Support H. 492 and S.116 on Town Meeting Day
We wanted to make sure you were equipped to support any efforts you might be planning to propose a resolution for your town to support H492 and S.116 (Racial Justice Oversight Board). The bill proposes a twelve member board under the office of the Attorney General to address institutionalized racism in the criminal justice system. In light of the challenges that we all know that we face in in Vermont with racial disparities in the criminal justice system, we must make a commitment to do the right thing. The language to the resolution is simple.
The adoption of a resolution that supports passing of H.492 and S.116, the bill that proposes to establish the Racial Justice Oversight Board to manage and oversee the implementation of racial justice reform across the State.
FAQs on the bill can be found here.
Go here to read the bill and learn how you can offer your support
Here are some additional things that you can do now to assist in moving this unprecedented legislation forward:
1. Sign the petitions that call for the adoption of these bills. Your signature alerts all members of the legislature:
Petition for H.492
Petition for S.116
2. Call the Sergeant at Arms and leave a message for your legislative delegation and/or the House Judiciary expressing your support for H492 and S.116: 802-828-2228
You can also send an email: jmiller@leg.state.vt.us
3) Send a message to the Judiciary Committee of each chamber expressing your support.
House Judiciary (H.492) – vermont-house-judiciary@googlegroups.com
Senate Judiciary (S.116) – vermont-senate-judiciary@googlegroups.com
4) Mail a postcard to your legislator. Find them here: http://legislature.vermont.gov/people
Finally, Justice For All gathers on the third Thursday of every month, at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier from 6:00 till 8:00 PM. Our next meeting is March 16th.
As you consider where you are investing in social justice issues, remember the racial referendum that we just experienced in our national election. Consider donating to Justice For All, an organically grown, Vermont-based racial justice organization that has been here doing the work over the past couple of years.
Please help us with your membership, provide organizational support or simply provide a contribution. Help us continue this work in Vermont.
Over this past year we worked in a coalition to successfully deliver the Vermont Fair and Impartial Policing Policy for all law enforcement agencies in the state. Our work continues with numerous community outreach activities, Vermont Justice Coalition, Coalition on Racial Justice Reform, the Law Enforcement Professional Regulation Committee and much more but we need your help to continue.
#DecisionPoints is a open source data collection initiative that is underway. This open platform will provide the community access to our data and enable transparency and accountability. Help us with this effort.
Thanks for the outpouring of support.
Mark A. Hughes, Executive Director,
Justice For All Cooperative, Inc
About Justice For All
Justice for All is a racial justice organization, which identifies and dismantles institutionalized racism while facilitating healing in our communities. Our mission is to ensure justice for ALL through community organizing, research, education, community policing, legislative reform, and judicial monitoring. We address systemic issues such as racially biased policing and inequities in the criminal justice system.