Those who were behind the Feb. 28 Town Hall forum — in all, 24 groups — deserve our praise for helping to answer that question. All groups are listed below. Guided by the chief sponsor, the Vision 2020 Diversity Task Group, those involved brought together an impressive panel, who raised key questions, stated relevant facts and provided telling personal stories.
It’s unfortunate that Peniel Joseph could not make it. Those who heard him speak at the 2014 Martin Luther King birthday observance will attest to his soaring words about mass incarceration.
The Town Hall forum was an effective way to extend the energy raised at the Black Lives Matter rally in Arlington Center in December.
Some ways to move forward
That energy continues to ask: What can we do? The forum’s program provides some steps you can take.
Listen carefully to your neighbors: Pay close attention when people tell you about their experiences. Feeling heard and understood can make a huge difference.
Know whom to contact in Arlington
If you learn of an incident that merits wider attention, support those involved by helping them contact one or more of the following groups:
• Arlington’s Human Rights Commission, which promotes equal treatment of all individuals and provides a mechanism for addressing complaints related to bias, prejudice, or discrimination.
Website: www.arlingtonhumanrights.org. Email: info [at] arlingtonhumanrights.org
• Arlington’s Vision 2020 Diversity Task Group, whose mission is to help make Arlington a welcoming community for all. Some of its members also serve on the Superintendent of Schools’ Diversity Advisory Committee. Contact: Miriam Stein at miriam.stein [at] comcast.net or 781-648-0255.
• Arlington’s Police Department, which concerns itself with the quality of life in Arlington and the safety of every individual. In addition to the 911 emergency number, they can be reached at 781-643-1212 (24-hour police dispatch) or 781-316-3900 (police administration).
To contact Chief Ryan directly, call 781-316-3901 or email him at fryan [at] town.arlington.ma.us.
• Mystic Valley Branch of the NAACP, which covers Arlington, Medford, Everett, Woburn and Winchester. Website: mva-naacp.org. Email for Branch President Neil Osborne, neil.osborne [at] mva-naacp.org.
Network to stay informed
• The Diversity Task Group’s email list keeps its members informed about related events in Arlington. To join this list, sign up tonight or contact Miriam Stein at miriam.stein [at] comcast.net or 781-648-0255.
• To receive weekly emaiIs about what is going on in Massachusetts and how you can help, sign up for the Criminal Justice Policy Coalition list at www.cJpc.org.
Educate Yourself and Others
• Talk with people about your concerns. Share what you’ve learned along with your questions – you don’t have to be an expert to start a good conversation.
• Read Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and locks up five times as many people as we did in 1980. This powerful book explains why. You can also follow the author on Facebook.
Help change relevant laws
• Ask your state and national legislators to support less punitive and more equitable criminal justice policies. They want to hear from you.
• Attend “A Road Map Towards Justice: How to End Mass Incarceration in Massachusetts,” Saturday, March 14, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., at First Parish Arlington, 630 Mass. Ave. You will learn about legislation that could soon become law and how you can help make our criminal justice system (direr and more effective. Speakers include members of Arlington’s legislative delegation and prominent prisoner advocates.
This workshop is organized by First Parish’s Mass Incarceration Working Group. Email: end-mass-incarceration [at] firstparish.info.
• Read Make Your Voice Matter with Lawmakers: No Experience Necessary, by Miriam Stein. Available at the Book Rack.
Volunteer to work with individuals in the criminal-justice system
Several local groups train and support volunteers who teach classes in prison (financial literacy, computer skills, alternatives to violence, etc.) and help in a variety of ways from outside, thus increasing the chances that people returning from prison will succeed in creating good lives for themselves and their families. Five such groups are:
• The Alternatives to Violence Project (www.avpma.org)
• Concord Prison Outreach (www.concordprisonoutreach.org)
• Our Prison Neighbors (www.ourprisonneighbors.org)
• Partakers, which coordinates volunteers to mentor prisoners as they take courses and work toward a college degree through Boston University (www.partakers.org)
• The ManKind Project of New England, which conducts experiential programs to help men lead effective lives and offers specialized trainings in prisons (www.newengland.mkpusa.org; email brooks [at] harrelson.net)
Those who brought the forum to you
Organized by the Arlington Vision 2020 Diversity Task Group, the forum had 24 co-sponsors. They were:
Arlington Baha’i Community, Arlington Board of Selectmen, Arlington Human Rights Commission, Arlington International Film Festival, Arlington Public Schools, Calvary Church United Methodist, Center for Jewish Life ArlingtonBelmont, Church of Our Saviour, Drikung Meditation Center, First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington, Highrock Covenant Church, League of Women Voters of Arlington, ManKind Project of New England, Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Observance Committee of Arlington, Mystic Valley Branch of the NAACP, Park Avenue Congregational Church United Church of Christ, Robbins Library, St. Agnes Parish, St. Athanasius the Great Greek Orthodox Church, St. Eulalia Parish, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Temple Emunah, Lexington and Trinity Baptist Church
Brief biographies of the Feb. 28 panel
Fred Ryan, M.A. Public Administration and graduate of the FBI National Academy, has been Arlington’s chief of police since 1999. Guided by a problem-solving approach, the motto “Proactive & Proud,” and his commitment to community policing, transparency, and accountability, in 2000 he reorganized the Police Department into three divisions: Community Services (deployment of personnel), Support Services (training & support), and Professional Standards (information technology, policies, quality control). The APD is an active participant in the restorative justice program known as CR4J.
Frank Rudy Cooper, J.D., is the author of more than 20 scholarly works, including his co-edited Masculinities and Law: A Multidimensional Approach (2012). His research interests lie at the intersection of criminal procedures, cultural studies, critical race feminism and masculinities studies, especially as applied to policing men of color. Prior to teaching he was a federal district court judicial clerk and practiced law.
Don Perry is a Massachusetts parolee and lead organizer of Project: Operation Change, a campaign to reform our state parole system. Episode 5 of Al Jazeera America’s documentary, “The System,” featured his experiences as both a poster child for reintegration and a person trapped in a dysfunctional parole system that needs systemic changes.
Bonie Bagchi Williamson, Ph.D., is Interim dean of student life at Northern Essex Community College. Raised in India, she specialized in postcolonial literature, focusing on Africa and the Caribbean. Her professional life has centered on serving first-generation college students and immigrant populations.
The moderator was David Whitford, a senior writer at Inc. magazine in the mid-1990s and recently returned as an editor-at-Iarge. Between tours at Inc., he was an award-winning feature writer for Fortune and Fortune Small Business. An Arlington resident, he has for several years moderated the public conversation series sponsored by Arlington Community Education.
This viewpoint was published Wednesday, March 4, 2015.
