Our Movement in Motion
February 15, 2021
National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies.
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
+ VICTORY : On February 2nd, Gov. Cuomo signed bill S1351/A3355 (Holyman/Paulin), which repeals and seals convictions and violations of Penal Law 240.37, referred to as the “Walking While Trans Ban” (WWT). What does this mean? In short, the discriminatory law had allowed and supported law enforcement to specifically profile, target, and apprehend people who trade sex, many of whom are Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ solely based on appearance and how they dressed. The repeal of this law is a small, but critical step in protecting the lives of trans women, particularly Black trans women and other trans women of color. To hear why the passing of the WWT Ban is significant to LGBTQ New Yorker’s we asked our LGBTQ Coordinator, Nathalia Gibbs (they/them) to weigh in:
“The Repeal of the WWT ban is a huge step in recognizing the efforts that trans community leaders have worked tirelessly on, for decades. I am so grateful to have learned from them and been in community with them through this fight. But for legislators, it is the BARE MINIMUM. It should have never been such a fight to provide this small measure of safety for trans folks to walk around without being criminalized. We can only hope the legislators go all the way with this repeal by including language around sealing and vacatur. This is huge in terms of validating the work done by many leaders like TS Candii and others, but there is still much more work being done."
+ EVENT : Foundational Fridays- join us for refreshers on the basics oh harm reduction. with NHRC taking place every Friday from noon – 2PM ET, from February 2021 – April 2021. Join us next Friday, February 19 for Drugs 101- you'll learn basic knowledge about the drugs that are commonly used by participants at Syringe Service Programs. Check out the other sessions and register right from our calendar [[link removed]]
+ WEBINAR : Please join NASTAD Drug User Health for a webinar [[link removed]] with Next Distro [[link removed]] on Wednesday, February 24, 3:00 - 4:15 PM ET. The popularity of distributing harm reduction materials including safer use supplies by mail has grown significantly since COVID-19. Join NASTAD and NEXT Distro for a discussion about values, opportunities, and challenges related to mail-based harm reduction. Members of the NEXT Distro team will provide an overview of program operations, opportunities to collaborate, and discuss how to expand mail-based harm reduction access in local communities. Additionally, Corey Davis from the Network for Public Health Law will be available to provide an overview of the legality of mail-based syringe and naloxone access. Register here. [[link removed]]
#HARMREDNOW
+ BLACK BECOMING: A LEGACY OF HERSTORY : This month, we want to draw from the wisdom of teachers who paved the way, and interrogate what possibilities their wisdom presents for us. Follow us on Instagram all month to connect and share as we explore the wisdom of women leaders throughout harm reduction and intersecting movements. On February 25, we’ll release Black Becoming: A Legacy of HERstory, a free multimedia mini-course, to share your responses and what we learned from each other over the month.
+ HARM REDUCTION LOVE NOTES Harm Reduction is radical love. All week, you've been submitting your #HarmRedLoveNotes. Check out our favorites here and add your own on Twitter [[link removed]] !
POLICY PLUG
+ LEGISLATION : Oregon First State to Decriminalize All Drugs - On November 3rd, 2020 Oregon Passed Measure 110 with over 58% of the vote! The precedent-setting ballot initiative, funded largely by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), decriminalized the possession of heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and other drugs for personal use. Oregonians that have been previously criminalized for drug use and/or possession know that this initiative is just the first step. Possession of drugs is still considered illegal, against the current law in Oregon, but now, it’ll be considered a civil offense and not a criminal one, (meaning that it would result in a fine or court-ordered therapy and not jail time). While Oregon is the first state in North America to decriminalize all illicit drugs, we can only hope that it sets a precedence for other states to follow suit.
+ SAVE THE DATE : NHRC Week of Advocacy - Mark your calendars for March 22nd - 26th, 2021 and join NHRC and our partners! We’re collaborating to host a (virtual) week of advocacy events aimed at: amplifying and passing comprehensive Federal policies; sharing best practices used for local and/or state-wide campaigns; and educating our elected officials, across the board. (Think city council members, all the way up to President Biden himself). The time is now, during these first 100 days, for us to make it clear: how critical funding is for our direct service programs.Now COVID-19 isn’t the only pandemic that we’re working against. How we need strong leadership and evidence-based data to move life-saving policies forward. Now is the time for action! Collectively, we can make a change . Join the NHRC Policy and Advocacy Network [[link removed]]
COUNTERCULTURE
+ PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT : Harm Reduction Coalition Of San Diego County I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for a syringe service program, If not us, then who? If not now, when?” -Tara Stamos-Buesig, Executive Director The Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego (HRCSD On Point)
Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego (HRCSD On Point) is an all-encompassing forum for educating, supporting, empowering, and networking to spread the awareness of the importance of harm reduction and to reduce stigma. HRCSD On Point helped make history recently in San Diego by pushing the County Board of Supervisors to overturn a ban on needle exchanges. More about HRCSD On Point: The Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego County aims to provide harm-reduction services ranging from syringe exchange, prevention education, drug poisoning risk prevention and community referrals. Their harm reduction coalition is composed of members including health care providers, mental health clinicians, activists, students, members of the community at large and most importantly- consumers of harm reduction services. HRCSD On Point operates under a mobile distribution model that brings services directly to individuals. This model eliminates geographic and temporal barriers, as staff can reach parts of the County that would otherwise have no harm reduction programs. On Point provides both home visits and street outreach to maximize the availability of harm reduction services. Furthermore, following best practices, On Point adheres to a needs-based model for syringe distribution, a first for San Diego County. To complement syringe distribution, staff also provide syringe litter cleanup, wound care and safe sex supplies, case management services, and Hepatitis C and HIV testing referrals. Together, these services provide a comprehensive continuum of harm reduction services in currently under-served areas
WORK FOR THE MOVEMENT
+ DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS : Do you want to join a dynamic and growing organization working to advance harm reduction policies and practices across the United States? Do you have an understanding and vested interest in how the nation’s history of racialized drug policies have caused egregious harm to people most vulnerable to structural violence? Do you have the knowledge and skills to support local advocates at the state level and influence federal policies that lead to equity, wellbeing, and liberation for people who use drugs and their communities? The National Harm Reduction Coalition is seeking a dynamic, committed and strategic Deputy Director of Public Affairs to join their leadership team. See the full job description [[link removed]] .
+ 2/9 Communications and Advocacy Intern, Human Impact Partners (Remote)
+ 2/1 NEXT Data Entry Support, NEXT Distro (Remote)
+ 2/1 Legal Fellow, The Network for Public Health Law’s Harm Reduction Legal Project (Remote)
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