Press Release – NAACP New Bedford

Statement of NAACP New Bedford Branch on Criticism of Police Profiling Report

Statement of NAACP New Bedford Branch on Criticism of Police Profiling Report April 23, 2020 The NAACP New Bedford Branch was pleased to be one of eight community co-sponsors of the unveiling of Citizens for Juvenile Justice's report on racial profiling by the New Bedford Police. It is not surprising that the report coincided with the conviction of George Floyd's killer in Minneapolis. Americans have had enough of bad policing, and that includes New Bedford, a city that paid out $1.4 million in settlements for two wrongful police killings. Although it is clear to a growing number of Americans, Black,...

New Bedford NAACP Urges Faster Action on Covid-19 Vaccination

[caption id="attachment_1755" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] COVID-19 vaccination (2020) by U.S. Secretary of Defense, CC by 2.0 [/caption] Calls 600 doses per week for area "woefully inadequate'; Urges better outreach in communities of color NEW BEDFORD -- In a statement released today, The New Bedford Branch of the NAACP is calling on elected officials and area residents to accelerate efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. New Bedford continues to report among the highest total number of infected individuals in the Commonwealth, at over 12,000 each. Yet, the number of vaccines arriving in our city is woefully inadequate: only...

“Justice was the second casualty in this case”

On October 14th, the NAACP New Bedford Branch issued a press release referring to letters to state and federal prosecutors calling for independent investigations of the murder of Malcolm Gracia by New Bedford Police. One letter was addressed to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, the other to Eric Drieband, Assistant Attorney General for the USDOJ's Civil Rights Division. Here is what we called for: The NAACP New Bedford Branch urges your office to investigate the killing of Malcom Gracia in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 2012. Today, eight years later, this killing haunt our community and puts a pall over community-...

NAACP Decries Silencing of Native Voices in Dartmouth ‘Indian’ Debate

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 20, 2020 – 8:30 a.m. NAACP Decries Silencing of Native Voices in Dartmouth ‘Indian’ Debate New Bedford – At a meeting of local activists convened by the NAACP, area residents criticized the Dartmouth School Committee’s handling of the debate over the school’s offensive mascot, particularly singling out the Committee’s decision to exclude anyone not a Dartmouth resident from its deliberations. This virtually ensures that no Native tribal members and leaders will be heard. In response, the group agreed to mobilize to ensure that those and other voices are brought before the public. The...

Massachusetts House Police Accountability Bill Fails Black Lives and the Commonwealth

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: LaSella L. Hall, Ph.D.: (404) 422-2543 Date: July 13, 2020 -- 8:30 a.m. president@naacpnewbedford.org Massachusetts House Police Accountability Bill Fails Black Lives and the Commonwealth NEW BEDFORD -- "The Massachusetts House of Representatives took a reasonably thoughtful Senate reform bill and removed the crucial aspects for police accountability," said Dr. LaSella L. Hall, President of the NAACP New Bedford Branch. He continued, "H.4860, the House version of the bill passed by the Senate, is a disappointment that can only be salvaged with numerous amendments and, in its present version, clearly does not value highly the Black lives and communities of color...

Press Release

NAACP New Bedford Branch Issues Demands to Protect Communities of Color

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: LaSella L. Hall, Ph.D.: (404) 422-2543 Date: July 7, 2020 – 10:20 a.m. president@naacpnewbedford.org NAACP New Bedford Branch Issues Demands to Protect Communities of Color The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. The horrific death of George Floyd and, more recently, the deliberate shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta along with Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other Black citizens too numerous to name,...