a draft statement of purpose that resolves “to work collectively to introduce incarceration in our curricula and research, to raise awareness and concern, and to inspire and support our fellow scholars.”
Saturday, June 21, 2014 • 6:30 to 9:00 pm • 166 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn Hts, NY • RAPP presentation at Rise Up For Maroon (Russell Maroon Shoatz)
Monday, May 5, 2014 • 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm • Rally and March: New York State Against Prison Injustice • Stop Solitary/Reform Parole/Release Elders
Albany, NY – East Capitol Park • Keynote Speaker, Cornel West • Check out photos on our facebook page and on twitter @RAPPCampaign
Saturday, April 12, 2014 • 3:00 pm • “The State of Our Prisons: Where Are We, Where Do We Need To Be?” • Sheraton Hotel, 833 7th Ave. (53rd St.), Metropolitan Room West, 2nd Floor ª Panel hosted by Victor Pate, National Action Network NYC Chapter Second Chance Program, with Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP
Moderator: Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin, Women’s Prison Association
Panel: Tyrell Muhammad, Prison Visiting Project, Correctional Association Of NY
Eddie Rosario, Prison Visiting Project, Correctional Association Of NY
Laura Whitehorn, Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign
Judith Brink, Prison Action Network, Building Bridges
Barbara Inniss, Sparkles Of Joy Ministries
Rosa Soldana, Health Care Solution Specialist
Friday, March 28, 2014 • Symposium• 10:00 am to 5:15 pm • Reducing Incarceration: Endless Punishment, Long-Term Sentences, & Aging in Prison…OR Release & Reentry
Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th St., 8th Fl., Manhattan (A/C/1 to 168th St.)
NEW: Video of this event
Saturday, March 8, 2014 · 4:00 to 5:30 pm • RAPP Panel at Beyond the Bars Conference: OUR ELDERS BEHIND BARS, OUR FAMILIES DIVIDED
Columbia University School of Social Work • 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan (between120 & 121st St) • The number of incarcerated elders in New York and nationally continues to rise as people with long sentences age. Yet incarcerated elders pose the lowest risk to public safety and could contribute mightily to bettering our communities. • How does continued incarceration and perpetual punishment affect elders, their families, friends and communities? AND: How can we win their release and heal our families and communities? Speakers include: Larry White, formerly incarcerated • Barbara Inniss, family member • Dequi Kioni-Sadiki, family member • Tyrrell Muhammad, formerly incarcerated • Ariane Davisson, Columbia grad student • Moderator: Laura Whitehorn, formerly incarcerated; RAPP organizer • Watch the video at March 8, 2014: Our Elders Behind Bars
Friday-Saturday, October 4-5, 2013 • Religion, Abolition, and Mass Incarceration
Cornell University • Two-day conference featuring papers by professors of religion from around the country; keynote plenary panel on activism included Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP; Prisoners Are People Too/PRP2; Decarcerate PA; Ithaca Catholic Workers