The Freedom Unshackled Coalition is convening a statewide Zoom organizing meeting on to mobilize support for Senate Bill S8856, legislation introduced by Senator Julia Salazar — Assemblymember Gabriela Romero is carrying the Assembly version — to establish County Law Enforcement Civilian Complaint Review Boards across New York State. For far too long, violence in correctional settings has been framed almost exclusively around state prisons and Rikers Island, while county correctional facilities across New York have operated with little to no oversight, despite widespread reports of brutal beatings, denial of legal visits, unsafe conditions and medical neglect inflicted on incarcerated people by correctional officers.

This meeting will review the purpose and urgency of the legislation, its current status in the Senate Local Government Committee and the need for coordinated statewide action to bring transparency and accountability to county jails. Organizations are urged to attend and to share this invitation broadly with partners and networks committed to justice and human rights.