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NYC News Summer 2014 NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD New York City News NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD – NYC CHAPTER SUMMER 2014 Mass Incarceration Launches Parole Preparation Project The NLG-NYC Mass Incarceration six to nine months. date to look at risk, rehabilitation, readiness Committee (MIC) has had an exciting sum- Volunteers will collaborate with parole for release, and an array of other factors mer! On June 11th, we held a training for applicants to gather necessary documentation when determining an individual’s eligibility volunteers interested in participating in for upcoming parole hearings, and work with for release, disproportionately emphasizing the Parole Preparation Project. The Project them on practicing for the actual interview. the seriousness of an individual’s crime of aims to pair volunteers (law students, social Volunteers will also support volunteers in conviction. The results are both unlawful workers, family and friends of incarcerated soliciting meaningful letters of support from and unethical. This flawed system weakens persons among others) with individuals who friends, family, co-workers, and the Project morale among those who have worked hard face long prison sentences and have been will write letters of support as well. to rehabilitate themselves only to find their repeatedly denied parole. Approximately 40 The Project exists in response to our efforts go unrewarded as they are repeatedly people attended the training, most commit- broken New York State parole system. The denied release. ting to working on the project over the next Board of Parole routinely violates its man- In addition, in part because of parole denials, nearly 9,000 elderly persons remain incarcerated throughout New York. Though these individuals recidivate at the low rate INSIDE THIS ISSUE: of approximately 3%, and many suffer from COMMITTEE UPDATES ................................................................................................. 2 serious, life-threatening health issues, the Animal Rights Committee Update Cookbook Board of Parole has repeatedly shown a lack Labor and Employment Provides Programs for Workers Advocates of common sense and human decency by SPRING FLING 2014 ................................................................................................... 3-5 refusing to grant their release. The members of the NLG-NYC Mass GUILD IN ACTION ......................................................................................................... 6 Incarceration Committee are dedicated to fight- MEMBER NEWS ............................................................................................................. 7 ing these inhumane Parole Board practices. Not IN MEMORIAM: ALLAN BOTSHON ............................................................................ 8 only does the Parole Preparation Project aim to enable more individuals to be released, we hope A NOTE OF APPRECIATION TO THE NLG MEMBERSHIP to galvanize more individuals to participate in BY HEIDI BOGHOSIAN FOR ITS TRADITION OF SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE ........ 9 the fight against mass incarceration. CONGRATULATIONS LAW SCHOOL GRADUATES! .................................................. 9 To increase our capacity to move this work forward, the Committee has enlisted the help of two summer volunteers, Claude Heffron and Cristina Lee. Both are commit- ted to social justice and are working hard to coordinate volunteers and parole applicants in addition to preparing materials to simplify the parole preparation process. On another front, the Mass Incarceration Committee participated in the Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC)’s Lobby Day for their HALT Solitary Confinement Act, A.8588A / S.6466A. More than 140 people attended with CAIC, meet- ing with 70 legislators and participating in a statewide Rally Against Prison Injustice Please consider joining us in support of the HALT Solitary Confinement Bill and our effort to assist individuals seeking parole. For more information about meetings, becoming a part of the NLG-NYC Mass Incarceration Jan Susler, Hillary Exter, Daniel Meyers, Ellen Friedland, Kafahni Nkrumah, and Natasha Bannan Committee, or volunteering with the Parole march in the Puerto Rican Day Parade (see Guild in Action). Preparation Project, please contact Nora at [email protected]. NATIONAL COMMITTEES UPDATE LAWYERS GUILD New York City News EDITORIAL BOARD Bruce K. Bentley Michael Fahey Animal Rights Activism Committee Susan C. Howard Ben Meyers Paul Mills Completes Social Justice Cookbook Ann M. Schneider Graphic Design: Judith Rew In the 1970’s, the National Lawyers Guild com- Chapter OffiCers piled members’ favorite recipes and published the president Guild’s first-ever Social Justice Cookbook. The SOCIAL Elena L. Cohen last copy was sold at the 2013 Spring Fling. Now, Vice presidents the NYC Chapter of the NLG Animal Rights JUSTICE Yetta G. Kurland Activism Committee is thrilled to announce the Mark Taylor completion of an updated edition of this radical COOKBOOK treasurer cookbook, highlighting how today’s struggles Carl Lipscombe against oppression and inequality are directly eXeCUtiVe COMMittee related to what we eat. Beena Ahmad Bina Ahmad The personal is political. Each time we sit Susan Barrie down to eat, we make not solely a personal Bruce K. Bentley choice, but also a political one. This second edi- Robert J. Boyle tion of the Social Justice Cookbook addresses a Hillary Exter Cristina Gallo variety of food justice issues, including environ- Lauren Gazzola mental issues, sustainability, affordable access to Emily Hoffman healthy food as a right and not a privilege, and Susan C. Howard Joel R. Kupferman animal liberation. Rose Regina Lawrence As with other food justice and social justice Devin McDougall issues, eating animals is no more a personal choice Sally Mendola than oppressing other humans is a personal Ben Meyers Daniel L. Meyers “choice”. This cookbook aims to show animals as Ann M. Schneider living, loving, and loved individuals, rather than national lawyers guild Geoff Schotter as meals. On a broader scale, we hope this cook- Heidi J. Siegfried Marc Alain Steier book begins to make long-overdue connections Martin R. Stolar between the radical Left and animal liberation. scientific torture/experimentation. We hope that, Susan C. Howard If we are truly an anti-oppression movement, next time you sit down to eat, you make compas- Executive Director then we stand in solidarity with all beings sub- sionate choices—and we hope that this cookbook jected to violence and oppression worldwide: the COMMittee CONtaCts helps you do that. undocumented, the incarcerated, communities of anti-racism Committee Garrett Wright color, the occupied, political dissidents, and those Copies will be available for purchase at the National whose bodies are treated merely as reproductive Convention, or e-mail us at [email protected] to animal rights Committee animalrights at nlg.org machines, fabric, entertainment, food, and for pre-order your copy today! environmental Committee Joel Kupferman feminist Caucus feministcaucus at nlgnyc.org Labor and Employment Committee housing Committee Steven Dobkin Labor and employment Committee Offers Programs for Workers Advocates Cristina Gallo This summer the Labor & State, the limits on concerted campaigns, and the scope of the Mass Defense Committee Employment Committee (LEC) activity under the Taylor Law protection of this activity under Bruce Bentley, Ben Meyers continued to provide educational and the impact of those lim- OSHA and the NLRA. Mass incarceration Committee programs for workers’ rights its, and current issues regarding Building the Guild was on Nora Carroll advocates in the New York City whether charter school teachers the LEC’s agenda, too. On May Military Law Committee area. On June 18, the LEC and are covered under federal or state 22, the LEC hosted a happy hour Aaron Frishberg the Cardozo School of Law Labor labor law. to congratulate our members in Muslim Defense project Bina Ahmad and Beena Ahmad & Employment Society co-spon- Then on July 22, the LEC the graduating class of 2014. sored a CLE at CWA Local 1180 organized Workers’ Rights on The LEC also gathered current Newsletter Committee Susan Howard entitled Organizing the Public the Job: Safety and Health Issues, law students, LEC members, Next Generation Committee Sector: Recent Developments hosted by Outten & Golden LLP. and others in the workers’ nextgen at nlgnyc.org and Future Challenges. The The session focused on the criti- rights community for its annual street Law team panelists covered the history of cal relationship between OSHA Labor & Employment Intern Hannah Mercuris public sector bargaining and and the NLRA, the practical Reception at Outten & Golden organizing in New York City and use of health and safety law in LLP on June 12. 2 • NatioNal lawyers Guild-NyC News • WWW.NLGNYC.ORG SUMMER 2014 SPRING FLING 2014 President’s Welcome these are the weLCOMiNG reMarks by Chapter presiDeNt eLeNa L. COheN at this year’s spriNG fLiNG ON May 9th at riVersiDe ChUrCh. Welcome to the National Lawyers Guild-NYC Chapter’s Guild’s struggle for social justice, both in New York City and 2014 Spring Fling! This year, we are delighted to honor the well past our borders. Center for Constitutional Rights’ Floyd v. City of New York I am also extremely proud of the New York City Chapter for team, Jonathan Moore, and law student Alex Gorman. As beginning to discuss how animal issues fit within the Guild’s you will read in the articles
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