Support Rev. Joy Powell
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 13:30 — vikki
Rev. Joy Powell is a pastor and an anti-violence activist from Rochester, New York. She has organized against police brutality in her city. When she was attacked, the Rochester police were (unsurprisingly) unhelpful and Rev Powell threatened to go to Internal Affairs. She was then charged with two counts of first degree burglary and assault in the second degree.
More about her case is here: http://www.freejoypowell.org/
and
one of her supporters talks about her case here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empresschi/2011/06/12/nu-day-resurrection-a... (the section about Rev Joy Powell is about 10 minutes into the program).
Please write the judge asking for leniency for Rev. Joy Powell, who will be sentenced August 1st:
Judge James P. Punch
Supreme Court,
Courthouse Square, suite 3
1 S. Main St.,
Albion, NY 14411-1497
Some talking points:
- Dedicated activist using non-violent protest as her weapon for 12 years (from '95 release, until 2006)
- Owned hair salon, which she used as a safe haven for local youth. Fed them after school and during the Summer, taught anti-violence classes there, organized candlelight vigils for victims of neighborhood violence, "scared-straight" prison visits, neighborhood clean-ups and had the children perform anti-violence skits.
- Her agitation around police murder of mentally ill community members led to the creation of an "Emergency Response Team," which was comprised of mental health professionals with training in dealing with such individuals, and was to be dispatched first when such calls were received by police.
- Became a pentecostal pastor, after turning her life around after her 3 year sentence for controlled substance.
- She is innocent!
Reverend Joy Powell 07g0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 1000
Bedford Hills, NY 10507-2499