FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TO: Interested Parties
DATE: January 17, 2019
CONTACT: Evan Chernack, 516-512-1086 (Evan@ryanforulster.com)
Pat Ryan Announces Support for Sheriff Figueroa’s to De-prioritize Marijuana Arrests.
Gardiner, NY – Today candidate for Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan issued the following statement in response to Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa’s position regarding marijuana arrests during a live interview with Daily Freeman.
“I support Sheriff Figueroa’s decision to de-prioritize misdemeanor arrests for marijuana possession in Ulster County. For too long, marijuana arrests and convictions have disproportionately affected communities of color, contributing to our current epidemic of mass incarceration. The reality is that marijuana has been legal for those who reside in predominately affluent white communities for some time. Today’s announcement by the Sheriff is an important step towards reforming this broken system, starting at the local level.
As your next County Executive, I will work with Sheriff Figueroa and Ulster County’s Restorative Justice Center to help end the school-to-prison pipeline and help redefine justice in Ulster County.”
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Pat Ryan is a fifth-generation Ulster County resident and a native of Kingston, NY. He graduated from West Point and served two combat tours in Iraq, before returning home to start two businesses to deliver better technology to our troops overseas. Pat was the runner-up in the Democratic primary for U.S Congress in New York’s 19th District. Pat resides in Gardiner, NY, with his wife, Rebecca.