Boston Workers Alliance

Walk to Freedom for CORI Reform

Posted Friday, May 23, 2008

On May 22nd, several hundred people participated in a march and rally from Charlestown to the State House in support of CORI reform. The day’s events were the culmination in a statewide Walk to Freedom led by Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA). A dozen EPOCA members completed a 50 mile, five day walk from Worcester to Boston between May 18 - 22nd.

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1st Annual Appreciation Benefit

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2008

BWA held its first Appreciation Benefit at the Youth Development Center in the Carver Den in Dorchester. Over 120 people joined the BWA for a hearty meal and evening of poetry and dancing. BWA recognized our “First Supporters,” giving awards to the Mass Law Reform Institute, Dorchester People for Peace and the District 7 Roundtable.

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Patrick announces bill, order to reform CORI

Posted Friday, January 18, 2008

Patrick announces bill, order to reform CORI
By Yawu Miller
January 17, 2007 — Vol. 43, No. 23

Gov. Deval Patrick last week announced a bill and an executive order, both aimed at stemming what some have called excesses in the state’s Criminal Offender Records Information (CORI) law.

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BWA CORI Press Release & Summary of Governor’s Proposal

Posted Saturday, January 12, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2008

GOVERNOR PATRICK MOVES TO REFORM CRIMINAL RECORDS SYSTEM:
Advocates and Community Residents Applaud Action, But Fear Proposal Is Lacking

BWA CORI Press Release & Summary of Governor’s Proposal *click to download*

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BWA Appreciation Benefit

Posted Friday, January 11, 2008

February 17, 2008
7:00 pm	to	11:00 pm

February 17, 2008
7pm

Hiram Youth Development Center

98 Talbot Ave
Dorchester, MA 02125

Donation: $10

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GOVERNOR PATRICK: CORI REFORM UPDATE

Posted Friday, December 21, 2007

Call In Today – Keep Up the Pressure!

Last week, members of the Boston Workers Alliance, Mass Alliance to Reform CORI, Mass Law Reform Institute, and Councilor Turner met with Undersecretaries Mary Beth Heffernan and John Grossman to discuss details of the Governor’s pending CORI Reform proposal.

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PeaceWork Magazine: Ending the Cycle of Violence

Posted Saturday, December 15, 2007

Ending the Cycle of Violence: Reforming Discriminatory Criminal Record Laws

From Issue 381 - December 2007-January 2008

Ivelisse Sanchez

The Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system is a collection of computerized data in Massachusetts that records millions of individuals’ encounters with the criminal justice system, and is used by employers, government aid agencies, and landowners to discriminate against those who have had minor or major entanglements with the law.

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Dorchester People for Peace Honor BWA

Posted Monday, November 26, 2007

December 10, 2007
6:30 pm	to	9:00 pm

Dorchester People for Peace (DPP)
invites you to our annual year-end Party. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work for peace and justice we have accomplished together!

Monday, December 10, 2007, from 6:30 to 9pm
Vietnamese American Community Center, 42 Charles Street, near Fields Corner.

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Cambridge City Council Hearing on CORI Ordinance

Posted Wednesday, November 21, 2007

November 28, 2007
5:30 pm	to	7:30 pm

On November 28th, 2007, the Cambridge City Council held a hearing on expanding their fair CORI-hiring guidelines to apply to their city contractors and vendors. The hearing was chaired by council member Brian Murphy.

This proposal is modeled off of the City of Boston’s CORI Ordinance, which prevents employers from asking about a criminal record before they have considered the skills and qualifications of the job applicant. Only positions that have been identified as having unsupervised contact with vulnerable populations (children, elderly) are allowed to inquire about criminal histories.
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