Activists plan to deliver a petition to Governor Cuomo signed by nearly 10,000 New Yorkers, calling for the establishment of a Commission to examine the impact of the War on Drugs and Mass Incarceration on the state and its people.
The gathering is planned for 11:00 AM on the steps of the Capitol just prior to the delivery of the petitions by Alice Green, Executive Director of The Center for Law and Justice in Albany.
"There's been this war on drugs and mass incarceration that has severely affected people in our communities, particularly urban communities, particularly blacks and Latinos. They're really hurting, but yet they've been sort of ignored by the New York community," said Green.
Green adds delivery of the petition will also serve to kickoff a new statewide campaign to press for the creation of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission fashioned after the one created by Nelson Mandela in South Africa to address the injustices perpetrated under government-sanctioned apartheid.
