St. Bernard Catholic Church, 1617 Pine St, Appleton
Issue
Do we build more prisons and/or send people to out-of-state institutions at a high cost to taxpayers, or do we institute reform?
State Rep. Evan Goyke, District 18, Milwaukee, will make the case for criminal justice reform. This can be done in a smart way that will benefit our corrections system, save tax-payer dollars, reduce crime and increase public safety.
Presentation & Panel Discussion on:
Invest in Neighborhoods
Prevent Homelessness
Pay for Crime Reduction Without Raising Taxes
Reduce Prison Admissions
Increase Prison Releases
Increase Success on Supervision
Join the ACLU of Wisconsin’s Smart Justice Campaign, WISDOM, EXPO, ESTHER and others at the State Capitol on January 29 to call for change in our criminal justice system.
St. Marks Lutheran Church, 140 S Green Bay Rd, Neenah
Join ACLU of Wisconsin's Director of Community Engagement Emilio De Torre as he walks you through how to exercise your constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement and ICE, as well as how to use them on social media. The event will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Neenah, WI, and is being sponsored by the ACLU of Wisconsin and ESTHER’s Prison Reform Task Force. This presentation is the program for the February 2020 meeting of the Task Force.
A Call to Action from WISDOM Executive Director David Liners:
Dear WISDOM Leaders,
This Wednesday (May 20) at 11 am, it will be time for WISDOM to Storm the Capitol. That is when we need everyone who is concerned about the health of the people in our prisons to contact Governor Evers. Let him know that this is the time to use the authority he has as Governor to safely reduce our prison population by at least 25%, starting with the elderly, the sick, those who pose no danger to society, and those who are due to come home soon anyway.
On the form, you can let us know how you will contact the Governor – by e-mail, by phone, on Facebook, or any way you are comfortable. We will send you back some ideas: talking points, memes, facts, that you can incorporate into your message.
Please share this with others. We need the Governor to understand that there are thousands of us, from all parts of the state, who are very concerned about the inevitable spread of COVID-19 in our prisons, endangering incarcerated people as well as the thousands of people who work in the prisons.
A recent report by the Legislative Reference Bureau made it very clear that Governor Evers has the authority to commute sentences, to grant pardons, and even to defer punishment – and that his authority is only limited by his own policies. You can read that report here: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/lrb_reports/prisoners_emergency_release_4_7.pdf
So, please sign up, please spread the word, and please take action on Wednesday at 11 am to STORM THE CAPITOL.
Other states have begun reducing their prison populations during the Pandemic. Doing so reduces overcrowding and creates at least the possibility for “social distancing” in the prisons. In fact, some states have reduced populations so much that they have announced they will be able to close entire facilities when the pandemic is over.
After some initial positive steps, Governor Evers has taken no further action. Even as we learn that nearly half the men imprisoned at the Waupun prison have contracted COVID-19, he has remained silent.
Join others in the WISDOM network this Saturday to learn more about this urgent crisis in Wisconsin prisons, and what we can do about it. Help us to plan a major day of action on June 18, to remind Governor Evers that he is responsible for ALL Wisconsin residents, including the people who live and work in our prisons.
These are weekly Zoom meetings sponsored by WISDOM and EXPO covering community-organizing approaches and social justice topics of concern in the state and region during the summer of 2020.
In WISDOM, we have been bringing attention to the fact that there are many, many men and women who ought not be in our jails and prisons, especially in the time of a global pandemic. This coming Saturday, we will be looking at another group of our brothers and sisters who ought not be in cages in the first place, but who are at special risk for COVID-19. And, we will learn how we in Wisconsin have a special responsibility for them.
After registering, you will receive a link to use when joining the meeting on Saturday morning.
This past Saturday's Summer of Solidarity program, about Racism in Suburban Schools, was attended by more than 100 people. Let's keep that momentum going. We will be free when all of us are free.
Tentative schedule of future topics:
July 11 – Transportation
July 18 – Housing for Women Returning from Incarceration
July 25 – Voting and Voting Rights
August 1 – Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women
August 8 – Crimeless Revocations
August 15 – Policing
August 22 – Environmental Justice
If you would like to participate in any of these, contact WISDOM (wisdomforjustice@gmail.com) for information about registering for the Zoom presentation.
Join ACLU of Wisconsin's Director of Community Engagement Emilio De Torre as he walks you through how to exercise your constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement and ICE, as well as how to use them on social media. The event will be held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Neenah, WI, and is being sponsored by the ACLU of Wisconsin and ESTHER’s Prison Reform Task Force. This presentation is the program for the February 2020 meeting of the Task Force.
A Call to Action from WISDOM Executive Director David Liners:
After some initial positive steps, Governor Evers has taken no further action. Even as we learn that nearly half the men imprisoned at the Waupun prison have contracted COVID-19, he has remained silent.
