Synchronicity
  • Home
  • Support this Newsletter
  • Testimonials
  • Newsletter
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Feature Archive

Guest Post by Jed Morey: We're Not Here for Long. Let's Do Better. Together.

1/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Photo of Jed Morey
 Editors' Note: We often lament how fast everything is flying, and how little time is afforded to reflect. We give it our best to take in diverse sources, even when the tone of one or another bristles us, so we might better understand where different folks are coming from and maybe get a fuller picture ourselves. Honestly, though, the world is geared to rile us up and often succeeds. Maybe even rightly, sometimes. Still, the recent incident with the "MAGA Hat Boy", the indigenous activist and a fringe group we hadn't yet heard of was a good reminder of how fraught our knee-jerk reactions can be. We still don't really know the full truth of anything, except that we were reminded that there are many angles to every story. and that the whole scene seems to offer a great object lesson. David Brooks of the NY Times apparently felt similarly, in his own way. So did Long Island's own Jed Morey, whose words we are grateful to share here:

A couple of days ago I joined the chorus of self-righteous outrage and posted the image of the now infamous MAGA hat wearing kid and Indian activist face-to-face. It’s been years since I posted anything purely political and I rarely, if ever, post something without context. But this image stuck with me. So I posted it without commentary, context or linking it to an article. Just the photo. What ensued on my wall happened all around the country on social media, at dinner tables and on television. Those who shared a canned emoji emotion or commented on the thread brought their own biases and interpretations to the image. I didn’t engage, nor am I interested in doing so, regardless of my personal beliefs or world view.

I spent 15 years in print journalism and have continued on this path as producer of a social justice podcast that tackles important and often underreported issues. Nothing I’ve produced over the years, however, will ever be as potent as an image such as the MAGA boy and Indian activist. Images are powerful. Words are as well. But the incendiary nature of social media is more powerful than anything we’ve witnessed in history.

The day in D.C. that produced this image drew together Trump supporters, indigenous rights advocates, Women’s March participants, the Pro-Life movement and even a fringe group, the Black Israelites. Talk about a tinderbox. We instantly thrust our beliefs on the participant groups and became online sleuths, determined to uncover deeper narratives that reinforced our positions. No hearts and minds were won over. The loudest, most persistent voices prevailed and we sunk further into our tribes.

As a progressive writer and producer of a social justice podcast who has covered indigenous issues for years, I could comfortably and arrogantly claim the mantle of authority and weigh in on this. But I didn’t and I won’t. Not because this image or the unfolding drama that surrounds it doesn’t pique my interest or touch a nerve. (It does.) And not because I’m not arrogant. (I am.) It’s because we’ve passed the point of no return. Civil discourse is gone. Historical perspective and proper contextualization of stories no longer shape public opinion.

Then why post the image at all?

So I could write this. I posted the image knowing that the furor would be instant and unfiltered. The comments and reactions are the perfect mirror image of the national sentiment and our ahistorical, knee jerk reactions (I’ve been guilty at times as well) are doing a disservice to our children.

In this protracted, self-imposed hiatus from political posts, I have gained much needed peace and grounding. Instead of shouting at the rain I have chosen to channel my time, energy and money into producing News Beat, a show that gives voice to the voiceless, sheds light in dark corners and inspires true learning through art. I want my daughters to know that it’s important to stand for something in the real world and not just online. But I also want them to know that it’s important to know one’s history and take an empathetic view of the history of others. This comes from real dialogue and engaged learning. Having uncomfortable conversations. Understanding what makes your ideological foe press as hard for his/her stance as you do for yours. It’s difficult, time consuming and sometimes messy. But we’re not here for long. Hopefully we can do better. Together.

Jed Morey produces US News Beat: Unconventional Podcast Challenging Conventional Wisdom. Billed as a hypothetical love child of Hamilton and 60-minutes, it is "a short-form educational and political news podcast focused on social justice and civil liberties issues, that melds the worlds of journalism and music." It has a beat, rhythm and poetry, and is designed to grab your heart and make you think. It is the 2018 New York Press Club award winner for Best Podcast.

US News Beat: An Unconventional Podcast Challenging Conventional Wisdom
0 Comments

Jayette Lansbury: Tireless Champion for People who are Impacted by Mental Illness and for Compassionate Criminal Justice Reform

12/31/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture


A list of links to relevant sites follows this article. Check them out below.

An Angel Finds Her Wings
Jayette Lansbury is a staunch advocate for individuals with mental illness and their caregivers, as well as for reform within the criminal justice system. She intended to become a defense attorney, but was sidelined by illness in her family. Then, she had a son with significant mental health challenges. He thrived in the BOCES program, graduated from Walt Whitman High School, ran in the Special Olympics, joined in community service activities and was paid for his labor. Unfortunately, as a teenager, he became mixed up with the law. On his own, he plead insanity. When Jayette found out, she was told that at 15 her son was old enough to consent and that she had no say. That decision, made by a challenged minor, turned a possible 2-year jail sentence into a stay at a forensic psychiatric center that, 16 years later, has no end in sight.

It was not enough for Jayette to advocate for her own son. She had met too many others who needed help, and encountered too many things that just didn’t seem right. She determined to mix the education she had started with a driving passion to be a part of the solution for all families.
 
“Is it hard to talk about these things? Sure it is,” says Jayette, “but I don’t care about stigma anymore. Things are hard enough without worrying about what people think. People have to remember that mental illness knows no cultural or socioeconomic boundaries. Any one of these people could be your child, your spouse, your friend. We’re all God’s children and we’ve got to help everyone.”

Making a Difference

“Finding the courage has made a huge difference, not just for the people I get to help, but for me, too. This is my motto: I’m on an awesome wonderful journey, doing awesome wonderful work, meeting awesome wonderful people because of my awesome wonderful son.”
 
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 4 adults experience mental illness in a given year. One in 17 live with a serious illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. A 2006 Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report found that 61% of NYS prison inmates have mental illness. According to Jayette, 20% of individuals in the younger NYS prison population are on the autism spectrum.
 
Jayette serves as the Family Liaison for the Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center where her son is held. She helps resolve problems between families and staff and advocates for improved visiting conditions, other services for families, and patients' rights. The Center honored her with an Advocate Award in 2008. As a member of the Long Island Region Advocacy Council of the NYS Office of Mental Health, Jayette represents forensics. She was also recently chosen as the Long Island Region Advocacy Committee Facilitator, where she serves families, friends and peers of individuals who suffer with serious mental illnesses. In 2014, she was appointed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to sit on the county Mental Health Subcommittee.
 
Her interests also include veterans and seniors. For over a decade Jayette served as family support facilitator at Carillon Nursing Home, where mother lived until 2013. “Mom was always there to help someone, and she always let her voice be known. They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so I guess I’m doing kind of the same thing.”
 
Lansbury’s mother was active in the Melville Road Association and the local neighborhood watch. Well after she became a resident of Carillon, she stayed involved in the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) and advocated for senior citizens, writing letters and more. Over 100 people came to her funeral service. Recently, a Malus Crabapple tree was planted as a monument to her at Heckscher Park, where there will be a dedication ceremony in late April of 2016. “We put it in facing the playground so she can watch the children play.”
 
“Mom always told me that it’s not about the time we lived on Earth, but what we do with it. We have to help our fellow human beings. She was always there to help someone. She was always there for me and my son. I’m glad I was there for her, too.”
 
NAMI

Most of Jayette’s involvement is with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She is President of the Huntington Chapter which is now, thanks to her leadership, an incorporated 501(c)3 organization. She sat on the board of NAMI at the State level for two consecutive terms and is now on a required one-year hiatus. She fully expects to rejoin next Fall.
“If I had known what I do now when my kid was growing up,” muses Jayette, “Don’t get me wrong. I was a member of NAMI and I advocated plenty, but I would have been able to do so much more. Maybe I could have prevented him slipping through the cracks.”

NAMI Huntington offers several programs led by NAMI-trained educators. Family programs cover mental illness, seeking help, serving as a primary advocate, and care for the caregiver. Among skills taught is keeping a logbook of behaviors and treatment to enable the most effective advocacy possible.

Although programs may list diagnosis as a prerequisite, exceptions can be made when there’s a real concern. Says Jayette, “After one week, they’ll know if they need to be here and where they can find help. That’s the important part, because the earlier the treatment, the greater the chances of having a normal or near-normal life. ”

Additional programs focus on the broader community. A Parent and Teachers Alliance works with SEPTA, PTA, School Boards and Superintendents to increase awareness and empathy. There are veterans' programs, emerging efforts that focus on creating job opportunities and more. The organization has also forged strong connections with the Northport Veteran’s Administration and Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center.

Advocacy Training and Crisis De-Escalation

In addition to being trained to lead many of NAMI’s programs, Jayette also chairs criminal justice committees at both the local and state levels of NAMI. She is particularly proud of the advocacy done by NAMI Huntington, receiving a NAMI NYS Justice Award herself in 2008. She is pleased that NAMI national has given her their blessing to go ahead with Criminal Justice Advocacy Training for NAMI Affiliates so they, too, can help people handle criminal justice court and provide support to families. She is currently using her one-year break from the State NAMI Board to get even more deeply involved in penal system change.
 
At one point, NAMI Huntington met with a police officer from Hempstead who talked about their Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), his training in crisis de-escalation, and how it could help Suffolk County.  Jayette, in turn, presented last fall to a class of officers being trained in CIT. She taught them important facts about mental illness and why it’s so important for them to have proper training and compassion. She is now a staunch advocate for this program and hopes to see it expanded throughout New York State. NAMI NYS was a leading advocate in legislation signed by the Governor to require correctional officers in all state facilities to have suicide prevention training, and Jayette is pleased to report that the NYPD is working closely with John Jay College on a CIT program. Other areas have had some beginning, but nothing as thorough as what the Village of Hempstead has done in regards to the level of training in mental health and de-escalation techniques, as well as in training officers to approach situations with compassion and to speak with empathy.

“Crisis intervention training is not only for the person that you may be called to arrest, but also for the family and everyone touched by that life, including the officer. Nobody gets hurt. Some people get needed help. Everybody wins,” says Jayette, “So many terrible consequences can come from one bad night, or one bad hour. If we can learn to manage these situations better as a community, we can improve lives exponentially.”

­­ Juvenile Justice

"In the world of juvenile justice, we have what we call a cradle-to-prison pipeline, especially for those in poverty,” explains Jayette, “I'd love to see that pipeline broken, because everybody deserves a chance, especially those with mental illness. I want to help them and their families to have a better life."
 
New York and North Carolina are the only two states that can still prosecute a child as young as 16 as though he or she were an adult. If passed, a current bill, “Raise the Age” will raise the age for being considered an adult by the judicial system to 18.
 
“There was an order signed by the Governor,” says Jayette, “Now the Senate needs to act. We are going up March 8th to lobby for it. Our hope is that by May it will be law. I am planning the thank you plaque already. We also want minors who act out to receive an assessment. So many actions that we consider criminal – bullying, substance abuse, more – have their roots in untreated mental health issues, trauma and/or grief. People don’t usually do these things to be tough. There’s usually something going on.”

 “We used to offer alternatives to help kids who were on the wrong track,” she continues, “but now it seems we ruin entire lives over their immature acts. I hope people call their officials and get these laws passed. I really want to see that age raised higher, to at least 21, but I’ll settle for 18 if I have to. Children are not just little adults. Their brains aren’t developed enough to treat them as adults. You know we need to treat adults much better, too, but we should at least start treating our youth with compassion and empathy.”

Insanity Plea and Alternative Court
 
Jayette is proud to be the NY Liaison for the Stepping Up Initiative, a national effort to get people with mental illness out of jails and into treatment. In addition to NAMI, the coalition includes the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, the American Psychiatric Foundation and numerous law enforcement associations, mental health organizations, and substance abuse organizations. 
 
Jayette herself was instrumental in getting the Suffolk County Mental Health Court up and running. This alternative to Superior and Supreme Court has existed in Central Islip for seven years. In this system, after the indictment and hearing, if it is found that mental illness was prime in factor in a misdemeanor charge, the alternative of court-ordered treatment becomes an option. Another accomplishment was the establishment of the Veterans Mental Health Court in Suffolk County, which celebrated seven years of operations on Veteran’s Day. A Nassau County version is now four years old.
 
“I would like to see the Mental Health Court expanded to serve felony and substance abuse cases,” says Jayette, “Queens County Mental Health Court, which I sit on the board of, has taken up even violent felonies for about five years now. I believe this is a model that Nassau and Suffolk should pick up on.”
 
Jayette is grateful to all who have helped make these options available. She is particularly thankful for the Honorable Judge Sol Wachtler – who himself survived a public fall from grace due to mental illness – and the Honorable Judge Jonathan Lippman. Both have been strong allies.
 
Jayette is adamant about the need to reform the Insanity Plea, under which her own son continues to be held. As things stand, those who are incarcerated are given a clear amount of time for which they will be held. Those deemed mentally ill, on the other hand, are placed in secured psychiatric hospitals where they may be held indefinitely. She cites Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry as a key partner in trying to achieve reform to the Insanity Plea, and notes that he is working closely with NAMI to draft suitable legislation.
 
“I hope we can find a balance where people who are mentally ill are also granted the dignity of knowing when they might be released.”
 
Solitary Confinement

Jayette ardently supports solitary housing reform. Over the summer, NPR ran a 3-part series exploring the issue. In New York State, a bill entitled Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Confinement “HALT” has been introduced by NYS Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry. Additional sponsors have since steeped up to help advance this effort to limit the length of solitary confinement allowed, and to provide alternatives when long-term separation is necessary.

Other bills introduced by NYS Correction Committee Chair, Daniel O’Donnell and Committee Member Nily Rozic would further conform New York’s solitary confinement laws to recommendations issued by the United Nations Committee against Torture in November of 2014. Assembly Member O’Donnell’s bill would require solitary confinement to be a measure of last resort for the minimum period necessary. It would also ban solitary confinement for inmates under 21 years old, and for the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled. Assembly Member Rozic’s bill would ban solitary confinement for pregnant and nursing women.

Jayette is heartened to see so much support in Albany, and will not stop lobbying until change is made. She hopes people will reach out to their State legislators and join her in speaking out for this reform.

Remembering NAMI’s Grass Roots
 
While advocacy has come to be a key priority that has seen some significant success, Jayette is ever mindful and proud that NAMI is a grass roots organization, and that they still offer direct charity to individuals across Long Island.
 
You can hear the love in her voice when she talks about the 200 pairs of socks and crisp holiday cards that were recently sent to Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center. You can also hear the pain when she explains why it’s so important,  “There are roughly 2,000 people in forensic psychiatric facilities in NYS. They are called ‘The Forgotten People.’ So many of those people have been abandoned and really do feel forgotten. One of them happens to be my son, but I’m not going to let him be forgotten. I’m not going to let ANY of them be forgotten. This helps them know there are people outside who care.”

They also reach out to veterans, including sending care packages of food staples and hygiene products to Liberty Village, the Veteran’s Housing complex in Amityville. In the spring, she looks forward to starting a garden at the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center.
 
Indeed, NAMI has grown far beyond its roots as a family movement. “We are now 50% families and 50% peers...we are now one big extended family!” Says Jayette, “It’s so important, such a good thing. We support and learn so much from each other. Together we are making a difference.”
 
You can hear her smile and her pride in this work that has come to fill her life, “We were founded by two mothers who saw a need to support people suffering mental illness and their families. I know they’d be proud of these big changes we’re making, but they’d never want us to forget why it all started. Me neither. People need these things now. They need to know people care about them.”
 
Inspiring Advocacy
 
All of this requires travel. “I’m in Albany it seems for half the year,” says Jayette.
 
This dedication and service is remarkable, especially as Jayette does not drive. Getting around Long Island without a car is daunting, just to meet basic daily needs. Jayette figures it out so she can help some of our most vulnerable, “I rely on buses and trains. Mostly trains. Amtrak makes it all possible for me.”
 
She hopes that her dedication to this cause that matters so much to her can also serve as an inspiration for others to work on what they think is really important. Yes, she faces a lot of challenges, but if overcoming them serves to convince other people that they can do it, too, then she’ll take them.
 
“Anyone can be an advocate. Look at my mom! Got a voice? Talk. Got a computer? A pen and paper? Write.  Libraries are great resources. They can help. I can help. I am here to educate, engage and empower. Together we can make lives better for everyone.” 
 
Notes on Additional Resources

Communities for Crisis Intervention Teams in NYC
http://www.ccitnyc.org/
Families Together in NYS
http://www.ftnys.org/
Mental Health Association of NYS
https://www.mhanys.org/
NY Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services
http://www.nyaprs.org/
Stepping Up Initiative:
https://www.nami.org/About-NAMI/National-Partners/The-Stepping-Up-Initiative#sthash.Qty9DEYd.dpuf
NPR 3-Part Series on Solitary Confinement
http://www.npr.org/2015/08/23/432622096/how-solitary-confinement-became-hardwired-in-u-s-prisons
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
www.nami.org
NAMI NYS
www.naminys.org
NAMI Huntington
www.namihuntington.org
Newsday Article on Developing the Crisis Intervention Team in Hempstead
http://www.nyaprs.org/e-news-bulletins/2011/004048.cfm
NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC)
 www.nycaic.org
Common Cause (to learn about/contact government officials)
www.commoncause.org
Watch this Movie:
Kings Park: Stories from an American Mental Institution
www.kingsparkmovie.com
Participate in this Event:
NAMI Walk, May 7th at Jones Beach
www.namiwalks.org
Contact Jayette Lansbury:
lansburyhunt@aol.com

 


0 Comments

      The Synchronicity Network Newsletter Serves and Appreciates Folks who Care for Art, Science & the Common Good on Long Island and Beyond.

      Sign Up for a Free Subscription Today!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Author

    Katheryn Laible

    Archives

    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All
    21st Century Learning Skills
    Abandoned
    Accident
    Addiction
    Adelphi
    Adjudicated Youth
    Advocacy
    Alicia Berwind
    Almost Home
    Alternative Court
    America
    American Flag
    American Legion
    Andrew Carnegie
    Animal Rescue
    Art
    Artisan
    Art Opening
    Arts
    Arts In Education
    Attitude
    Ballot
    Ballot Measures
    Basic Research
    Bill Gates
    Billionaires
    Black Leadership
    Boy Scouts
    Budget
    Capital Campaign
    Carnegie
    Cats
    Census
    Chamber Of Commerce
    Charity
    Cindy Mardenfeld
    Citizenship
    Civil Discourse
    Civil RIghts
    Cliff Hammond
    Collaboration
    Coltrane
    Community
    Community Resource
    Community Trust
    Community Trusteeship
    Conservation
    Constitution
    Conversations
    Cool
    COVID-19
    Craig Rider
    Criminal Justice
    Crisis Intervention
    David Okorn
    Declaration Of Inependence
    Destin Sandlin
    Developing World
    Disabilities
    Disaster Recovery
    Dix Hills
    Dogs
    Donations
    Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds
    Dr. Kate M. Creasey
    Drug Addiction
    EAGALA
    Eaton's Neck Arrowhead
    Education
    Election
    Election Day
    Environment
    Environmental Health
    Equestrian
    Equine Therapy
    Evaluation
    Fairway
    Fairway Foundation
    Fairway Independant Mortgage
    Family And Children's Association
    Farm
    Farming
    Federal Funding
    Fibonacci
    Fireflies
    Firefly
    Firefly Artists
    Food Insecurity
    Fortune
    Foundation
    Founding Fathers
    Fourth Of July
    Freeport
    Friends Of Freeport
    Friends Of Long Island
    Funders
    Funding
    Funding Science
    Furloughed Workers
    Gardening
    Gates
    Gemstones
    George Washington
    Gift Of Life
    Giving
    Giving Pledge
    Global Hunger
    Golden Ratio
    Goodness
    Government
    Government Contract
    Grateful
    Grateful Paw
    Grow More Foundation
    Gus Scutari
    Healing
    Health And Welfare Council
    Heckscher Park
    Helen Crosson
    Heroin
    Historic
    History
    Home Giveaway
    Horses
    Human Services
    Human Spirit
    Humor
    Hunger
    Huntington
    Huntington Arts Council
    Huntington Township Chamber Foundation
    Huntington Township Chamber Of Commerce
    Hurricane Maria
    HWC Long Island
    IDS LI
    Information
    Initiative
    Innovation
    Insanity Plea
    Institutional Racism
    Invention
    Island Harvest
    Islip
    Jazz
    Jed Morey
    Jeff Reynolds
    Jewelry
    Jr.
    Judie Gorenstein
    Justine Miller
    Juveline Justice
    Kamikaze
    Kate Sydney
    Kathy Kuthy
    Kevin Palacios
    Kindness
    Kindness Challenge
    Klaber Award
    Land
    Landscaping
    LAPD
    Laser Etched Glass
    Last Hope
    Leadership Huntington
    League For Animal Protection
    Legacy
    Leonardo The Fabulous
    LIBOR
    Libraries
    Library
    LI Cares
    LION
    Lisa Gatti
    Local Art
    Local Artist
    Local Hero
    Long Island
    Long Island Art
    Long Island Arts Alliance
    Long Island Community Foundation
    Long Island Orchestrating For Nature
    Long Island Sound
    LWV
    Madeline Singas
    Madoff
    Main Street
    Maria
    Marian Conway
    Martin Luther King
    Mastic
    Memorial Day
    Mental Health
    Mental Illness
    Miracles
    MLK
    Museum
    NAMI
    NARI
    Nassau County
    Nassau County D.A.
    National Alliance On Mental Illness
    National Discussion
    Native Plants
    Navy
    Neil Baggett
    Nest On Main
    New York
    Nikola Tesla
    Nobody Starves Long Island
    Nonprofit
    Non-violence
    Northport Cat Rescue
    Northwell Health
    NYS
    NYSACC
    Open Space
    Opioid Crisis
    Organic
    Overhead
    Pal-O-Mine
    Parks
    Park Steward
    Partnership
    Patience
    Patience And Grace
    Patriot
    Patriotism
    Pearl Busey
    Permaculture
    Personal Development
    Personal Responsibility
    Philanthropy
    PlantingSeed
    Plant Science
    Polite
    Preservation
    Prevention
    Proposals
    Protest
    Protests
    PSEG
    Purple Heart
    Racism
    Ray Homburger
    Real Americans
    Rebecca Sanin
    Recovery
    Rehabilitation
    Reimbursements
    Rescue
    Robber Baron
    Roger Tilles
    Ron Stein
    Rotary
    Schools
    Science
    Science Communication
    Service
    Shop Local
    Shutdown
    Smarter Every Day
    Smart Growth
    Social Justice
    Solitary Confinement
    Solution
    Spencer Thomas
    SRI
    Starvation
    STEAM
    STEM
    Stewardship
    Sunflowers
    Superstorm
    Survivor
    Syosset
    Temperament
    Tender Loving Cats
    Tesla Science Center
    The INN
    Trap Neuter Return
    Trauma
    Treme
    Trudy Fitzsimmons
    USA
    US News Beat
    U.S.S. Haynsworth
    Veteran
    Veteran Court
    Veterans
    VFW
    Vision
    Visioning
    Vision Long Island
    Volunteer
    Voter
    Voting
    Wardenclyffe
    Warren Buffet
    Wildlife
    William Floyd
    Wisdom
    Wise Giving
    Worldwide Wireless Network
    WWII

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Support this Newsletter
  • Testimonials
  • Newsletter
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us