It is another cold, snowy start to the week, and some of you may need help with your rising utility bills. Please read below to see if Operation Fuel can provide any relief with its energy assistance program this winter.
We discussed the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on my weekly radio show. Keep scrolling to listen to the show and learn more about how our community is embracing Dr. King's vision and activism.
Speaking of taking action, my colleagues and I are calling for more transparency when incarcerated individuals are mistreated. I will explain what steps we are urging the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) to take to improve communication and conditions behind bars.
Here are the sections in today's email:
Opportunity To Get Help With Utility Bill
Let's Talk About It: MLK's Life & Legacy
Calling for Transparency at DOC
Opportunity To Get Help With Utility Bill
Operation Fuel may be able to help if you are struggling to pay utility bills. The organization's energy assistance program opened this month for the Winter/Spring season. Operation Fuel will accept applications until March 1 unless funds run out before then.
Households with incomes that do not exceed 75% of the State Median Income Guidelines may qualify for assistance. These households include - but are not limited to - the elderly, disabled, working families, or individuals facing a financial crisis.
Eligible clients may apply for energy assistance (gas, electric, oil, or other deliverable fuel) ONCE per year and receive a grant of UP to $500.
For utility assistance (electric & gas), clients must show they made at least four payments in the past 12 months, must owe a past due amount, and provide at least four weeks of income information.
Operation Fuel is accepting applications for water and energy bill assistance for:
Electric: Eversource, United Illuminating (UI), and Norwalk Public Utilities Gas: Eversource, UI, Yankee Gas, Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), and Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG) Water: CT Water and The Metropolitan District (MDC)
Activists talk about Dr. Martin Luther King's life and legacy.
We welcomed a couple of guests to discuss the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on my weekly public affairs show, "Let's Talk About It." Melanie Roberts and Dwight Bachman, who are involved in the Willimantic chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), talked about the importance of celebrating the life and memory of Dr. King.
The community came together on Saturday to reflect on his leadership that led to the success of the civil rights movement. A service was held at Calvary Baptist Church on Valley Street. Bachman informed us that Willmantic's chapter of the NAACP is the fastest growing in our entire state. It shows there is a commitment to justice in our community. We are carrying out Dr. King's vision for integration, equality, and access to educational opportunities.
Dr. King continues to inspire and affect racial progress today. His work paved the way for positive change, fostering a society that values justice, equality, and human rights.
This past weekend served as an opportunity for all of us to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy. We can recommit ourselves to unity and justice while contributing to the ongoing pursuit of civil rights.
Calling for Transparency at DOC
I joined some of my colleagues, social justice advocates, and their families to call for more transparency to the mistreatment of incarcerated individuals, including violence and excessive force.
We urge the Connecticut General Assembly to take new approaches and draft potential legislation, including swifter implementation of the PROTECT Act, which ended routine strip searches as a transformative approach to prison reform.
We are also calling for a comprehensive review of the current practices within the Connecticut Department Of Correction (DOC), with a particular focus on improving transparency, accountability, and addressing the staffing needs. We must ensure the necessary investments are made to fortify our correctional system and safeguard the rights and safety of those entrusted to it.
The Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) needs to improve its communication with loved ones when an inmate is subject to violence. In some cases, they learned of the incident from secondary sources. In September, the grandmother of Elijah Hamlin saw him being beaten at the Garner Correctional Institute in Newtown while watching a local news report on television. Elijah had previously lost his phone privileges.
Families are reaching out, desperate for answers as to why their incarcerated family members aren't getting access to mental health treatment, exercise, and adequate diet. There is a systemic breakdown between policy and practice when it comes to transparency with the DOC. News reports and press conferences should not be the de facto disseminators of information to families.
