N
Continued from Page 5 The proposed budget would close four “We’re seeing greater unity among the
inmates have fought many forest fires, the
prisons. Three are in the northern-most unions, local elected officials, community
ice storm of 1998, floods and Hurricane
reaches of the state: Lyon Mountain in residents and businesses than I can ever
T
I
O
Floyd in 1999. These challenges enhance
Clinton County, Moriah in Essex County recall,” Messer said. “The attendance at
the discipline and education the inmates
and Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County. the meetings is overwhelming and lots of
receive. They see the determination of the
The fourth, Butler, is in Wayne County people want window signs for their cars
staff in accomplishing goals while dealing
near Rochester. and businesses, T-shirts, stickers,
The budget also would merge the anything that spreads the message: Keep
I
L
I
Z
A
with the environment. It inspires them
and helps to build character.”
Annsville and Taberg youth detention their facility open and those paychecks
B
In other words, these facilities are good
centers in Oneida County and coming.”
O
for the inmates and for the communities.
substantially reduce staff and capacity in Back in Albany, Brynien testified at a
That’s why so many townspeople, their
the boys’ unit of Tryon Juvenile Detention joint hearing of the state Senate and
M
locally elected officials and their state
Center in Fulton County and also at the Assembly on the importance of
legislators turned out to support the
Lansing youth facility in Tompkins maintaining these prisons and youth
union members as they mobilized to fight
County. These facilities, too, were part of facilities.
E
R
for their jobs.
the PEF mobilizing tour. PEF is running ads weekly in The
B
Legislative Gazette, and may expand the
campaign to include other media and
areas of the state.
E
M
“We’re all working together, but I really
want to commend our members at these
M
facilities who are not waiting to be
rescued,” Messer said. “They are moving
forward on their own and coming up with
good ideas, such as creating Facebook
pages and causes. At Tryon, their
Facebook causes and petitions have
generated thousands of responses.”
“This is a very steep climb,” Brynien
said, “but when our members mobilize
and focus their amazing talents and
energies on the common goal, I know we
have a good chance of success.”
TRYONJUVENILEDETENTIONCENTER
BLACK&PUERTORICANLEGISLATIVECONFERENCE
—PEFactivistsgreetSen.KirstenGillibrand(above)atthe
annualconferenceofthestateBlackandPuertoRican
legislatorsinAlbanyinFebruary.PEFhasendorsedher
electioninNovember. Atleft,stateAssemblyMember
EarleneHoopertalkswithPEFRegion9CoordinatorVivian
Streetand,atright,PEFactivistsDeniseClement,Debbie
Bush,MaddieShannon-RobertsandVicePresidentsPat
BakerandTomComanzowelcomestateComptrollerTom
DiNapolitothePEFbooth. — Photos by Richard Dillard
Page6—TheCommunicatorMarch 2010 PEFInformationLine:1-800-553-2445
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