MOBB United Action in SUPPORT of Raise the AGE, NY
Background: M.O.B.B. United for Social Change has been supporting the Raise the Age initiative which was recently passed into law by the New York Legislature. The law represents a major change in how the state deals with 16 and 17 year old defendants, diverting the majority of those cases to Family Court or to judges with access to social services and special training dealing with youth.
Before passage, New York was only one of two states to view 16 and 17 year olds as adults in criminal court. Now that this proposal has become law, Republicans in the state Senate say changes are needed and are threatening to make changes to the Bill.
MOBB United for Social Change is working to change the perception of black boys and other boys of color and we are on a mission to change the policies that disproportionately impact them. We need you to act now and contact members of the New York Senate to let them know the law, as passed must stand AS IS.
CALL TO ACTION - # ProtectThem by keeping the Raise the Age NY initiative AS IS!
After a year of negotiations, and being passed into law, Republicans are now threatening to change the Raise the Age proposal that was just passed into law.
No changes must be made. The initiative must remain, AS IS.
No appeals to fear, no half-steps. AS IS.
No time for delay, no more insider games. AS IS.
Below is a list of members of the New York State Senate to urge them to ensure that the proposal remains intact and the intent of the below is not changed.
Please call all Senators but key Senators to target include:
Senator Pat Gallivan
Phone: 518-455-3471
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan
Phone: 518-455-2071
Here are talking points for a conversation with senators:
- My name is _____________________ I'm calling from MOBB United for Social Change
- MOBB United has brought together near 170,000 concerned mothers who want to change the perceptions of black men and black boys and impact policies that negatively affect our sons - black boys and black men.
- Last month the New York Legislature passed among the nation’s strongest measures to raise the age, making NY the 49th state to stop trying all 16 year olds as adults. This will impact thousands of children each year, particularly our sons – black men and boys – who tend to be disproportionately impacted by criminal justice systems.
- I am a mom of a black boy and I am concerned about these issues because there is data showing that black men and boys do not commit crimes at rates higher than any other racial group, yet they are more likely to brought before the criminal justice system.
- No changes must be made to the Raise the Age proposal. The proposal underwent several months of vetting and hearings leading up to the vote. The bill that was passed into law was subject to several compromise changes and any additional changes would undermine the original intent of the proposal.
- Thank you for your continued support. Can I count on you to keep the proposal AS IS?