Hello friends and neighbors,
We are an abolitionist group in Franklin County working to build community safety. We invite you to our next virtual meetup for care providers who are interested in stopping systemic cycles of harm and providing care in a just and liberatory way.
You might have signed our Petition to Fund Community-led Crisis Support Programs or otherwise expressed interest in connecting with us, so I want to let you know about our next virtual meetup.
WHEN: Saturday, May 21, 3-5pm. Sign up on Action Network for the zoom link.
WHO: Care providers who are interested in the intersection of care provision, state violence, and social justice. We welcome community members and professionals, including social workers, therapists and counselors, nurses, doctors, birth workers, holistic practitioners, EMTs, patient care advocates, domestic violence advocates, mental health advocates, direct Service/direct care workers, CNAs, home health aides, medical assistants and secretaries, healthcare technicians, and phlebotomists. We’re based in western Massachusetts but everyone is welcome wherever you are.
WHAT: Meet and discuss ways we can support each other to grow our understanding and practice of abolitionist, people-centered care across our region in an on-going way.
WHY: To build holistic care practices and move away from punitive, coercive policies and practices entangled in policing and other systems of control. We have become deeply concerned with how policing and social control reach deep into care provision practices. We follow the leadership of Black abolitionist organizers who highlight ways to build community well-being and self-determination by steering care practices away from policing and police-like interventions. We are looking for providers as partners to support each other in working within coercive care systems and advocating for legislative action to create the systems we need. To see what else we are working on, visit https://peoplesbudgetgreenfield.com/updates/.
Please reach out if you’d like to propose agenda items or goals/dreams for our meetup, or just bring them with you to the event!
We look forward to connecting with you.
In solidarity,
Caroline on behalf of the Crisis Response Working Group