Last week, this newsletter was heavily involved in the launch of a campaign called the "Coalition to Stop Jail Expansion." The coalition formed a blog, Facebook page, and flier, and has officially presided over one rally already, the poorly attended monthly rally against jail expansion on Monday (Mar. 11)
The coalition was roundly criticized at Wednesday's (Mar. 13) general End the New Jim Crow (ENJAN) meeting in Poughkeepsie. Most of the criticism was centered around the fact that the idea to launch the coalition was not voted on at an ENJAN meeting, had essentially no additional social weight, and and would fragment the movement against jail expansion rather than building it. As Community Voices Heard organizer Blair Goodman put it, attempting to build a coalition of various relatively weak organizations was, in reality, "in-reach, not outreach."
After hearing these criticisms, we have become convinced of their validity. For too long, the left has been content with declaring various grandiose-sounding initiatives with very little actual influence. ENJAN itself is among the first organizations with real social weight. Democratic, multi-racial, and militant, ENJAN is a network worth building, and we are now convinced that the fight against jail expansion should be fought within the framework of ENJAN as a whole.
Considering this, the editors of this newsletter and others will work on ending the Coalition as an entity independent of ENJAN and building ENJAN itself and its Outreach Committee. As one ENJAN member suggested on Wednesday, "Let's chalk this up to a lesson learned" and move toward building a real movement.
April Meetings of the End the New Jim Crow Network
from ENJAN.org
Kingston: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 8 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
New Progressive Baptist Church
8 Hone St.
Kingston, NY 12401
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
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Poughkeepsie: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 10 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
Family Partnership Center
29 N Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
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Kingston: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 22 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
New Progressive Baptist Church
8 Hone St.
Kingston, NY 12401
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
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Poughkeepsie: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 24 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
Family Partnership Center
29 N Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
from ENJAN.org
Kingston: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 8 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
New Progressive Baptist Church
8 Hone St.
Kingston, NY 12401
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
--------------
Poughkeepsie: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 10 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
Family Partnership Center
29 N Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
--------------
Kingston: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 22 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
New Progressive Baptist Church
8 Hone St.
Kingston, NY 12401
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
--------------
Poughkeepsie: Meeting of End the New Jim Crow Action Committee
Date : 24 Apr 2013 From : 6:00pm To : 7:30pm
The End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN) is a Hudson Valley network dedicated to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass incarceration (the "new Jim Crow").
Location:
Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
Family Partnership Center
29 N Hamilton St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Contact: 845-475-8781 or http://www.enjan.org
