Patch: NYPD Ordered To Make Retrieving Phones, Cash After Arrests Easier
“This dysfunctional and unconstitutional practice disproportionately harms the low-income communities that are targeted by broken windows policing and least able to afford these costly consequences.” Niji Jain, an attorney in our Impact Litigation Practice discusses how our settlement in Encarnacion v. City of New York will ensure that New Yorkers who have been arrested will no longer…
Wall Street Journal: NYPD Required To Return Seized Items Faster
Niji Jain, our Impact Litigation Attorney, on The Bronx Defenders’ settlement of a federal lawsuit claiming the NYPD unconstitutionally keeps money and other property long after a case is resolved. The lawsuit was initially filed to challenge the NYPD’s unconstitutional retention of property after a case is closed. The terms of this settlement, however, extend…
amNewYork: Justine Olderman is defending the Bronx
“Our entire model is designed around the intersection of people’s involvement in various justice systems. Let’s say you were held in on bail. What are the implications in terms of your housing, your employment, your custody of your children, your immigration status? We do all of it. We follow the client wherever the client goes.”…
WNYC: Racial Disparities Persist in Who’s Arrested for Pot Possession
“We know that these [marijuana] arrests are really harmful and destructive to our clients, their families and their communities,” said Scott Levy, Special Counsel to BxD’s Criminal Defense Practice, noting that most of his clients are black and Latino males. “A single arrest for this can disrupt a job, a living situation, child care arrangements….
The Daily Record: County’s grant rejection generates criticism
“Holistic lawyers and social workers don’t intimidate child witnesses, but work collaboratively with parents to strengthen and stabilize their families. They help inform the child welfare investigative process, not impede it.” Emma Ketteringham, Managing Director of the Family Defense Practice, wrote a joint letter to the editor of The Daily Record responding to Monroe County’s…
Rikers Island inmate to finally be sentenced after spending nearly 7 years in jail
“There’s no way justice is going to be served at sentencing because the only justice is for him to be granted a new trial.” Karen Smolar, BxD’s Trial Chief speaks with The New York Daily News about her client Gregory (Grego) Ferguson, who will finally be sentenced after almost 7 years on Rikers Island. Read…
HuffPost: Our Government’s Latest Betrayal
“The end of DACA and TPS violates the trust that about one million people placed in our Government and principles of fundamental fairness. TPS and DACA holders have lived, many of them with legal authorization, in our country for decades, some of them since they were months old. They have opened businesses, paid taxes, formed…
Bronx woman faces eviction from dead mom’s NYCHA home — even if she pays bills
“I’m 74. I want to live in peace in my place.” Aida Reyes is a client of The Bronx Defenders who is being threatened with eviction by NYCHA. Ms. Reyes moved in with her mother in 2011 to take care of her and after she passed away, Aida was told by NYCHA she needed to…
Letter to Editor on Foster Care and Opioids
“Children harmed by their parents should of course be protected. But any proposed approach to the opioid crisis that defaults to sending children to foster care once the specter of drug use is raised, and that excludes their parents, is deeply flawed.” Emma Ketteringham, Managing Director of BxD’s Family Defense Practice, responds to an editorial…
Olderman Steps Into Executive Director Position for Bronx Defenders
The New York Law Journal covers The Bronx Defenders’ exciting announcement that Justine Olderman, an experienced attorney with 17 years at the organization and a leader in the field of public defense, has been selected to take the helm as our Executive Director. “From staff attorney to managing director, I have been privileged to work…
‘Right to Know’ bill loses support of key groups, including Legal Aid Society
The Bronx Defenders joined fellow New York City public defenders to release a statement urging the New York City Council to withdraw or vote against Intro 182, which undermines the necessary police transparency and accountability at the core of the Right to Know Act. It read: “As Chief Public Defenders, we are grateful for the…
Pass the (Right) Right To Know Act
“The questions confronting the Committee and Council are simple: Should civilians be informed of their right to privacy when there is no legal basis to search them? And should civilians who have routine interactions with the police, whether pulled over while driving or questioned as victims or witnesses, be entitled to know who they are…
BxD’s Scott Levy & Sarah Deri Oshiro speaks with BronxTalk
Scott Levy, Special Counsel to the Criminal Defense Practice and Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of the Immigration Practice sit down and speak with BronxTalk. Scott Levy discusses how to bring meaningful change to New York’s bail system: “The issue is that our bail statute is not used properly right now…If we started actually using…
The Place Where One Was Born Cannot Determine Our Access to Courts
Powerful HuffPost op-ed by Luis Mancheno, an immigration defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders about ICE’s intrusive presence in the courts depriving people access to due process: “ICE needs to be stopped and it needs to be stopped today…It is imperative that Chief Judge Janet DiFiore takes all the necessary steps to stop federal immigration…
New York Law Journal: Legal Groups Ask Courts to Issue Rules to Curb ICE Arrests in Courts
The Bronx Defenders joins New York City’s public defense organizations in calling on the Office of Court Administration and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to issue rules that would limit federal immigration enforcement’s ability to arrest our clients in or around courthouses. Read the story here.
Rise Magazine: ‘Poor’ Parenting— When poverty is confused with neglect
Erin Cloud, the supervising attorney for our Family Defense Practice, and Dinah Adames-Ortiz, our parent advocate, talk about how poverty is an incriminating factor against parents just trying to raise their children. “Every aspect of poor families’ lives is subject to supervision. Shelters have mandated reporters. HRA workers are mandated reporters. Public hospitals report overwhelmingly…
BxD’s Luis Mancheno speaks with NY1 Noticias’ Pura Política
Luis Mancheno, an immigration defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders speaks with NY1 Noticias’ Pura Política about the harmful impacts of ending Temporary Protected Status for Nicaraguans and Hondurans as well as the Diversity Visa Lottery. To watch the interview, click here.
A New York courtroom gave every detained immigrant a lawyer. The results were staggering.
In this investigation, Vox highlights the profound impact the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) has on preventing immigrants facing deportation from being separated from their families and community. The Bronx Defenders proudly serves as one of three institutional providers of free representation to detained immigrants in removal proceedings at the Varick Street Immigration…
Rikers inmate who died of overdose ‘needed’ and ‘wanted’ rehab program — but was never treated
“The fact is that there are people dealing with these kinds of medical crises who simply should not be in jail, but rather be receiving meaningful treatment.” Anisha Gupta, criminal defense attorney at The Bronx Defenders speaks with Reuven Blau at The Daily News about the death of her client Selmin Feratovic, who during his…
The truth is, ‘broken windows’ policing incentivizes lies
“The lies officers tell to justify the unlawful stops, searches and questioning are a natural byproduct of this policing strategy. Once we see the root of the problem, the answer becomes obvious: The NYPD leadership needs to stop holding on to the myth that ‘broken windows’ policing is necessary to keep New York City safe…
When Race Tips the Scales in Plea Bargaining
“If there are racial disparities in pleas in misdemeanor cases that lead to worse punishment of black people, it means a significant proportion of our criminal justice system is meting out punishment in a racially-biased manner.” —BxD’s Jenn Rolnick Borchetta and Alice Fontier on the stark racial disparities in plea bargaining that have devastating impacts…
Bad Bail Practices and Immigration Policy Led To My Client’s Death At Rikers
Powerful op-ed by BxD’s Anisha Gupta for The Marshall Project on the death of her client Selmin Feratovic, who had been incarcerated for almost seven months on Rikers Island but had not been convicted of a single crime: “Selmin was killed by a system that overcharged him, incarcerated him, ignored him, and ultimately failed to protect…
No Forfeiture-Database Backup With Millions on the Line, NYPD Admits
Courthouse News reports on the latest in BxD’s lawsuit challenging lack of transparency around NYPD property seizures and civil forfeitures. To read the full story, click here. To learn more about this litigation, visit our case page.
BxD’s Sarah Deri Oshiro Speaks with Telemundo About NYIFUP
BxD’s Sarah Deri Oshiro, managing director of the Immigration Practice speaks with Telemundo about the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project and our work to keep immigrant families together. To watch the interview, click here.
Live in a Poor Neighborhood? Better Be a Perfect Parent.
Powerful op-ed by BxD’s Emma Ketteringham in the New York Times about poverty and the child-protection system: “For more than a decade, my colleagues at the Bronx Defenders and I have represented thousands of parents like Eline in child-protection proceedings. A majority of them have never abused a child. Yet child services charges them with “parental…