Events

#FREEnewyork Buffalo Town Hall 

On any given day, 25,000 New Yorkers are caged in county jails across our state. The abuse that occurs in these jails is rampant. Human rights violations, racial disparity, violence, and medical neglect are commonplace. Our jails are unjust, unsafe and inhumane. Despite a steady decrease in crime, numerous county jails have grown – some even doubling in size.

Erie County alone jails 1,200+ people daily. Shamefully, 63%have not been convicted. They are legally innocent but caged because they cannot afford bail and trapped because their Constitutional rights to Due Process and a fair and speedy trial are routinely violated. This is a mockery of justice, and New Yorkers deserve better.

No one should sit in jail because they cannot afford bail. No one should wait months or years for trial. No one should be denied critical information about their case.

Join the #FREEnewyork campaign for a Town Hall to:

• Discuss how jail injustice impacts our communities
• Hear from #FREEnewyork campaign leaders who have been directly impacted by our broken bail, speedy trial, and discovery laws
• Learn how you can help fight back against New York State's mass criminalization 
• Take action to win real change

Together, New Yorkers across the state are building a safer, more just world that invests in communities, not incarceration. Join us.

Dinner + refreshments provided at 5:30

This event is powerfully co-sponsored by: OPEN Buffalo, Black Love Resists in the Rust, Citizen Action, Buffalo Anti-Racist Coalition, Prisoners Are People Too, PUSH Buffalo, VOICE Buffalo, Partnership for the Public Good, and JustLeadershipUSA

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE.

What is the #FREEnewyork campaign?

With 110+ partner organizations representing 20+ counties, directly impacted membership across the state, and the support of more than 130 faith leaders, the #FREEnewyork campaign is shifting the political landscape to bring justice to communities that have been devastated by mass incarceration for far too long. Together, we are fighting for bold bail, speedy trial, and discovery legislation that decarcerates our jails and transforms our criminal justice system into one that is just, transparent, and equitable. Our work is driven by the voices of people directly impacted by mass incarceration. Learn more here.