Los Angeles Times: New York program gets public defenders for immigrants
NEW YORK — Anderson Cadet arrived at the Varick Street courthouse in an orange jumpsuit, shackled at the wrists, prepared to fight his deportation without an attorney. In immigration court, there is generally no right to free legal counsel. Many immigrants represent themselves. But on this cold February morning, Cadet was greeted by a public…
ABA Journal: Has ‘stop and frisk’ been stopped?
In the new, gentrified post-9/11 New York City, gone are the days when a visitor’s trip to Times Square might include aggressive panhandling, a mugging or an uncomfortable exchange with a prostitute. But gone, too, are $900 apartments in the East Village, Soho artists lofts that artists can actually afford and $150-a-night hotel rooms that…
MSN Latino: Avanza programa de defensa de inmigrantes
NUEVA YORK (AP) — Oscar Hernández se disponía a firmar su orden de deportación a México cuando un joven abogado que no conocía se presentó en la corte migratoria de Nueva York y le convenció de que no lo hiciera. Ahora Hernández ya no lleva el uniforme naranja de preso: camina libre, trabaja y estudia…
El Diaro: Proyecto en NY logra frenar deportaciones de inmigrantes
Nueva York — Sentados en fila sucesiva en una modesta banqueta y mirando casi todo el tiempo al suelo, cinco personas esposadas y con indumentaria color naranja aguardaban ayer su turno para acercarse a la mesa de la juez de la Corte de Inmigración de Nueva York, Noelle Brennan. Es una imagen habitual en esa…
New York Times: Conflicting Expectations for Bratton’s Second Tour
In the 1990s, a time of vexing homicide rates in cities across the country, William J. Bratton left the New York Police Department and began marketing the crime-fighting techniques he had deployed so successfully here to other municipalities struggling with rampant disorder. At the time, business and civic leaders in Birmingham, Ala., brought him on…
ABA Journal: NYC proposes settlement in stop-and-frisk cases
A motion to resolve two cases that accuse the New York City Police Department of unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices was filed Thursday in the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the proposed settlement at a Thursday press conference. According to a statement from his office, the city and…
New York Times: Helping Poor Defendants Post Bail in Backlogged Bronx
In October, James Broadus II, then 31, was arrested in Co-op City, the Bronx, and charged with petty larceny and assault. He was accused of taking a book bag from one man and choking another. A judge set bail at $1,000. But Mr. Broadus, who had been working odd jobs, had no savings. His closest…
Conversations with Allan Wolper: Allan talks with Robin Steinberg
Allan Wolper is known as a “journalist’s journalist.” A superb interviewer, reporter, documentary producer and ethics columnist, he has been honored by every journalism medium. Wolper has won over 50 awards, including, television’s prestigious Alfred I. duPont/Columbia University Award – the Pulitzer Prize of broadcast news. Click here to listen to Allan interview our Executive…
WeNews: More Moms Losing Kids in Family Court Drug Wars
Women across the country are often tested for drugs without consent and punished with government interventions when results are positive. Advocates say “test and report” is the “stop and frisk” of the curtained world of juvenile protection agencies… “There is very little attention to how the drug war is perpetrated in the child welfare system,”…
Sky News: Anger Mounts At Stop-And-Frisk Policy
Most people in the south Bronx have an opinion on the NYPD’s stop and frisk tactic. In the face of mounting public and legal pressure, officers have more than halved the use of it city-wide, from over 500,000 instances in 2012 to nearly 200,000 in 2013. But this part of New York, just north of…
Washington Post: Gothamist on asset forfeiture abuse at NYPD
It’s been interesting to watch as outlets outside legal and criminal justice circles pick up on the outrage that is civil asset forfeiture. Though it’s been going on for more than 30 years, most people just aren’t aware of it. And they’re pretty astonished when they learn about it. The latest investigation comes from Gothamist,…
Capital New York: Police critics on Bratton’s Broken Windows push
Critics of the Bloomberg administration’s police policies say they’re concerned about the direction of the department under Bill de Blasio after learning that NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton planned to hire an author of the Broken Windows theory. The theory emphasizes strict enforcement of quality-of-life crimes as a way to deter more serious and violent crime……
Gothamist: How The NYPD’s Use Of Civil Forfeiture Robs Innocent New Yorkers
In the middle of the night in March of 2012, NYPD officers burst into the Bronx home of Gerald Bryan, ransacking his belongings, tearing out light fixtures, punching through walls, and confiscating $4,800 in cash. Bryan, 42, was taken into custody on suspected felony drug distribution, as the police continued their warrantless search. Over a…
CUNY Law Impact: Christa Douaihy
For Christa Douaihy (’08), the roots of her HIV/AIDS justice work go deep, back to the early 1990s in Scranton, PA. “At that time, the AIDS crisis was still acute,” remembers Douaihy. So was public panic and misunderstanding about the disease and its transmission. “Deep societal ills of racism, homophobia, and fear fueled the AIDS…
Huffington Post: Bronx Schools Reduce Policing and Suspensions With Support From Parents
Bronx, NY — On Saturday, November 16th, members of the Bronx School Justice coalition held a public report back on a year’s worth of work to reduce punitive disciplinary measures in Bronx public schools. Instead they are advocating for the use of restorative justice practices and positive disciplinary alternatives in schools. Nearly 120 community members…
Buzzfeed: How A Small-Time Marijuana Arrest Has Devastated A Great Teacher’s Life
Watch Bronx Defenders Attorneys Phil Hamilton, Molly Kovel and Scott Levy interviewed in a Buzzfeed documentary regarding their representation of client Alberto Willmore.
Patrick Clark responds to The New York Times Magazine article “God Called Them to Adopt. And Adopt. And Adopt”
The New York Times Magazine: Letter to the 11.17.13 Issue Misty and Jon are rightfully praised for opening their home. But your article missed an opportunity to critically examine the foster-care system from which this couple adopted so many children. The paucity of families willing to adopt is not the main problem; it’s that too…
NPR News: New Pilot Program Gives Immigrant Detainees Public Defenders
“The court helped find my son not only a lawyer but an angel” – Brunilda Fontanillas Rico’s mother, Brunilda Fontanillas, says she and her son couldn’t afford a private attorney. He was detained in October after an earlier landlord-tenant dispute that escalated into an arrest. Rico’s attorney says that as a lawful permanent resident who…
The Takeaway: Happy Thanksgiving From The Takeaway!
This Thanksgiving The Takeaway brings you some great conversations from the last year and an hour of pioneering female voices. First, a conversation between Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and our host John Hockenberry offers an insight into the incredible career of Justice Ginsburg. Next you will hear from Robin Steinberg, founder and director…
Bronx Net Today’s Verdict: Stop and Frisk
Watch Molly Kovel, Civil Action Practice Attorney, discuss Stop & Frisk on “Today’s Verdict”. “Today’s Verdict” is a live, half-hour television talk show that provides you with the answers to all your important questions and concerns. Hosted by David Lesch, a Bronx Native and an outstanding trial attorney. See the video here.
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK): Nedgang i ran I London
Watch Scott Levy and Molly Kovel on Norwegian Broadcasting. Watch here.
El Diario: El Bronx pide a De Blasio mayor vigilancia a NYPD
Activistas y vecinos de los edificios de vivienda pública Betances Houses buscan difundir una encuesta bilingüe relacionada con prácticas policiales como “Stop & Frisk.” Por: Zaira Cortés/EDLP El Bronx — Alegando detenciones por perfil racial en vecindarios del sur de El Bronx, residentes solicitarán al nuevo alcalde Bill de Blasio mayor vigilancia a las prácticas…
PR Newswire: Video and Panel Explores the Drug War’s Impact on Pregnant Women and Families
NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Open Society Foundations are proud to host National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) for a groundbreaking event on November 19th in New York City that will explore the drug war’s impact on pregnant women and families. Drug war propaganda is increasingly being used to justify repressive policies toward…
New York Times: A Marijuana Stash That Carried Little Risk
LAST year, the Bronx Defenders, which represents poor people in criminal court, tried to have suppression hearings in 54 cases involving marijuana possession. In such hearings, the police officer would have been required to testify about the circumstances under which the marijuana was found. If it was the result of an illegal search, the judge…
Latin Times: NYC Unveils Pilot Program To Give Legal Defense To Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation
Like the other 13 detainees set to appear before an immigration judge on Wednesday afternoon, Maximiliano Ortiz had been roused in the wee hours of the morning from his cell in a county jail. Facing the judge at the Varick Street Immigration Court in Lower Manhattan, clothed in an orange jumpsuit, he looked groggy. “Are…