by mosesmadison | Jan 4, 2014 | Advocacy
WISDOM leaders met with Governor Walker’s Office
About 100 WISDOM leaders from across Wisconsin and allied groups held a rally and press conference at grace
Episcopal Church in Madison. Following this meeting the group headed over to meet with Governor Walker’s office.
The meting with the Governor’s office was regarding Old Law prisoners. The Old Law refers to men and women that were sentenced under policies that expected prisoners to demonstrate good behavior and complete program conditions to earn an early release. When the new Truth in Sentencing policy came into effect, law mandated that time sentenced equal time served and time being incarcerated was adjusted to reflect this policy. It is estimated that there are thousands of men and women that are stuck between these two policies that have no way to earn release through parole.
A delegation of 8 WISDOM leaders including Christian, Muslim, and Islamic religious leaders met for an hour with Waylon Hurlburt the Senior Policy Analyst to the governor. Hurlburt said the Governor had not known about this issue but added that Walker has interest and has promised a meeting before the end of January to consider and respond to our asks to:
- Review the cases of each prisoner that was sentenced under the Old Law
- Direct the Parole Commission and the Department of Corrections to work together to create a path to parole for these men and women
- Call for a study and issue a public report to offer transparency to the number of prisoners this would impact and how the issue would be resolved
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Call Governor Walker’s office and thank him for the meeting and let him know that you look forward to a positive response in the meeting with WISDOM next month. Governor Walker’s phone number is (608) 266-1212.
by mosesmadison | Oct 10, 2013 | Events
To purchase your ticket, contact Bev at 608-244-2115 or email bevobuhr@gmail.com.
by mosesmadison | Apr 30, 2013 | Advocacy
Summary by John Stedman, JONAH
MOSES team revising their comments before hearing begins
About 12 powerful leaders from MOSES / Wisdom testified before the Joint Committee on Finance on April 10, 2013. Sadly, bad weather forced the NAOMI contingent to cancel their trip. Each leader powerfully presented TAD’s from a different perspective, but they held in common the refrain “Invest in What Works” and “TAD’s Work!”. Carol Rubin did an excellent job helping her co-leaders be prepared.
The venue for the proceedings was Kalahari Resort and we were told that this was the first time JFC ever conducted hearings in Wisconsin Dells. The room was set up for about 500 and at the opening of the Hearings most chairs were filled.
JFC co-chair, Senator Darling, conducted the hearings efficiently – holding speakers to their two minutes of allotted time. Early testimony was mostly from three broad constituencies: Circus World, WI Public Schools, and Wisdom/MOSES. Testimony from the first two groups was from professionals and administrative staff. MOSES was distinguished by the power of their testimony and the fact that it was leader not staff driven.
Joan Duerst being interviewed after testimony by NBC News.
Immediately following her testimony Sister Joan was sought ought by TV 15 (NBC) for an interview.
Also immediately following the Hearing, Senator Wirch sought us out and commended everyone for their terrific testimony. He encouraged us to continue to push TAD’s. He said the Wisdom presence at hearings in Greendale, Green Bay and Wisconsin Dells was very definitely “Having an impact”. He hoped we would be in Baldwin and I assured him we would be there. He said that while he felt we would not get all we asked for, he felt it likely we would see some increased funding for Drug Courts and Veterans Courts.
MOSES members waiting to testify.
I was very proud to be associated with Wisdom and all the MOSES leaders.
by mosesmadison | Mar 20, 2013 | Events
MOSES is offering an interactive, 2-part leadership opportunity for member congregations and others who are interested in MOSES. The training will be led by WISDOM state Director David Liners.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
9:00 am – Noon
First Unitarian Society
900 University Bay Drive, Madison
Atrium Auditorium
Congregations are encouraged to bring a group of members interested in building a strong core team within their congregation.
The morning will include:
One-on-One Training
Individual one-on-one conversations are vital to finding out what issues directly concern congregation and community members and make the work of justice more central to the life of the church and community. A one-on-one listening campaign will strengthen the bonds of community in the congregation, and will build a stronger foundation for our justice work through MOSES. We will practice simple skills, disciplines and attitudes that allow the listener to hear and honor the stories, passions, and experiences in a person’s life, and provide a basis for future dialogue and collaboration.
Core Team Training
Learn how to build and/or strengthen a core group of leaders in your congregation to respond to the justice issues that are important to your congregation and the larger community. This portion of the training will provide ideas, processes and procedures needed to build strong, effective
teams that people want to join!
For more information or to RSVP, contact: Lisa Munro at lmunro@wisc.edu.
If you plan to attend an RSVP is appreciated, but not required.
