TAKE ACTION

Call-in and Email Campaign

Call and email your legislators as well as the Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority Leader to demand they take action!

• Find out who your NYS representatives are and how to contact them here.

• 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:

Hi, my name is _________ and I’m calling/writing to specifically ask________ (Name of your legislator, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie) to support the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice by passing the Elder Parole Bill (S00015) AND the Fair + Timely Parole Act (S1415) to stop the spread and harm associated with COVID-19 behind bars, and provide justice to our incarcerated New Yorkers and their families. 30 people have died from the virus and 10 of those deaths happened within the last month. Governor Cuomo refuses to grant clemencies to save lives despite the fact that the number of incarcerated New Yorkers who died due to COVID outnumbers the amount of clemencies he has granted in 2021 alone. We need the state legislature to pass these COVID-related parole justice reforms before more incarcerated people get sick and die from this deadly virus.

Can __________ (Name of your legislator, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie) commit to supporting the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice and pass this life-saving legislation? Thank you.

Social Media Campaign: Sample Tweets

Sample Take Action Tweet

• 🚨TAKE ACTION: Join The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice Virtual Advocacy Day by calling, emailing, and tweeting at your legislators and NYS legislative leaders. #ParoleJusticeNY

  Find scripts and sample tweets here: https://cuomoletthemgo.com/virtual-advocacy-social-media-guide

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Sample Press Conference Promotion Tweets

• Join The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice TODAY at 12 pm for press conference to call for passage of the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills, the legislative platform of the People’s Campaign.

  Together, these bills will save money & lives.

  bit.ly/Jan27-PressConference

• 🗣️📢 PRESS CONFERENCE, 12 PM TODAY

  Amid a state fiscal crisis & COVID surge behind bars, families impacted by incarceration, victim & survivor advocates, & legislators from across New York State will gather virtually to demand #ParoleJusticeNY.

  ➡️Join: bit.ly/Jan27-PressConference

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Sample Tweets for Demand #1: Elder Parole

• Since @NYGovCuomo refuses to grant mass clemencies, the NYS Legislature must pass Elder Parole to reduce the number of people in prison who are vulnerable to Covid-19 @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins #ParoleJusticeNY

• More than 1,000 people are serving Life Without Parole or virtual life w/out parole sentences (minimum sentence of 50+ years). Elder Parole would give those 55 & older who served at least 15 years an opportunity to show the Parole Board the person they are today. #ParoleJusticeNY

• There is a crisis of aging and dying behind bars in New York. It's immoral, racist, & expensive. The People’s Campaign for #ParoleJusticeNY is calling on lawmakers to pass the Elder Parole bill to save lives amidst deadly Covid-19 outbreaks in NYS prisons.

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Sample Tweets for Demand #2: Fair & Timely Parole

• Mass incarceration is slavery by another name. In New York, we can end it by committing to our collective belief in redemption and personal transformation. #ParoleJusticeNY means being true to our values and providing people in prison with meaningful opportunities for release.

• More than 250 organizations across New York State support The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice and fair and meaningful release opportunities for incarcerated people in NYS prisons. We demand the NYS Legislature pass the Fair & Timely Parole Act THIS SESSION. #ParoleJusticeNY

• The People’s Campaign for #ParoleJusticeNY is supported by many victims and survivors of crime because it promotes healing and justice. We can end mass incarceration and repeated parole denials AND improve community safety at the same time.

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Sample Tweets for Demand #3: Fair & Fully Staffed Parole Board

• While 19 Parole Commissioners are permitted, there are currently only 16 active. The Board interviews more than 11,000 people a year via videoconferences that last an average of 15 minutes. We need a fully staffed Parole Board so Commissioners have time to adequately review cases

• Black & Latinx New Yorkers are far more likely to receive longer sentences and less likely to be released than their similarly situated white counterparts. We need Parole Board Commissioners who better represent the communities of people who appear before them. #ParoleJusticeNY

• While nearly 8,000 people are serving parole-eligible sentences, the NYS Parole Board denies release to majority of incarcerated people who appear before them. We need Parole Commissioners who believe in personal transformation and can assess who people are today #ParoleJusticeNY

Use any of the language above or here to create posts for Instagram and Facebook. Find images sized for Facebook/Instagram here.

Follow the RAPP Campaign on twitter for updates throughout the day: @RAPPCampaign.