MEDIA ADVISORY: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2019
Contact: Melissa Mansfield (mmansfield@skdknick.com) 518.339.7769
TOMORROW AT HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: VAN JONES, SENATOR KEVIN THOMAS, FELLOW LONG ISLAND LAWMAKERS DISCUSS NEED FOR FAIR, SAFE COMPREHENSIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FOR NY
As New York State Budget Deadline Looms, New Yorkers United for Justice Joins Key Advocates and Long Island Legislators to Highlight Positive Impact of Criminal Justice Reform on NY Communities
NYUJ in the Midst of Half-Million Dollar Public Education Campaign Focused on Informing Long Islanders on What’s at Stake as NY Considers Criminal Justice Reform
Hempstead, NY – Van Jones, CNN host, CEO of REFORM Alliance, and an architect of the recently signed bipartisan First Step Act will partner with New Yorkers United for Justice and New York State Senator Kevin Thomas (D-Levittown), members of the Long Island delegation and legal and safety experts at Hofstra University on Friday March 1st, at 9am to discuss fairness and safety as New York evaluates sweeping reforms to the state’s criminal justice system.
New Yorkers United for Justice comes to Hofstra at a key moment in the political discussion around criminal justice reform in New York, and just weeks out from the state budget. The NYUJ coalition is currently in the midst of a half million-dollar ad buy on Long Island focused on the urgent safety benefits of discovery reform – a foundation of any meaningful criminal justice reform package. The conversation with Van Jones and Long Island lawmakers will make the case to constituents that criminal justice reforms under consideration are both safe and fair.
New Yorkers United for Justice—a coalition led by Khalil A. Cumberbatch and Topeka K. Sam, two formerly incarcerated New Yorkers who have dedicated their lives to pushing for commonsense criminal justice reforms—will host the roundtable discussion to address the direct impact of the issue on Long Island communities.
WHO:
• Van Jones, CEO of REFORM Alliance; CNN Host; Nationally Recognized Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
• New York State Senator Kevin Thomas
• Long Island Elected Officials
• Khalil A. Cumberbatch, Chief Strategist, New Yorkers United for Justice
• Topeka K. Sam, Senior Advisor, New Yorkers United for Justice
• Lauren Krisai, Senior Policy Analyst, Coalition for Public Safety
WHAT:
• Roundtable & discussion on criminal justice reform and what it means for Long Island
WHERE:
• Hofstra University
Multipurpose Room, Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center
Hempstead, NY 11550
WHEN:
• Friday, March 1 at 9:00am
# # #