"Did You Go Out For The Hands Off Protest The Other Day? Curious About Your Impressions?"

A few friends have asked for my take on the April 5th Hands Off protest that happened last Sunday in Beacon. Due to the recent and increasing number of disappearances for those vocalizing support for Palestine and its liberation, I was reluctant to go. I can’t afford to disappear, as I’d like to remain the primary caregiver to my children.

However, the reporter in me couldn’t stay away. If you don’t know this part of my story, I was scheduled to fly and move to NYC with only a cat sitting job and a couch waiting for me on what became the morning of 9/11. That day, driving back from the Akron airport, not to return to NYC until the following February, I wanted nothing more than to be in NYC to experience what was happening, and report on it.

This article will explore a lot of concepts, but all in all, I am glad the people who went went. It was estimated there were 500-1,000 people. According to one resident with an ear to the ground, the online registration form closed out at 500 signups, which is why it disappeared. According to another ALBB reader who read our protest FAQs, which included exploration of why NATO was on the flyer, said that she did not see any NATO posters.

Several seniors wanted to go and did attend. Despite parking being tight to walk there. Several children were there. Generally, the mood was upbeat, where people do not want to lose their social services and want to retain free speech. Police presence was next to nil except for one car on South Avenue that I saw, and otherwise was peaceful.

While friends in my Palestinian sphere cautioned me from going, I did walk down, albeit without my keffiyeh on. I wanted to be able to move and observe freely, and without showing a target for pickup. As soon as I reached the main crowd, however, I did see other keffiyehs, so turned around to get mine, and head back down.

BEACON AS Beautifully DYSFUNCTIONALLY FUNCTIONAL

On the walk down to Polhill Park, I spoke to a new business owner in town. They were delighted at the foot traffic walking past their store, and could feel the enthusiasm of the soon-to-be protesters headed down with their signs.

They had moved their business from Poughkeepsie to Beacon and were grateful that any opinion could be expressed here in Beacon, even if everyone did not agree. In Poughkeepsie, they said, opinions are locked up tight from being displayed in public. The business owner was here for all of it, and happy to see turn-out against Trump.

A BIT Pali-MELANCHOLY

I passed another friend who was indulging in her golden Matcha Thomas drink, savoring it after Matcha’s brief shutdown when the tariff war randomly started. She was wearing her keffiyeh and while is anti-Trump, couldn’t help but feel the bitterness from seeing all these people out who were not out during Palestinian protests.

The continued silence on the Palestinian genocide is cruel. As we have entered a new phase of punishment for defending humanity, student protesters are getting disappeared and locked up, and now American attorneys representing them getting detained at airports. Demanding their safe return wasn’t a main theme in the protest posters.

This gathering was one of the first times the Beacon Ceasefire crowd merged with the Anti-Ceasefire crowd. Admittingly, it was refreshing to be on the same side again with neighbors who were and still are opposing an end to the genocide, or still saying things like “both sides” or “it’s complicated” or “hostages.” It’s cruel how neighbors aren’t vocalizing for Palestine. If not for protection of fellow Palestinian liberation voices, and for the protection of anti-Zionist Jews, but for the protection of the bedrock of free speech. Which has been shattered with the disappearances of the Pro-Palestine students. In addition to the kidnappings of Brown people who are in America legally.

Don’t you see…? That all of your posts against Trump and Teslas and calling Elon a Nazi, could maybe now get you disappeared too? Don’t you see that Palestine is connected to everything? It’s just a low thud to my heart as we continue to not hear so many of you. Or to hear others of your microaggressions. In the 3/24/2025 issue of The New Yorker, Benjamin Wallace-Wells said this about Mahmoud Khalil, the first student stolen: “No specific actions were even alleged; Khalil was evidently being deported simply because the Administration did not like what he had to say.”

Kamel Jamal, Palestinian owner of several restaurants in town and a vocalist during Beacon’s Ceasefire Resolution movement, said: “But only a handful of brave humans that dare stand up to a genoc*de.”

The local attorney David Jensen agreed with him, saying: “A good point; the ability to stand up for right and wrong often has a lot to do with how many other people are already standing up.”

“My Black Friends”

Most of my Black friends weren’t there. Certainly none of my Brown friends were there. Wait, that’s not true. Some of my Brown friends were there, but I don’t know their citizenship status and if they were born here.

It was a very white crowd. That’s because this is a very white problem. Black people are resting. And Brown people might be hiding.

It’s white on white on white. The first two whites are Trumper vs Any Other White Person, and the second white on white is White American vs Zionist. All sets of the whites have entitlement disorders.

“It Was A Good Turn Out!”

Yes. It was a nice time to come out, despite the rain, and see one’s neighbors. It was a good networking event. I did see one Black friend actually, who is exactly who I needed to see for an article I’m working on. We got to talking and I got the…white chocolate mocha. She poured the tea.

Demonstrators lined up on both sides of Wolcott Avenue on both sides of the street. A couple of fire fighters watched from the roof of their new firehouse. Several children were there who had made their own signs. For some, this was their first protest. For others, they had been out on the sidewalk and marching years prior during Black Lives Matter marches in Beacon.

Trumpers

Unlike at the Pro-Palestine demonstrations, where white men routinely called us “Terrorist!!” swore and gave the middle finger, there did not seem to be as many vocal push-backers. Someone did yell out “Kamala lost,” in what may have been a tired voice because they just don’t care. Maybe more of a yawn.

Others said: “At least they didn’t burn things down,” which was another eye roll, and testament to why Black people continue to opt not to come out, as they get blamed for escalating. I saw one Beacon police car parked up the hill on South Avenue. When there was a fight between two Black people at Loopers Plaza last summer on a Saturday afternoon, there were over a dozen police vehicles from three police agencies who rushed to the scene. One observer there at the time couldn’t imagine how the police could service other parts of the region, because they were all at Loopers in Beacon.

What they do care about, however, is the City of Beacon’s eviction of the retired volunteer firefighters from Beacon Engine One, which is a story I’ve been working on and have an audio interview for, that I was slated to work on that Sunday. But…I went to the protest instead because it was such a large event. We needed to know what was going on. Back to the eviction of the retired fire fighters from their community center, and I need to get you more of the interview I had with the corrections officer about the “lawlessness” he calls the corrections industry in New York State.

What I’ve noticed about Trumpers and MAGAs is that they too felt very dictated to by the Biden administration and past Democratic administrations. COVID especially traumatized many who were forced to close their businesses permanently because of the shutdown, or who went into deep debt with no sales, or with the Economic Relief Loan the federal government made available but made everyone pay back. So many business owners are still owing tens of thousands of dollars back because of that loan, even if they have since closed their businesses.

People forced to take vaccinations that they were not comfortable taking yet - from regular people to corrections officers to first responders. Some of those people got very sick. Remember how first responders were fired for not taking the vaccination? And some corrections officers too? These are real issues that do not get mutually respected, usually by the Democratic side, and has deepened the divide. To where Trumpers now are simply enjoying watching Democrats suffer under what they feel they are dictator moves.

Where we had mandated masking, we now have the same Democrats banning masking. The first in the name of health, the second to identify people protesting for Palestine. Don’t you see how it all contradicts?

Obviously, this version of the dictatorship is much more extreme, and more openly lawless, with mass firings of federal workers, cutting of federal investments, threats of cutting off federal aid, lawless deportations, assumptions of guilt with no evidence presented, etc.

At this point, Trumpers who are not upset by what is going on may just be shorting the stock market and profiting off of the cratering Dow, just like the Trump administration and other politicians on either side may be doing. This happened during the COVID shutdown, where people profited off the lock-down. Same thing is being recreated in this forced COVID-like scenario.

In Conclusion

It is clear that no one is coming to save us. Someone is profiting very much. People are being stolen out of their lives. And extreme selfishness is rooted in what we are experiencing.

After the April 5th protest, while it was nice to see everyone, I don’t anticipate much else happening. Politicians have to do something. Anything. And CEOs need to figure out how to buck back. Judges need to keep judging to keep innocent people from being deported. And more attorneys need to resign from law firms who are doing pro-bono work for Trump out of fear of losing federal contracts (oh! here’s a new one).

I always said that if Trump was elected, there would be an Insurrection 2.0. I’m just not sure what that will look like. Maybe some of the January 6ers will change their minds, lead a charge, and return back for a storm on Washington. I’ve heard some of them have become advocates for prison reform after having spent time in there.

Palestine broke me. Where “I see both sides” now, only it’s both sides with these political parties. Neither are in it for us. They use us, and maybe it’s been a dictatorship all along.

I continue to watch journalists be targeted and killed in Palestine. And be burned alive. Israel or the United States are not held accountable.Nor are United States elected politicians held accountable for letting Trump use this entire government to manipulate the stock market.

Back here in Beacon, I’m directing that helpless energy into local causes I can impact, like advocating for the build of the new Dunkin’ Donuts (one was already there but died in COVID, this would be a new one), the extreme push-back of which I view as another form of redlining. Only the colors are the branded ones orange and pink.

Just let the people have their avedcado toast and eggwhites. With a cheat of a glazed donut. From the safety of their car. Especially for those who cannot walk long distances, as is the dream of this anti-Dunkin’ Donuts effort. People just can’t walk as much as you’d like them to. And, people of all colors work in and eat in and buy from Dunkin’ Donuts. So what are you doing.

Meanwhile, I will continue to mess you up here at A Little Beacon Blog about Palestine until you put FREE PALESTINE and any of the abducted students onto your posters.

But. I don’t hold back my advocacy for issues that are under attack. This is not a tit for tat trade.

Cheers.

Another Percolating Question: "Why Are Hands Off! Rallies Supporting NATO?"

Another question that has come in after A Little Beacon Blog published the FAQs that have been coming in for this rally is: “Why is NATO in the flyer? I support everything else, but this doesn’t make sense.”

Let’s figure this out.

The first question came in as a response to a reader asking if they needed to register to the event. Upon reading that, more than one reader wrote into ALBB to warn against registering into any protest. “RSVP for protesting is kind of a red flag in my opinion. That doesn’t feel like true protesting.”

Another local resident reached out to express concern that many of today’s “Hands Off!” protests around NY State are organized by Indivisible (@IndivisibleNet on Twitter), an organization known to be “liberal Zionist” that often registers people participating at its protests. “Beacon’s protest isn’t listed on the Indivisible flyer for today, but the graphic design and list of demands are identical,” the reader said. “Our solidarity must include Palestine. Be safe!”

Max Blumenthall, editor of The Grayzone, an independent news and investigative journalism source on politics and empire, said as he retweeted CodePink’s opionion: “The ‘Hands Off’ protests planned for today call for Trump to take his hands off NATO, the permanent war alliance that is a boon for the arms industry, and which has destroyed several countries through regime change wars. Just like the original pussyhat rallies, this one is pro-war.”

Another resident in Beacon agreed with Max, saying “NATO killed the dream of a unified Africa and they should never be forgiven. Just cross out where it says NATO and write Gaza and you should be all set.”

Code Pink’s Opinion

CodePink laid out their opinion in a blog post, and we have republished it in full here.

Medea Benjamin and David Swanson are coauthors of the book NATO: What You Need to Know. 

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By Medea Benjamin and David Swanson

We are passionate supporters of all but one of the items on the Hands Off agenda for the April 5 rallies. We couldn’t agree more that the corrupt U.S. government should stop destroying, privatizing, firing, and giving away the post office, schools, land, Social Security, healthcare, environmental protections, and all sorts of essential public services. But we are deeply disturbed to see NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) on the list of items that we are rallying to protect.

Many people believe that NATO is a peace-loving, defensive alliance, but the opposite is true. During the past 30 years, NATO has fomented a vast arc of violence stretching from Libya to Afghanistan, leaving villages bombed, infrastructure destroyed, and countless dead.

Originally formed in opposition to the Soviet Union, NATO not only failed to disband with the fall of the Soviet Union, but it increased from 16 members in 1991 to 32 members today. Despite promises not to expand eastward, it ploughed ahead against the advice of senior, experienced U.S. diplomats who warned that this would inflame tensions with Russia. While Russia bears full responsibility for invading Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter, we cannot deny the disastrous role played by NATO in provoking and then prolonging the war in Ukraine. Two years ago, then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that insisting on NATO membership for Ukraine had brought on the Ukraine war. “[Putin] went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to his borders,” he said.

The inclusion of NATO in the Hands Off list contradicts the basic Hands Off agenda. Right now, at the bidding of President Trump, NATO is openly and aggressively pressuring its member nations to move money from healthcare, retirement funds, and clean energy to weapons and militarism. Watch a video of the Secretary General of NATO publicly telling the European Union to move money from healthcare and retirement to war. It should be clear which side of the Hands Off agenda NATO is on. 

NATO is a destabilizing, law-breaking force for militarization and war provocation. Its existence makes wars, including nuclear wars, more likely. Its hostility toward the few significant militaries in the world that are not among its members fuels arms races and conflicts. The commitment of NATO members to join each others’ wars and NATO’s pursuit of enemies far from the North Atlantic risk global destruction.

We would be happy to expand the Hands Off demands to international issues, such as Hands Off Palestine or Yemen or Greenland or Panama or Canada. But we do object to including a destructive institution like NATO, an institution that systematically and grossly violates the commitment to settle disputes peacefully contained in the UN Charter. If we are truly committed to human needs and the environment, as well as peace, diplomacy, and the UN Charter, then we should eliminate NATO from the Hands Off agenda.

We should go beyond that. We should recognize that while many government agencies are being unfairly cut and need to be defended, one enormous agency that makes up over half of federal discretionary spending is being drastically increased and needs to be cut. That is the Pentagon. The U.S. government spends more on war and war preparation than on all other discretionary items combined. Of 230 other countries, the U.S. spends more on militarism than 227 of them combined. Russia and China spend a combined 21% of what the U.S. and its allies spend on war. Of 230 other countries, the U.S. exports more weaponry than 228 of them combined. The U.S. spends more on war per capita than any other nation, except Israel.

This is not normal or acceptable, or compatible with funding human and environmental needs. NATO has taught people to measure military spending as a percentage of a nation's economy, as if war were a public service to be maximized. Trump has recently switched from demanding 2% of economies for war to 3%, and then almost immediately to 5%. There's no logical limit.

Companies that profit from war, like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, will always push for more military spending. So will NATO. While NATO allies consider Russia their most immediate and direct threat, their long-term adversary is China. The constant search for enemies leads to a vicious cycle of arms races. But there is a different path: the pursuit of disarmament negotiations, the rule of law and global cooperation. If we pursued that path, we could move massive amounts of money away from weapons to invest in addressing the non-optional dangers of climate, disease, and poverty.

The rational and moral international piece of the Hands Off agenda should be to eliminate both NATO and the voracious militarism that threaten the future of life on this planet. 

White People Boycott Target In Mount Vernon, NY Over Its DEI Rollback

News12 reported that people boycotted a Target in Mount Vernon, NY over the weekend, calling for it to reinstate its DEI programs.

Since Target announced their rollback of DEI, a $2 billion investment they made from 2016-2020, multiple Black-owned brands have stated that they have been dropped by Target, as reported by Black Information Network.

Early this March, LikeU Cards owner Kiara Imani announced over TikTok that Target dropped its contract with her business, which is a conversation-starting card game for parents, kids, and friends.

Kiara said in her announcement: "People keep asking my opinion about Target as a Black vendor who used to sell at Target. Don't go there. They dropped us along with a bunch of other Black vendors without a lot of notice."

LikeU is struggling to now sell 20,000 sets of cards through their website, likeucards.com. "There are tons of other creators of colors that had contracts that were dropped," Kiara said.

White people and Black people attended the protest outside of the Target in Mount Vernon, NY, according to News12 footage. Nation-wide, there are

Said Ronnie Lichtman of Neighbors Who Care: "We don't want Target to go out of business. We want them to reinstate their DEI policies. We hope that boycotts speak to them." According to Diversity.com, Target’s stock has gone down at least 12% since the boycotts started.

From as early as 2023, Target faced lawsuits from people challenging its DEI policy, calling it “reverse racism.” On January 21, 2025, the president signed an Executive Order to try to roll back DEI policies.

Target is among many corporate brands who have dropped their DEI policies at the pleasure of the president T, as Forbes reports.

Hudson Valley Postal Workers Join National Movement Protesting Privatization Of USPS

While Hudson Valley locals were out shopping on Sunday for their errands, some were surprised to see a group of people dressed in red shirts at the intersection of NY-300 and Rte 17 protesting something in front of the TGI Fridays. Some people mistook them for MAGAs, while others were asking what the signs “Fight Like Hell” were demanding people fight for - or against.

Upon zooming in of the photo, one could see USPS Branch 137 was represented which meant only one thing: that the mail Carriers of the Hudson Valley (Beacon, Newburgh, Fishkill, etc.) were at it again, trying to get their message across that the United Postal Service is in trouble by way of being targeted by its Postmaster General Lois DeJoy, who was a Trump appointee during the first presidency, to become privatized.

During the Biden Administration, Lois DeJoy spent his time outlining a strategic plan to reduce use of local Post Offices; reduce staff working inside of the Post Offices; relocate where the mail carriers go to sort the mail to large facilities far away from the community the letter carriers are delivering to; inconvenience the number of letters, catalogues and large envelopes being circulated; and slow down the delivery mail.

Letter carriers in Beacon experienced it, and warned the community that the Beacon Post Office was going to be empty. Indeed, staff was reduced to 1.5 people working (a full-time employee and a part-time employee), when up to 5 people are usually planned to be there. Citizens not following the drama of the employment cuts of the USPS usually aren’t aware of this, and blame the Clerk behind the counter for any slowness.

All of Beacon’s Letter Carriers drive their trucks to an old facility in Newburgh, sort the mail, drive it back over the bridge, deliver it, and then drive back to Newburgh before driving themselves home. Mail carriers confirmed to A Little Beacon Blog that the amount of driving increased for them thereby granting them overtime. But none seemed happy about receiving the overtime pay, since the driving is so illogical. Similar sentiment was expressed by the striking Corrections Officers who are forced to work 24-48 hour shifts and receive overtime.

What The USPS Postal Workers Are Protesting

• Privatization of the Postal Service, to be in the hands of billionaire Commerce Department and Secretary Howard Lutnick. Howard is the same guy who said that only fraudsters would call to complain about not receiving their Social Security checks. That if his 96 year-old mother-in-law didn’t get her check, that she wouldn’t call, and would just wait for the problem to sort itself out.

• Rural surcharges.

• Treatment of states and cities differently.

• Slowing of the mail (already been systematically happening during Biden administration).

• Reduction of Post Offices (already been systematically happening during Biden administration).

• Reduction of rural mail addresses being serviced, instead going to “pickup locations.”

• Difficulty for medicine, bills and regular things like new driver’s license and new bank cards to be delivered.

• Impact of mail-in votes, if mail is chaotic.

• Postmaster General Lois DeJoy’s requested and signed agreement with to Elon Musk’s DOGE to “assist the Postal Service in identifying and achieving efficiencies. DeJoy provided a list of some of the issues that DOGE might be able to help with, including miscalculations of retirement obligations, mismanagement of workers comp, and unfair mandates to fund retirement and health care accounts.” People who want the Postal Service privatized have always wanted to do away with or reduce the retirement and health care paid out to employees.

The USPS is a self-sufficient, independent agency. It is not funded by taxpayer dollars. Yet, it gets mandated by the federal government to work in certain ways that cost it more time and money. Trump and Republicans have wanted to privatize it for a long time.

The USPS employs 640,000 postal employees (73,000 of whom are veterans), and services 51.5 million rural addresses. The National Association Of Letter Carriers calls privatization “a threat to our nation’s Constitution.”

According to reporting at Save The Post Office, “Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to dissolve USPS’s bipartisan board of governors and place the agency under the control of the commerce department secretary, Howard Lutnick, the Washington Post recently reported.”

The Washington Post says: “The move threatens to upend trillions of dollars in ecommerce business and the 250-year-old Postal Service..” Also reported by the newspaper: “The board is planning to fight Trump’s order, three of those people told The Washington Post. In an emergency meeting Thursday, the board retained outside counsel and gave instructions to sue the White House if the president removed members of the board or attempted to alter the agency’s independent status. Trump’s order to place the Commerce Department in charge of the Postal Service likely violates federal law, according to postal experts.”

James O’Rourke, who studies the Postal Service at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, told The Washington Post: “This is a somewhat regal approach that says the king knows better than his subjects and he will do his best for them. But it also removes any sense that there’s oversight, impartiality and fairness and that some states wouldn’t be treated better than other states or cities better than other cities. The anxiety over the Postal Service is not only three-quarters of a million workers. It’s that this is something that does not belong to the president or the White House. It belongs to the American people.”

Most Threats To The USPS Are Published At “Save The Post Office”

Save The Post Office is a website run by a USPS hawk who may be one of the only reporters covering USPS developments in such a detailed way. But he’s on every move. For example, he is reporting on the new “rural surcharge.” He covers the rural surcharge in this way:

“When it comes to postal rates and service standards, all ZIP codes have been treated equally. It doesn’t matter if it’s densely populated or sparse, urban or rural. The ZIP Code helps bind the country together. But all that is changing.

“The Postal Service’s Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan, now under review by the Postal Regulatory Commission, would end afternoon collections at post offices, which will add a day to service standards for outgoing mail at offices more than 50 miles from a Regional Processing and Distribution Center. The plan uses the 5-digit ZIP of the originating post office to identify where the downgrades in service standards will apply. Under the current system, a 3-digit ZIP prefix is used to define the standards, which doesn’t allow for the kind of targeted service reductions of the RTO.”

Pictures of protesting postal workers in different states are below from the National Association Of Letter Carriers and Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation Facebook pages. These include Puerto Rico, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, and others.

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Trending: People "Dumping Teslas;" Tesla Dealerships, Sales and Stock Price Sliding As Elon Musk Slashes Federal Programs

Elon Musk, one of the loudest Pied Pipers in the world, is feeling repercussions from slashing and burning federal social programs and firing large swaths of people at whim. As his so-called Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) added Beacon’s closest Social Security Office in Poughkeepsie to the DOGE list of upcoming canceled leases, Tesla dealerships around the world are being attacked, Tesla charging stations burned, the number of Tesla vehicles is declining, as is the stock. And Wired Magazine reports that Cheryl Crow dumped her Tesla.

When ALBB first published Elon Musk news at Facebook or Instagram, some of the readers got upset. For some reason, they equate criticism of Elon Musk, seemingly CEO Of Everything But Master Of Nothing, as “liberal.” ALBB does not understand the correlation, but is here for keeping our eye on Musk, as he is impacting all of our lives. Just three weekends ago, we learned that one of our friends using SNAP at the Beacon Farmer’s Market experienced their SNAP being slashed in half.

So. All eyes on Musk. As for reader reactions to ALBB touching “political” issues, well, it’s just enjoyable to watch Elon slash and burn his brand as he tries to slash and burn our lives. Equally enjoyable is making some Beacon locals angry when shown Elon protest videos, to where one person, Maggie Doggo at Facebook told ALBB to rename to “A Little Liberal Blog.” Loving the alliteration.

It’s a pivot from when others of you were calling ALBB “Katie’s Palestinian Plight,” as dubbed by Erin Hunt via email. Maggie Doggo said that ALBB has been in a “temper tantrum” since November 5th (does Maggie mean October 7th?). Tracy Eraca Pavlovic agreed: “they sure have!!!!!” with 2 angry face emojis.

Either way, ALBB is glad you are reading and feel so connected with ALBB that you feel like this publication is putty in your hands, to change as you wish.

Yes, we are getting back to Beacon News today!! Because we really need to get you that Sue Serino + Hulk Hogan = 💗💅🏼 while Elon and DOGE close the Social Security Office in Poughkeepsie. More to come! ✍🏼

DOCCS Terminates Corrections Officers Who Are Striking Calling It “Resignation” - Cuts Health Insurance, COBRA, and Salary Also

A Corrections Officer holds a sign on Matteawan Road, which is the road to the Fishkill Correctional Facility and the Beacon High School and Middle Schools, that says: “No One Is Safe Inside.”

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) has followed through on its threat to fire Corrections Officers who are striking in the name of unsafe conditions for all people inside of the New York prison system: Corrections Officers, Incarcerated People, and Visitors. DOCCS has sent a letter of resignation to officers who are striking, according to the letter ALBB has seen and republished below.

The letter states that any officer who has not reported to work in 10 days is considered AWOL and has resigned. Corrections Officers were warned via robo-call (audio recording included below) on Sunday that their employment would be terminated, and health insurance would end for themselves and all of their dependents, as would eligibility for COBRA.

According to a source familiar with the situation, about 20 Corrections Officers from Fishkill Corrections Facility, located in Beacon, have received the letter.

Robo-Call To Corrections Officers Threatening to Terminate Their Employment and Health Insurance

However, inconsistencies occurred with the delivery of the letter, which was emailed and text messaged to select officers, despite saying that it was sent Certified Mail. If so, the paper copy has not arrived yet. Additionally, some retired Corrections Officers also received the employment termination letter, according to sources. “They’re not organized,” one officer told ALBB.

The names of terminated officers were not on each letter. “Nobody knows if this is even true, if they are really enforcing this or if it’s just another threat,” one officer who received the letter told ALBB. “As you can see, I got sent that letter, but my name is not on it.”

Governor Kathy Hochul has threatened to arrest Corrections Officers still on strike. According to The City, “the Hochul administration is also pushing to get permission from a state judge to begin arresting striking officers for breaking the law. That process is expected to take several days,” according to Jackie Bray, the Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services who spoke to reporters on Monday (3/3/2025).

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The Letter of Termination Emailed To Corrections Officers On Strike,
And Some Retired Corrections Officers

March 2, 2025
CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

This is to confirm that your absence beginning on February 17, 2025 was unauthorized.

Section 14.10, Unauthorized Absence, of the 2023-2026 Agreement between the State of New York and New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, Inc. states, "Any employee absent from work without authorization for ten (10) consecutive workdays shall be deemed to have resigned from his position if he has not provided a satisfactory explanation for such absence on or before the eleventh (11th) workday following the commencement of such unauthorized absence."

You did not provide a satisfactory explanation for this absence on or before March 2, 2025, the eleventh workday following the commencement of your unauthorized absence. Therefore, you are deemed to have resigned from your position of Correction Officer with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Accordingly, you are separated from employment with an effective date of March 2, 2025.

Please make immediate arrangements to return all Department equipment to the Correctional Facility. Failure to comply with this direction may result in the withholding of any monies due you, as well as possible legal action being instituted against you.

This termination revokes your Peace Officer status granted under Section 2.10 of the Criminal Procedures Law*. If you possess a firearm(s) by virtue of your peace officer status, you must make arrangements to surrender the firearm(s) at a local law enforcement agency. DO NOT BRING YOUR FIREARM(S) TO ANY NYS DOCCS FACILITY.

Sincerely,
Daniel F. Martuscello III
Commissioner

cc: Personal/Labor Relations
NYSCOPBA

*2.10 Persons designated as peace officers.25. Officials, as designated by the commissioner of the department of corrections and community supervision pursuant to rules of the department, and correction officers of any state correctional facility or any penal correctional institution.

The Harriman State Campus, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226-2050 | (518) 457-8126

Striking Corrections Officers Write Messages On Protest Posters For Fellow Officers To Join Them

On the way to school - to the Beacon High School or Middle School - parents, caregivers, students, staff, and retired Corrections Officers who are security guards, have most likely seen the strike posters that have been popping up on Matteawan Avenue, which is the main artery to the schools and the prison. Some call it a living metaphor for the school to prison pipeline. For some, it’s all a loop. Even some retired teachers become Corrections Officers, who were standing on the picket line today outside the Fishkill Correctional Facility.

This week there were two new posters. One reads: “Stop By And Thank Us For 2.5 OT, SCAB Cowards.”

The 2.5 OT is in reference to the additional pay that current Corrections Officers are getting for working through the strike. They are getting 2.5 times their normal rate.

Today, ALBB asked one Corrections Officer out on the line if it was hard to publicly call out other officers who are working. The officer responded: “I have mixed emotions for people not on strike. We work with them. Someone who is a single parent. Special needs. They have special circumstances, and I get it. I for one don't feel good about pushing on them. But lots of people don’t have special circumstances. People are afraid of NY State. Some people are greedy. One officer driving by rolled down the window and said 'I’m going work!' because he knew we knew he was getting paid so much more now in Over Time.”

“We are from all cultures,” the officer continued. “We are a giant dysfunctional family most days. The biggest thing is, when we are out here on the street, we can’t be in there to protect them,” the officer said, in reference to other officers, nodding to the jail across the street. “The protectors are all out here. Sometimes they [those not striking] don’t recognize the seriousness of the situation.”

“DOCCS violated federal law by refusing to accommodate for Muslim officers to grow beards. They [DOCCS] lost that. We won. The officers won.”

— Correctoins Officer at Fishkill Correctional

While the officer was listing what he viewed as several federal violations made by DOCCS (Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) over the years, the officer included an example of fellow officers suing the DOCCS for prohibiting officers from growing and wearing beards. “DOCCS violated federal law by refusing to accommodate for Muslim officers to grow beards. They [DOCCS] lost that. We won. The officers won.”

Another officer today expressed concern over what was going to happen when Ramadan starts on Friday. “Who is going to give the Muslims their special meals?” one officer asked. “They [the Muslim male incarcerated people] don’t screw around. They have issues with the female officers. Their special meals and times are accommodated, but I don’t know how that is going to happen while we are outside.”

“Another officer today expressed concern over what was going to happen when Ramadan starts on Friday. “Who is going to give the Muslims their special meals?” one officer asked. “They [the Muslim male incarcerated people] don’t screw around. They have issues with the female officers. Their special meals and times are accommodated, but I don’t know how that is going to happen while we are outside.””

— Corrections Officer at Fishkill Correctional Facility

As new developments happen each day with the National Guard inside, who have no experience in the correctional world, some officers who are hearing what the National Guard is experiencing were imagining what might be next.

ALBB did not have time to inquire further on the accommodations or idiosyncrasies around incarcerated Muslim males and female officers, but will try during another visit.

Today, there was a large spread of donated food, including warming dishes from catering for Spanish and Italian food. Another Corrections Officer, a quiet person who was organizing the food spread, wanted ALBB to take a photo of the birthday cake, as it was a different officer’s birthday today.

Correction Officers Served Court Orders To Stop Striking By NY State Police - Threats Of Arrest - Loss of Health Care

Over the weekend, Corrections Officers who are striking in what has become a state-wide prison strike (read more of the origins here), began to be served court orders to stop striking. New York State Police Officers began delivering the cease and desist letters that were ordered by Governor Kathy Hochul.

The Times Union reports that some letters are being sent by mail and email. A Fishkill Corrections Officer told A Little Beacon Blog today 2-25-2025 that some court orders were served to striking Fishkill officers on Sunday, a day which is not allowed in New York State, and being left somewhere not in a person’s hands, which may be part of a Conspicuous Service, which is when a person cannot be found and the server makes at least 2 attempts to find them, and then leaves the paper in an approved place and sends a copy by mail. Conspicuous Service, however, can only be done under certain circumstances. Serving the papers incorrectly could be reason to delay or throw out the start of a legal case.

Corrections Officers of the Fishkill Corrections Facility confirm that some officers have received the court order at their homes, which some felt was an unlawful delivery on the weekend. “These are scare tactics from Albany,” one Corrections Officer told ALBB. “They were out serving people on Sunday between 10pm and Midnight.” NY State Law states that the hours between 6am and 10pm be used.

“They can’t serve those cease and desist orders on a Sunday. Some police were leaving the paperwork on the Corrections Officers’ doorsteps. There are rules about getting served. It has to be in person. They need to verify that it’s you. An admission that ‘Yes I am the person.’ No signature by you is required when getting served.”

Said another officer: “One person I know was standing outside when the police came. We are telling everyone to stay inside.” The Times Union reported: “On Saturday, striking Correction Officers were informed that they are not being paid and have been listed as ‘absent without leave’ during their ‘illegal work action.’ In addition, they were cautioned that their health insurance coverage is being terminated.”

One Corrections Officer stated to ALBB: “They (DOCC) are lawless. This is the problem with our agency - the Department Of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) - and the State of New York. They use emotional scare tactics on people already scared of this job.”

In the interview with ALBB, the Corrections Officer continued with an example of a fellow officer who was not striking but was out on Family Medical Leave (FMLA) for his wife who has been battling cancer for 2 years: “I called one of our officers to check in on him. He’s not striking, but he’s out on FMLA. He can’t deal with anything. His wife has cancer. When he called DOCCS to check on his own status, they said: ‘Just so you know, you’re being classified as AWOL.’ They were threatening to use that to threaten him off payroll and lose health insurance. Now that guy is sitting at home, looking at his wife, thinking my health insurance is going to get canceled. What am going to do.’”

Corrections Officers who are working in place of striking officers are getting paid 2.5 times their usual rate. The Times Union also reports that in addition to National Guard being used to assist in securing the prisons, and supplying meals and medicine, NY State Police are also being called to work in the prisons. “State Police also are assisting with security at multiple prisons; a missive shared with members on Friday said that officials at the agency’s headquarters had ‘sent out a request to compile a list of all troopers with prior NY State Department of Corrections experience.’”

When serving court documents, parties who are involved in the situation cannot serve the papers. It is unclear at this time if the NY State Police would be considered a participating party, since some of them may be filling in for striking Corrections Officers.

“We don’t want to be out here,” the Fishkill Correctional Officer told ALBB. “We have tried for 5 years to bring these issues before the jail.” He was referring to rising acts of violence on inmates by inmates, as well as inmates on officers. Spectrum News did a analysis of rising acts of violance on inmates and officers in the last 5 years since H.A.L.T. was s started.

“There are 15 officers to cover the RRU program. The most violent program.” The RRU (Residential Rehabilitation Unit) is a part of the H.A.L.T. program, which to the public, is known as a program that eliminated the concept of “solitary confinement,” or made it more difficult to put an incarcerated person away from the general population of the jail. The Corrections Officers say that after a fight between incarcerated people, where the injuries are serious, they want to separate them and put those people or one of them out of the general population for their own safety, and that of who they fought with.

According to the NY State manual, the “RRU is the separate housing unit used for therapy, treatment, and rehabilitative programming of incarcerated individuals who have been determined to require more than 15 days of disciplinary confinement pursuant to Department proceedings. Such units shall be therapeutic, trauma-informed, and aim to address individual treatment and rehabilitation needs and underlying causes of problematic behaviors.”

The Corrections Officer continued: “But you got 5 officers. You call them (DOCC) and you say ‘I don’t have enough staff,” and they say ‘make it work.’ That’s always been DOCCS’ motto. We have made shit work at our own peril. I’m amazed that none of use have been murdered. There is a line in corrections ‘no one walks alone.’ We are all walking alone now.”

Memo Issued Last Week From DOCCS To Officers to Pause Parts Of H.A.L.T. As Concession To Strike

Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Daye, who last Thursday walked down a piece of paper to the group of people standing across the street from the prison.
Photo Credit: ALBB

One day after a New York Supreme Court Judged issued a restraining order against Corrections Officers refusing to go to work as they reject mandated 24-36 hour shifts and demand safer working conditions through the repeal of H.A.L.T., a law enacted to eliminate solitary confinement used as punishment or retaliation against incarcerated people in their care, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner, Daniel Martuscello III, issued a memo on Thursday that would temporarily suspend parts of the H.A.L.T. Act, which stands for Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement.

As explained by WSKG, "The HALT Act is meant to limit extended solitary confinement. It allows for some hours outside the cell while in solitary holding. Its use is prohibited to those 21 years or younger, or 55 years and older—and those who are disabled or pregnant. Solitary confinement is also limited to 15 consecutive days."

Retired Corrections Officers who have been speaking on behalf of currently employed Corrections officers have indicated that the officers will not end the strike until H.A.L.T. is repealed, citing unsafe working conditions when incarcerated people cut and injure other incarcerated people or other officers.

Retirees have told ALBB that without disciplinary repercussions for physical abuse, there is incentive for people not to get into fights who feel compelled to do so. Separating two individuals fighting has become almost impossible.

Yet, as is common in the judicial system, revenge can be carried out by those in authority within the judicial system to send someone into solitary confinement who otherwise did not deserve to be separated or punished in that manner.

The recent death of Robert Brooks by a group of Corrections Officers who took turns beating him is fresh in the news as a reminder to how unsafe an incarcerated person can be within prison walls. As of this reporting, at least 10 officers have been charged in his beating, as reported by Syracuse News. The beating death of Robert Brooks was only revealed because body cameras were on some officers involved in the killing.

The memo from DOCCS offered that solitary confinement "can take place under 'exceptional circumstances' that 'create a significant and unreasonable risk to the safety and security of other incarcerated persons, staff or the facility,'” WSKG reported.

DOCCS also offered to take no disciplinary action against anyone striking if they reported to work the next day. However, the number of people on the picket line across from Fishkill Correctional Facility has only increased since then.

WSKG reports that the DOCCS memo also "eliminated" the 70/30 memo issued by DOCCS Commissioner Daniel that codified a lower staffing requirement. Fewer people on staff means more employees are mandated to work 24-36 hour shifts and forced to earn overtime that they did not sign up to earn. The 70/30 rule established 70% staffing as the new 100%. The Commissioner has since offered to reverse that in this latest memo, according to WSKG.

For those officers not on strike, overtime will be granted at 2.5 times the regular rate of pay.

The memo also stated that DOCCS would work with the Corrections Officers Union, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) to increase recruitment issues. Retirees have stated that recruitment is a problem because of the increased violence that happens to incarcerated people and officers since the H.A.L.T Act was enacted. Spectrum News published the rate of increased violence to both parties over the years.

It is not clear why anyone would want to work as a Corrections Officer under these conditions. It is clear that people who become incarcerated are not always safe from other incarcerated people, Corrections Officers, or people on the outside who want to enact revenge with increased charges to lengthen time spent in prison by tweaking levers of the judicial system to their advantage.

The National Guard remains deployed in several prisons throughout New York State to provide meals and medication to incarcerated people.

Pictured here is Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Daye, who last Thursday walked down a piece of paper to the group of people standing across the street from the prison. On video taken by ALBB, he can be heard saying to a retired officer representing the group: “I can’t make them take it, but I attempted to deliver it.”

ALBB could not confirm the content contained on the paper, and if it was the Thursday memo from DOCCS. Moments after he attempted to deliver the document and walked away, a person followed the Superintendent to retrieve the piece of paper.

Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order Mandating End To Strike Of Some Corrections Officers

Last Wednesday, a New Yorker Supreme Court Judge granted a temporary restraining order that mandated that Corrections Officers end their strike. Officers are striking for unsafe working conditions, mandated 24 shifts, unsafe mail sorting practices, and purposeful low staffing known as 70/30, where 70% staffed is the new 100%, as reported by ALBB last week. The Union representing the Corrections Officers, the NYSCOPBA, has maintained since the beginning of the strike that it is “not in any way sanctioned,” reports numerous outlets including WIVB4.

In court documents obtained by WIVB4, the strike is deemed illegal by the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employees from striking without permission from their union. Workers can be docked "twice their daily rate of pay," the legislation says, "not earlier than 30 nor later than 90 days following the date of such determination."

A National Guard truck headed to Fishkill Correctional Facility during the strike of some corrections Officers.
photo Credit: Anonymous

Governor Hochul ordered the National Guard to replace Corrections Officers who are outside striking. The National Guard is to distribute meals and medicine to incarcerated people.

WIVB4 reported that Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said: “Deploying our National Guard makes this situation even more dangerous. As a former member of the New York National Guard, I have the highest regard for these soldiers,” he said. “This is not what they are trained for.”

National Guard Called To Fishkill Correctional While Some Officers Join State-Wide Strike

By day 3 of the striking Correction Officers across New York State including Fishkill Correction Facility in Beacon, NY, the National Guard, executive ordered by Governor Kathy Hochul on Day 2 (Wednesday), arrived with troops to stand in for officers outside who are demanding better working conditions, as reported by Democrat and Chronicle. “A New York supreme court judge granted a temporary order Wednesday to stop the strikes at prisons across the state,” the newspaper reported. ALBB reported on the demands of the Correction Officers on Tuesday.

Retiree Sargent Dale Larson holding a sign that says “Governor Hochul Do Your Job!” as he is there to support current Correction Officers.

Men and women stood on the curb of Rte. 52, holding their signs high while their faces were covered out of fear of retribution from their union, who does not approve of the strike. There were more people there today than on the first day. Governor Hochul made it clear her displeasure in her Executive Order: “Whereas on February 17, 2025, and continuing thereafter, an illegal and unlawful strike by correction officers has created an imminent threat to the safety of corrections officers who are currently on the job, the more than 33,600 individuals in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's care and the communities surrounding these correctional facilities.” It was in this order that she directed the National Guard to arrive at various prisons.

A National Guard truck driving to Fishkill Correctional Facility.

It was rumored by Beacon locals close to the situation that possibly 100 National Guard were inside Fishkill Correctional Facility as of Thursday morning. By the late afternoon, more trucks were seen arriving. According to one retiree, there are at least 100 Correction Officers on duty at Fishkill Correctional Facility during the day or night.

At 1:45pm on Thursday, Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Daye walked down from the prison to the strike group with another man to “deliver paperwork to whoever wanted it,” according to retired Sargent Dale Larson who was there to represent the Correction Officers who are masking to keep their identities protected against retribution by their union or the state, who do not approve of the strike.

As Superintendent Daye walked down the icy driveway of the property across from the prison that is serving as the strike location, Correction Officers yelled “Walking!” to signal that someone was incoming, and turned their backs to walk away from Superintendent Daye to the far end of the property.

Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Daye delivering paperwork that was later turned away.

Fishkill Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Daye delivering a document to retired Correction Officer Dale Larson, who was serving as the leader of the currently employed Correction Officers.

Retired Sargent Dale approached Superintendent Daye to receive the document. As he considered the document, the Correction Officers kept their backs turned and chanted “Hold the line!” As Superintendent Daye hands the paper to Dale, he says: “I can’t make them take it, but I attempted to deliver it.”

Correction Officers outside of Fishkill Correctional Facility, who turned their backs to Superintendent Daye after he walked down paperwork that was initially turned away.

Governor Hochul’s Executive Order grants authority to pay officers more for working: “Sections 134 and 135 of the Civil Service Law, to the extent necessary, to pay additional compensation and/or increased overtime rates of pay to individuals who continue to work in correctional facilities during the illegal strike,” the order reads.

Around Kid Pickup time of 2:30pm at Beacon’s Middle and High Schools, one of the strikers was putting up posters on Matteawan Avenue, which is the main road into the Fishkill Correctional Facility. Several parents, caregivers, and members of the Beacon Community are Correction Officers or retired officers.

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Demands include the rejection of the mandated 24-36 hour work shift and over time, changes to mail sorting to reduce exposure to fentanyl intended for incarcerated people inside, more staff so that they can do simple things like take lunch breaks. Perhaps the most important to the striking officers is the repeal of the H.A.L.T. Act, which they say endangers them and incarcerated people when violent fights happen between anyone in the jail, where a disciplinary system cannot be implemented.

Read more about their demands here.

Picketing Prison Employees Demand A Stop To Mandated 24hr Shifts, Fentanyl Exposure and More

Picketing prison employees demonstrated on Rte. 52 in Beacon, NY in the early morning of Tuesday 2/18/2025 across from the Fishkill Correctional Facility entrance. Around 20-30 employees participated, who were joined by retirees who were there to support and speak to members of the media. Most employees were masked and did not want to be identified, to protect themselves against retaliation from their union.

Corrections Officers were protesting several safety issues, including:

Corrections Officers are demanding the repeal of the H.A.L.T. Act, which was a bill signed into law to create more humane and therapeutic ways of responding to inmates. Corrections Officers refer to confinement as “Jail within the jail” and punishment based, whereas bill signers may have sought a rehabilitation approach.

• Mandated 24hr shifts

• Mandated Overtime

• Exposure to fentanyl through mail sorting methods

• Repeal of H.A.L.T. Act. According to the bill: “This bill will be known as the "Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement" Act (the H.A.L.T. Solitary Confinement Act.) This bill would limit the time an inmate can spend in segregated confinement, end the segregated confinement of vulnerable people, restrict the criteria that can result in such confinement, improve conditions of confinement, and create more humane and effective alternatives to such confinement.” The bill also makes it illegal to use special or modified food diet as a punishment. Corrections officers are saying they have lost the ability to “punish” inmates for violence to other inmates of officers, or drug use. Violence to both inmates and officers is on the rise, according a breakdown presented by Spectrum News.

A sign spray painted with the word “STRIKE” was erected at 9:30am, about an hour into the picket on Tuesday morning.

Since their demonstration, and while corrections officers throughout the state went on strike for these demands, Governor Kathy Hochul called up the National Guard to “protect striking corrections officers and communities,” as reported by MidHudson News. The Governor demanded that “the illegal and unlawful actions being taken by a number of correction officers must end immediately,” according to the newspaper.

While the gathering was initially called a “picket,” a sign spray painted with the word “STRIKE” emerged at around 9:30am. It could not be confirmed or denied if any demonstrating employees were striking, or if they were not on shift today.

Demand: End Mandatory 24hr Shifts

Retired correctional officers who spoke to A Little Beacon Blog stood with a sign saying “Retirees Stand With CO (Correctional Officers): FCF Strong” and said they were there to get the word out about “how unsafe the working conditions are for the officers in Fishkill Correctional and state-wide.”

Unsafe conditions include “officers being told they have to work 24 plus hours, having to stay awake that long with a house full of people that aren’t so nice,” retiree Rob Johnson told ALBB.

Demand: End Mandatory Overtime

Mandatory overtime is another issue corrections officers are refusing. Said one retiree to ALBB: “It’s one thing if you wanted to stay in overtime. But some guys are getting hit with 80-100 hours overtime every two weeks. My one friend had over 3,000 hours overtime in one year. He did a double every day for almost a year.”

The retirees also described corrections officers who drive inmates in vans. “Trip officers can do 30 plus hours driving in a van. Armed. Sometimes two guys, with sometimes 4-6 inmates in a van too. How safe is that?”

Demand: Lunch Breaks

“There are no lunch breaks,” Rob told ALBB. “You can’t get a relief to get off the door. You bring your meals and hope you get time to eat.”

Last Week’s Walk-Out At Collins and Elmira Corrections Facilities

A strike began yesterday on President’s Day when several employees at the state prisons in Collins and Elmira walked out, prompting a cancellation of visitation, the New York Post reported. Striking is illegal in New York State “and could lead to severe consequences for individuals and unions that participate in them,” the newspaper reported.

But when alleged “uprising inmates” injured three guards while employees were vocalizing about understaffing issues and mandatory overtime, and when a agency memo circulated talking about more reductions in staff, the employees in Collins and Elmira walked out last week, the New York Post reported.

The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesman Thomas Mailey issued a statement: “The job actions initiated by some rogue NYSCOPBA [NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association] members at Collins and Elmira Correctional Facilities this morning are illegal and unlawful,” he said “The staff that have gathered outside of both facilities, and who refused to enter the facility for their respective shifts, was not in any way sanctioned by NYSCOPBA,” the union said in a statement.

Demand: Change Mail Sorting Methods and Raise Awareness About Fentanyl Exposure To Corrections Officers

The retirees told ALBB of the continued exposure to fentanyl that corrections officers face when doing activities like sorting mail intended for inmates, and frisking them. “People from the outside are sending in envelopes laced with fentanyl,” one retiree told ALBB. “They liquefy the fentanyl and the put it on the glue of the envelope, or the glue of the stamp. This is intended for the inmate to get high. But corrections officers are coming into contact with it when they touch the envelopes, and some have needed Narcan treatment.” These envelopes are usually placed inside of an envelopes that goes through the USPS.

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Employment and Assault Issues Across The State

Spectrum News has done a breakdown of both employment numbers compared to the number of incarcerated people - both of which are declining in New York State. The news agency also did a breakdown of the number of assaults on corrections officers, as well as on inmates. Both of which are rising.

Corrections officers are demanding more staff. But recruiting staff may be difficult. Said one former inmate, Ryan Manzi, to ALBB: “Those protesters I’m sure are being slaved working within the prison, however, they knew about mandated overtime, including when there’s a state of emergency due to snow. Under-staffing is a universal problem in the criminal justice system.”

Ryan felt that there is an “old guard” in charge, where potential younger correctional officers are more informed and either not choosing the profession, or resisting it from inside. “They have championed basic human rights and it’s clear that the old regime and the youth mindset don’t mesh well.”

Ryan continued: “The working conditions are poor in a lot of these facilities, even newer ones, and to some I’ve personally interacted with, the risk/reward of the job truly isn’t worth their mental health, physical health and safety.”

Demand: Repeal the H.A.L.T. Program To End It

The corrections officers are demanding the end of the H.A.L.T. (Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement), saying they and other inmates are at risk.

“There’s no punishment inside the jail anymore,” Rob told ALBB, as he described how officers would punish inmates. “There used to be the Keyblock area. It’s like a little jail inside the jail. If you do bad, you got to go to jail, basically. That’s been almost squashed. They can’t do more than 14 days in that. It’s not unsafe. There are windows and doors. It’s not a little box that anybody’s in. It’s a miscommunication with all that stuff. The H.A.L.T Program needs to be repealed. It makes it so unsafe. The officers are getting assaulted on a daily basis as well as being made to stay awake for 24 plus hours.”

Ray, a retired corrections officer, also spoke to ALBB about his views of H.A.L.T. and why he views a method of punishment necessary for acts of violence or drug use while inside the jail. He said: “The H.A.L.T Act was instituted to basically take away any punishment and reduce what they used to call Keyblock Solitary Confinement for disciplinary actions. It used to be where there was penalties and disciplin and consequences for poor behavior, violence, drug use, and now basically, it’s a slap on the hand. They can’t do any more than 15 days in confinement. It’s like ‘Time Out’ for bad guys. So an officer can get assaulted, beat. Inmates acan be beat and assaulted. Inmates can be high. And there’s no repercussions for poor behavior and disciplinary action. we have no control over that any longer. If there are no repercussions, then there is no reason not to misbehave. There needs to be repercussions for misbehavior. It’s jail. It’s prison. They’re not in there for being good citizens. If you can’t behave in jail and there not be repercussions for misbehavior, what’s going to stop all the violence and misbehavior. People are being assaulted on a daily basis across the state, in every jail.”

Protest Against The President And Musk Held In Beacon On President's Day - Part Of Nationwide Movement

Protesters demonstrating against the President and Elon Musk on Presidents Day. The signs read “Keep the Immigrants, Deport the Racists” and “Tump-Musk don’t care about you.”
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

Demonstrators protesting against the president and Elon Musk at Pohill Park in Beacon, NY.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

By Jean Noack

A demonstration was held at Polhill Park today at noon. An organization called Indivisible Beacon appeared to have been the organizer, which drew about 30 people to the event. The temperature was below freezing. The event was part of a nationwide call for protests to be held at noon local time against the Trump agenda.

Read about the nationwide protests at NPR and Democracy Now. NPR states: “The protests follow a series of executive orders signed by President Trump, including actions led by billionaire Elon Musk, which have been criticized for their aims to diminish the role of the federal government.”

A protest at noon in Beacon, NY at Pohill Park in below freezing temperatures.
Photo Credit: Jean Noack

Would Joe - Who Is Outside Most Of The Time - Like To Sleep In A Warming Center In Beacon? "Yes."

Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

On the sunny Wednesday that was today’s 3 degree morning, A Little Beacon Blog accompanied an ALBB reader of yesterday’s article, “There Is No Overnight Warming Center In Beacon; There Are 2 Daytime Warming Centers Listed”, Meghan Spiro, who was so moved by the information that she purchased and overnighted a box of emergency blankets made of mylar to distribute to houseless community members in Beacon who sleep outdoors most every night.

Eventually, we tried reaching people directly on the streets, knowing they might not be in the library yet. We ran into Joe, a well known fellow who has slept outside in Beacon for 8 years. We asked him if he would sleep in a warming center in Beacon. He said: “Oh yes. Sleep overnight. Come out and do what I got to do in the morning. That would be great.”

“I got to do what I got to do in Beacon. If I’m in Poughkeepsie, I got to stay in Poughkeepsie all day. Doing what? I’m going to be outside anyway. Over there, overnight, they kick your ass out, and you got to come back. Leave at a certain time. Come back. I got to go over there just to go to sleep? Be out in the cold all day? Doesn’t make no sense!”

— Joe

There is no place in Beacon to sleep overnight for houseless people or those with little or no money. We asked what his other options were. He said Poughkeepsie or Newburgh. We asked if he would go there. “Nope,” he said. “There are busses and whatever. You need money for the bus. I have to come back and forth to Beacon. I got to do what I got to do in Beacon. If I’m in Poughkeepsie, I got to stay in Poughkeepsie all day. Doing what? I’m going to be outside anyway. Over there, overnight, they kick your ass out, and you got to come back. Leave at a certain time. Come back. I got to go over there just to go to sleep? Be out in the cold all day? Doesn’t make no sense!”

We made a drop at the Beacon Library, which is a warming center on the Dutchess County list. We continued on to the Beacon Community Kitchen located in the Tabernacle Church next to the Howland Cultural Center (we later learned the kitchen has abruptly closed).

We got to the library right when it opened at 9:30am. Knowing that we might not see dozens of people inside of the library - we took to the street to look for friends who sleep outside (or inside of structures they build out of boxes or plywood) who we could give the blankets to, and describe how they work.

Sure enough, we saw several friends who had just started their mornings, having had nothing to eat yet. One friend was Joe, a well known fellow, who has slept outside in Beacon for 8 years. He does jobs around Beacon to get through each day. One of his jobs is as a can and bottler, where he collects cans and bottles and turns them in for money. Each day of the week yields different amounts of cans from different locations. He has his favorite days, a secret which he will not reveal, as there are competitors.

We asked Joe if he would like a warming center in Beacon to sleep in at night during cold spells like this. He told us that he did, as getting up to Poughkeepsie for a sleepover warming center was too much. The money it takes to ride the bus there and back, plus, the daylight hours he loses in Beacon when he gets exited from the warming center there, as they keep entry and exit hours. Take a listen to Joe’s interview to get a glimpse into his day in the life and why a warming center in Beacon would help him.

During our interview, Joe mentioned that the Beacon Community Kitchen had closed two weeks ago. Sure enough, Justice McCray, a co-founder of Beacon 4 Black Lives and a former Beacon Councilmember, had announced during Public Comment of the 1/21/2025 City Council meeting that the kitchen had closed, but that The Yard was starting a free Breakfast Program from their new formation called The Backyard. The program starts on January 28th and will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30am.

Products That People Have Asked For

The library has consistently said over the years that the most popular items people seek from the Tiny Food Pantry is toiletries, like tampons and toothpaste. Socks and underwear are a desired item as well.

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There Is No Community Center In Beacon

Despite consistent calls for a Community Center by Justice McCray and others, there is no central Community Center in Beacon. In response to the pressure by the community in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter revival movement and COVID, the City of Beacon agreed to fund a $50,000 survey in 2020 to learn more about what people might want in a Community Center.

The survey opened in September 2022, and completed in March 2023. Today, in January 2025, there is no Community Center or plans for one. There is, however, a recently empty, large and beautiful firehouse on Main Street that the City of Beacon is selling to offset the geothermal floor it installed into the rebuild and centralization of the new firehouse that cost millions of dollars. Realtors are eager to sell the old firehouse, and some built their own website for it. The City picked The Gatehouse Team at Compass to represent the sale.

About Mylar Blankets

The mylar blankets are thin and compact. They can be re-used, so are useful for wrapping around the body if one needs to sit or lie still in freezing temperatures. The mylar blankets are commonly used by hikers in case they get stuck or injured on a trail and need to keep warm while waiting for help.

After we offered Joe a blanket, he thought about it, and doubted if they would work. After some nudging, he said that he would try cutting them up to place into his boots, as his feet get very cold, as one can’t stuff a lot into boots for effectiveness. We gave him 3 blankets. One for cutting, 2 for wrapping.

We eagerly await the next time we see him, so that he can tell us that the mylar emergency blanket did not work. We did give him recently purchased hand-warmers, which he also doubted if they would work. He did say that hand warmers given out by a church were expired, and did not work. Stay tuned.

Menorah Lighting From Chabad of Beacon Had Donuts, Latkes, Fire; But No Mention Of Genocide

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For the second year in a row, newly established Chabad of Beacon hosted a Menorah Lighting at Pohill Park, with a temporary structure that cannot remain overnight. Unlike in year’s past where the Bicycle Menorah from Beacon Arts and Beacon Hebrew Alliance would set up a menorah sculpture for 8 nights of differently themed dedications (aka Illumin8), this current City Administrator won’t allow such temporary structures to remain daily. The full video of this menorah lighting, and a bit of the fire show, are at the bottom of this article.

Donuts and Latkes at the Menorah Lighting.

The evening before dusk was full of neighborly spirit, plump donuts, fresh latkes, and music from a DJ playing remixes of Chanukah songs set to Top 40 beats. Sharing of treats is important to this holiday, as per one of the blessings that was passed out on a flyer: “Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah. Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the hora. Gather round the table, we’ll all have a treat.”

The main emphasis for the lighting of the candles, as presented by Rabbi Shaya of Chabad Beacon, was the presentation of the idea of being a light in the darkness. He said there are two opinions to lighting the menorah:

1. Light 8 candles all at once, starting with 8, and going down from there. Signifies a group, working together to light the darkness. The only way to be a light in the darkness is to be all together. You can't be alone. “Once you do all 8 together, you're tighter as a group, you can fight the darkness,” he said as he explained the opinion.

2. Light 1 candle first, then 2, then 3, “like we are doing tonight,” Rabbi Shaya said.

   What is the difference of opinions, he asked? “The Menorah is all about being a light in the darkness. Lighting 1 light can light the darkness…You don't need a group with you,” he said. “You don't need 15 people. Whatever the good deed is that you're doing, you are lighting up the darkness.”

Rabbi Shaya's message was: "Let's be the light."

There was no mention of the genocide that Israel is enacting onto the people of Palestine in the name of Jewish people, some of whom insist “Not in my name.” This omission made celebrating the music difficult for those in attendance who do acknowledge and are following the genocide, which is being live streamed on our phones every second of the days and nights for 449 dark days, with no lighted end in sight.

The Fire Show

The Chabad of Beacon encouraged all to attend, promising a fire show to accompany the candle lighting. While the fire dancer was talented, watching the bursts of flames twirl around her was triggering for those who care about people being genocided with fire.

Those who witness the genocide have been watching decapitated babies burn, their charred bodies remaining in the arms of men trying to save them. At least three people including Aaron Bushnell, the active duty member of the US Air Force who fatally set himself on fire in protest of the genocide.

Rabbi Shaya with a second Rabbi who lit the rest of the candles after Mayor Kyriacou.

The day before the Menorah lighting in Beacon, the Israeli army burned down Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in Northern Gaza. “Doctors have been kidnapped, medics were burned alive, anyone who was mobile was forced to strip and told to travel by foot to the Indonesian hospital, which is not currently functioning,” reported @HealthCareWorkersForPalestine, who are encouraging people to call major media outlets to demand that they report on this, which US media outlets continue to black out. Keeping the genocide in darkness.

That, plus the homeless woman who was burned alive in a New York subway car as she stood paralyzed in pain, her identity of which cannot be found as of yet. The fiery visuals of the Chanukah fire show in Beacon were difficult to absorb.

The Lighting

Rabbi Shaya invited Mayor Lee Kyriacou to light the first candle. As Mayor Lee accepted the flame with which to light the first candle, he said: “So this is a tiki torch. A cross cultural event. But only to say…Thank you all for being here. Please enjoy your holidays however you celebrate them. Let's always be a Welcoming community. And that's all.”

Under the previous administration of Mayor Randy Casale, citizens of Beacon pushed for it to be a Welcoming City in 2019, when all could not agree on risking federal funding to be a Sanctuary City. After Mayor Lee lit the menorah, he said: “Mai Tais are going to be in the back, after we finish the lighting. And then we do the Polynesian hula dance.”

“Not In Our Name”: Beacons Of Light Represent Jews Against Genocide

Silently, and in the periphery of the menorah lighting, stood five people representing some Jewish people in Beacon who are protesting the Israeli genocide of Palestinian people.

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A second Menorah Lighting has been organized for January 1, 2025, for people who need to recognize the genocide in order to celebrate. The theme is “Nobody is Free Until Everybody Is Free.”

A courageous thing to do, as those in the Jewish community are split. Those opposing Israel’s murder of Palestinians (sometimes known as Anti-Zionist Jews) have been mocked by other Jews who do not acknowledge, or defend the genocide (sometimes known as Zios or Zionist Jews), which follows the belief that the founders of Zionism weaponized Judaism to gain and maintain white supremacy.

One representative of the anti-genocide group passed out flyers promoting a second menorah lighting for January 1, 2025, with the theme “Nobody Is Free Until Everybody Is Free.” They did so safely and comfortably throughout the crowd, talking to some neighbors.

One of the organizers of the anti-genocide group, Phoebe Zinman, told A Little Beacon Blog: “Some people were really appreciative and grateful that we were there.” One neighbor approached the small group to ask who they were with. Phoebe said: “I told them we weren’t a coalition with a name. We were a group of Jewish people who had been in conversation and doing things since October of 2023.”

The Reception Of Anti-Genocide Jews At The Chabad Menorah Lighting

Three of the attendees of the anti-genocide group that attended the Chabad Beacon’s Menorah Lighting. From left: Loren Miller, Phoebe Zinman, and Lucky Longo.

“One man waving an Israeli flag told the anti-genocide Jews from Beacon: ‘You’re ruining our celebration.’ The anti-Zionist, anti-genocide Jews went on to describe what a different man said to them, who was wearing a tank top and was adorned in tattoos: “He said he would come ruin Christmas for us, and I said ‘We’re Jewish.’ And he said ‘I don’t care. You’re chickens for KFC.’ Which is hilarious to me. Does that make Palestine KFC? Does that make him a chicken standing up for being a chicken? So he just wants to be free to live as a chicken who won’t be slaughtered…like how Gazans are being slaughtered?”

— Phoebe Zinman, as told to ALBB

ALBB asked Phoebe how their presence was received at the menorah lighting. “We wanted to be here as a presence, showing that Palestine will not be erased. It’s part of this, and it’s not appropriate to celebrate Chanukah when this is happening. Like we’re killing….their children are our children.”

Speaking as a Jewish person, Phoebe and the other Jewish organizers wanted to make it explicit: “We can’t celebrate; we can’t participate in this holiday while this is happening. A celebration that doesn’t acknowledge what’s happening is not appropriate.”

The “Tank Top” guy who called the anti-ceasefire group “chickens for KFC.”

On the reverse, some celebrating attendees told the anti-genocide group that their presence was not appropriate. One man waving an Israeli flag told them: “You’re ruining our celebration.” Phoebe described what a different man said to them, who was wearing a tank top and adorned in tattoos: “He said he would come ruin Christmas for us, and I said ‘We’re Jewish.’ And he said ‘I don’t care. You’re chickens for KFC.’ Which is hilarious to me. Does that make Palestine KFC? Does that make him a chicken standing up for being a chicken? So he just wants to be free to live as a chicken who won’t be slaughtered…like how Gazans are being slaughtered?”

Lucky Longo, a non-Jewish participant with the anti-genocide group, told ALBB: “My sign says “From Darkness to Light; Stand For Palestinian Rights.” Lucky told ALBB that she wanted to be inclusive for Chanuka, “but I wanted to bring awareness as a non-Jewish person to this as a community member also.” As for their reception, Lucky said: “It was slightly ignored, but also, not super receptive. I still think in the back of people’s minds it will bring awareness.”

The man waving the Israeli flag who told the anti-ceasefire group that they were “ruining” the celebration. Overall the celebration was very celebratory. The anti-genocide group was standing in the background silently.

Ceasefire City

Beacon is a Ceasefire city. Through a pressure packed few weeks, Beacon’s City Council did sign a Ceasefire Resolution. It takes courage to be the light in the face of white supremacy. Supremacy is maintained through the darkness of intimidation by bullies. Perhaps Chabad Beacon will be that light for others to follow in their new home of Beacon.

Perhaps one day, Chabad Beacon will acknowledge and denounce the genocide, and stand against leaders doing so in the names of so many.