Long Walk to Freedom: Neighbor to Neighbor organizes a 50-mile walk to break the chains of criminal injustice
Worcester to Boston, MA — From Sunday, May 18th through Thursday, May 22nd, Neighbor to Neighbor members from across the state will join a grassroots coalition on a historic 50-mile walk for freedom. Marchers will join local officials in calling on the State Legislature to pass a package of reforms at the local and state levels to end discrimination based on criminal records, and alleviate the crisis of jobs and housing throughout the Commonwealth.
The walkers will cover 11miles a day, stopping in towns along the way to hold vigils with local community residents. Once they reach Lexington on Tuesday, May 18, the walkers will follow the route that Paul Revere rode when he organized citizens of the Commonwealth to defend their freedom in 1775.
Weaknesses in the current CORI laws allow for blanket discrimination based on the existence of a criminal record. This creates enormous obstacles for people trying to obtain jobs, housing, and acceptance into licensure and educational programs. Over 20,000 people are released from incarceration in Massachusetts every year. When criminal records prevent people from earning an honest living, families suffer, crime increases, and the State loses revenue.
With low-income single mothers as the face of criminal record reform, the movement is gaining momentum: Governor Patrick signed an Executive Order earlier this year to establish fair hiring guidelines for state agencies, and numerous cities and towns adopting similar policies.
“The overuse and misuse of CORI information traps tens of thousands of Massachusetts families in poverty and fear,” says Carmen de los Santos, Neighbor to Neighbor member and Springfield resident. “CORI is not tough on crime or criminals, only on people who are trying to work and support our families.”
WHERE / WHEN
- Sunday, May 18, 9:30 am – Send-off and Press Conference at Worcester City Hall
- Monday, May 19 5:30 p.m. – Vigil and Speak-out at Peace Lutheran Church in Wayland
- Tuesday, May 20 7:30 p.m. – Vigil and Speak-out at Church of the Redeemer, Lexington
- Thursday, May 22 9:00 a.m. – Rally at Bunker Hill Community College, Charlestown
- 2:30 p.m. – Press Conference on steps of the State House, Boston
Partial List of Supporters: The Boston Workers Alliance, AFL-CIO of Massachusetts, Action for Boston Community Development, Rosa Parks Human Rights Committee, Boston School Bus Union, City Life / Vida Urbana, Community Change Inc., Community Church of Boston, Criminal Justice Policy Coalition, Democracy Center, Dorchester People for Peace, Ex-prisoners & Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA), Jobs With Justice, Juvenile Justice Center, Massachusetts Alliance to Reform CORI (MARC), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Massachusetts Mothers On the Move, Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery (MOAR), Neighbor to Neighbor, Massachusetts, Oiste!, Partakers Inc., Prisoner Re-entry Working Group, Rosie’s Place, SEIU Local 509 Human Service Workers, SEIU Local 615 Building Service Workers, STRIVE, Inc., Student Labor Action Movement, Teen Empowerment, Urban League of Eastern Mass., United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1445, & United Youth and Youth Workers of Boston, Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse, Inc
####
It’s been said that Derby Day is the day when the city of Louisville comes alive. Thousands of people flock to the city to participate in numerous Derby festivities, including what’s known as derby cruising. However, for the predominately-Black area of Louisville known as the West End, their freedom to enjoy this day was squashed when the Louisville Metro Police Department shut down 35 blocks in an attempt to keep young Blacks from cruising. 
