May 18 Legislative Hearing Social Media Guide
Call out Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie & Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for failing to respond to the crisis of COVID-19 in prisons. Most importantly they have not reconvened the legislative session, leaving urgent legislation that would help prevent death by COVID in prison to languish. Today, they are excluding formerly incarcerated community leaders, family members of people in prison and prison reform advocates from the public hearing on COVID-19 in Communities of Color.
TAKE ACTION
Call-in and Email Campaign
Call and email the Speaker and Senate Majority Leader to demand they take action!
Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins:
Phone: 518-455-2585
Email: scousins@nysenate.gov
Assembly Speaker Heastie:
Phone: 518-455-3791
Email: Speaker@nyassembly.gov
Sample call/email script:
“Hello, my name is [insert name here] and I am calling to urge [legislator’s name] to take immediate action to stop the crisis of torture, aging, and death in prison during COVID-19. I am saddened and outraged that legislative leaders refused to include mass incarceration in the hearing on COVID’s impact on communities of color. Now, I demand they immediately reconvene session remotely and pass urgent legislation to help prevent death by COVID and future health crises in prison, including Elder Parole, Fair and Timely Parole, and the HALT Solitary Confinement Act. Thank you.”
[If you are comfortable with it, leave your name and contact info and ask for a response on when the Legislature will reconvene and pass these urgent bills.]
Social Media Campaign: Sample Tweets and Posts
Sample tweet #1:
Today @CarlHeastie & @AndreaSCousins are excluding community leaders from testifying about COVID-19 in NYS prisons at a hearing on the impact of the virus on communities of color. Was Benjamin Smalls not part of our communities? #FreeOurElders #HALTsolitary #StopCovidInPrison
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Sample tweet #2: Today @CarlHeastie & @AndreaSCousins are excluding community leaders from testifying about COVID-19 in NYS prisons at a hearing on the impact of the virus on communities of color. Was Ms. Lulu not part of our communities? #FreeOurElders #HALTsolitary #StopCovidInPrison
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Sample tweet #3: Today @CarlHeastie & @AndreaSCousins are excluding community leaders from testifying about COVID-19 in NYS prisons at a hearing on the impact of the virus on communities of color. Are Robert and his wife not part of our communities? #FreeOurElders #HALTsolitary #StopCovidInPrison
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TEMPLATE TWEET FOR FAMILY MEMBERS WITH LOVED ONES IN PRISON: Today @CarlHeastie & @AndreaSCousins are excluding community leaders from testifying about COVID19 in NYS prisons at a hearing on the impact of the virus on communities of color. Are me and [insert name of loved one] not part of our communities? #FreeOurElders #HALTsolitary #StopCovidInPrison
[insert picture of you and your loved one]
OR
Email a picture of your loved one and basic info (see below) to Melissa at mntanis89@gmail.com and she will share it on RAPP’s twitter account.
OR
Make your own image like the one above using this editable template from Canva, a free design software. When you click on the link, first make a copy of the design (go to file, make a copy) so you can edit the copy instead of the original design. This will help keep the editable template the same so others can use it. And then just follow the instructions in the template!