Stop Bullying: To Protect Elders and People Living with Disability, by Jerry Halberstadt, is close to completion and I am offering a limited number of free review copies to readers who agree to write their comments and reactions.
On Wednesday, 18 June 2014, the Joint Committee on Housing of the Great Court of Massachusetts reported out a "resolve" S2329 creating a commission to study ways to prevent bullying and to protect elderly and disabled tenants living in subsidized, multi-family housing from bullying. Jerry Halberstadt, Coordinator of the Stop Bullying Coalition believes this resolve "to be the first effort in the nation seeking legislation to protect elderly and disabled tenants—urgently needed because bullying is truly harmful and deprives people of their human rights and their civil rights." UPDATES & NEWSLETTER AT StopBullyingCoalition.org
Rep. Paul Heroux and Rep. Jay Livingstone invited Michael Kane, Executive Director of Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants and me to meet with them and other legislators yesterday (13 March) at the State House to help craft a bill to stop bullying of elders and disabled in housing programs. They invited Senator Joan Lovely, my own senator who has supported our efforts from the beginning. The new bill is intended to complement, build on, and improve the original effort, S604. UPDATES & NEWSLETTER AT StopBullyingCoalition.org
The Stop Bullying Coalition (SBC) announces a hearing on S604, An Act to protect residents of subsidized housing developments from bullying, including both elderly and those living with disability. The hearing will be held by the Joint Committee on Housing in Boston, MA. at the State House, Room B2 from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday, January 28, 2014.
A Program to Stop Bullying is a new publication that serves as a resource for legislation, advocacy, and intervention against bullying, social bullying, and mobbing.
Several advocacy groups will join under the umbrella of the Stop Bullying Coalition. Our plan is to craft a commonly agreed set of goals, and then to write a bill to replace S604, for consideration by the legislature.
The Attleboro (MA) Human Rights Council is to be congratulated for their efforts to remedy the injustice affecting targets of bullying. The Attleboro City Council, if it passes an ordinance on bullying, would make history in the fight against bullying.
Bullying in subsidized housing affects all residents, including people living with a disability as well as people living with age. The Stop Bullying Coalition is proud and lucky to be working with The Cross Disability Advocacy Coalition and with Jonathan Gale, coordinator of the CDAC. Please join with us and advocate for change now.
The federal sequester is a cruel weapon: a raw deal that is part of an effort to undo the heritage of the New Deal and the safety net. It is striking home and eliminating programs that are essential to the needs and rights of the elderly, the poor, children, and the disabled. Today I learned about the end of an excellent advocacy program for the disabled.