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At the high school, a new place to chill By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com
Kelsie Radziski/Herald
U n i o n d a l e H i g h S ch o o l unveiled its new Wellness Center — a quiet, supportive space designed to of fer students relief from the pressures of school life — with a ribbon-cutting on Dec. 11. The center, created by the Youth Empowerment Project, is a place to decompress, relax and recharge. “We all deserve a space to relax, to relieve our stress, to detach from all of our anxieties from each day,” Aariana Osorio, a junior at the high school
The students in the Uniondale High School Youth Empowerment Project collaborated to create the new Wellness Center, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony and official unveiling on Dec. 11.
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Community leaders rally in Hempstead for parole justice By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com
A rally was held in Hempstead on Dec. 4 to push for the passage of two bills statewide that would help imprisoned i n d iv i d u a l s s e e k j u s t i c e through the parole system. In a show of solidarity, the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice, a coalition of groups across New York state, brought local activists from surrounding Long Island communities to Fulton Avenue to urge passage of the Elder Parole bill and the Fair & Timely Parole bill.
The bills are designed to give those who are incarcerated opportunities for individualized parole consideration. The Elder Parole bill provides parole eligibility for adults over 55 who have served at least 15 years of their sentence, while the Fair & Timely Parole bill primarily focuses on ensuring that parole hearings are conducted in a timely manner for those in state prisons, according to the State Senate website. A 2021 study by the Center for Justice at Columbia University estimated that enacting both bills could save the state
$522 million annually due to the reduced prison costs once people are released. The bills are co-sponsored by a number of senators, including Kevin Thomas of the 6th Senate District, encompassing Uniondale, Hempstead, Roosevelt, Baldwin and other surrounding communities. William Bailey, senior director of the New York Communities for Change, or NYCC, Hempstead branch, joined 10 other advocates at the rally, voicing support for the Elder Parole bill because he’s “sick and tired of standing out here
every year calling for our elders to be home.” “They have now become m e n t o r s , t h e y h av e n o w become leaders, they have now become role models, they have now become ministers,” he told the crowd who gathered at the rally. “These are people that can help our communities. These are seasoned veter-
ans, seasoned mentors, people who have been there, done that. “Who are you to tell them?” he added. “Who are you to decide that they cannot come home?” NYCC, an advocacy group with branches throughout the state, including Hempstead, ConTinUED on PagE 2