January 2023 Newsletter: Prison Abolition & Immigration

Jan 18, 2023 | Prison Abolition & Immigration

The Prison Abolition and Immigration Working Group partners with allied organizations fighting the state violence that tears apart communities. We are a small working group, offering support where we can, and encouraging comrades in our DSA network to engage with and add some momentum to actions happening in the Boston area.

We were ecstatic at the victory of Question 4 last quarter! The ballot question reaffirmed voters’ support for Licenses for All in the face of xenophobes who sought to overturn the law. The Licenses for All campaign was hard-fought for years, and our past and present members joined the large Driving Families Forward coalition to help win the campaign. When the ballot initiative threatened to undo that work, we also joined the canvassers to knock doors and talk to voters about protecting this important step forward.

This quarter, we are preparing to support efforts in favor of the newly re-filed prison moratorium bill. The campaign will kick off on January 30 and is led by The National Council and Families for Justice as Healing. In organizers’ words, it will focus on “holding the line against the ongoing attempts by Massachusetts to build a new women’s prison”. Meanwhile, we are outraged at the murder of Sayed Arif Faisal at the hands of Cambridge cops. We are paying attention to the situation and looking for ways we might be able to offer meaningful support. As is the case in too many places, the government’s failure to fully implement popular reforms that reduce the presence of armed police and prisons enabled this tragedy. We also continue to urge DSA members and the public to support such efforts, including moving to civilian construction details and releasing women from MCI-Framingham.

If you’re interested in getting involved, you can sign up to join our mailing list to get notified of our meetings. We always welcome new members and new ideas at our meetings!