The road to a better tomorrow
begins with us today
Character, capability, and drive should determine one’s future
Be proud of what makes you you, and in doing so let others know your experience is your strength. What they see at a glance cannot be allowed to determine your value and the impact you’ll have on the world. It’s your strength within that defines what you’ll become.
News
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Blocking a Harmful CBA
When the City of Poughkeepsie and the PBA (police union) were negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), you heeded the call and engaged around modernized police practices. This led to a revised CBA that addressed community concerns, something that has seldom been accomplished, ever, anywhere in the country. Though the CBA that ultimately was approved also disappoints, it was a substantial improvement over the prior one. Most importantly, we stood up for what's right and demonstrated the power of community!
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Discriminatory Policing
Our central objective for 2021 was a comprehensive report of findings and recommendations to reform and reimagine policing in Poughkeepsie in accordance with Executive Order 203 issued by then-Governor Cuomo in 2020. EF coordinated thousands of hours of dedicated volunteer labor that exposed concrete evidence of bias-based policing practices being the norm. EF has referred the matter to the the following agencies: The US Department of Justice, the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of NY, and the office of the NYS Attorney General.
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A More Inclusive Holiday Event
When the City of Poughkeepsie police wanted to drive Santa around a community of color to visit low-income housing residents in a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) government surplus vehicle - a tank - the community came together and responded. After much public discussion, and a good deal of listening by public officials, perspectives shifted and the event did not go on as originally planned,
Action Alert: Youth Funding in PK
PCAC pushed for transformative change for Poughkeepsie youth in the final weeks of 2021. We knew that this city could not continue a norm of dramatically underfunding, and in some years simply not funding at all, youth services and activities. We see it every day. Dedicating just 2%-3% of Poughkeepsie’s budget to young people would have increase funding from $140,000 in 2021 to $2-$3 MILLION in 2022. Hundreds of you in the City of Poughkeepsie joined us in imagining the possibilities and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! - and we got a lot of what we asked for!
Programs and Initiatives
S8223: The Equitable NY Act
EF’s on-going initiative to ensure passage of the Equitable NY Act, which aims to render current employment discrimination laws more effective by providing transparency and an understanding of rights to the average worker. It's also designed to keep taxpayer dollars out of the hands of employers who perpetuate discrimination against vulnerable groups by empowering the victims to respond.
Covid-19 in NYS Prisons
The first crisis we addressed was the COVID-19 pandemic. EF published regular reports and analyses concerning COVID-19 in NYS prisons. In addition to being publicly disseminated, these reports were given attention by NYS legislative staff and elected officials.
Civilian Oversight of Police
Concurrent with national outrage and protests in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, EF was asked to draft legislation to establish a Civilian Review Board (CRB) in the City of Poughkeepsie. By coming together with community groups and prominent agents of change in Poughkeepsie as well as recognized experts in the subject from outside of Poughkeepsie, priorities were identified that would be incorporated into the legislative text. The legislation leverages circumstances unique to the City of Poughkeepsie that allow for an entity other than the police department to initiate disciplinary action against law enforcement officers.
Leading the EO203 Response
On June 12, 2020, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed Executive Order 203, requiring local governments in New York State to adopt community-driven police reforms. Recognizing that local government and the police department had failed to reinvent policing in Poughkeepsie for over half a century, EF formed a coalition that tapped into a recognition of the need for change more broadly and would ultimately become the Poughkeepsie Community Action Collaborative (PCAC).
We brought the community together - over fifty individuals affiliated with dozens of nonprofits and organizations participated in the PCAC's general meetings and behind the scenes. For me, this level of community passion and drive may have been the most astonishing and inspiring feat.
— Brian Robinson, EF President
Contact
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Email
info@equitablefuture.org