City Limits: Limits of Protection: Can Mayor’s Push Reduce Child Abuse Deaths?
In the first two months of 2014, news broke in the city of the deaths of 4-year-old Myls Dobson and 2-year-old Kevasia Edwards, one allegedly tortured and killed by a caretaker after her father went to jail, the other allegedly killed by her mother. Both children’s families had already had extensive contact with the child…
BxD’s Director of Strategic Initiatives participated in Columbia Law School civil rights panel
The true lessons of the Civil Rights Act for contemporary lawyers and law students may lie in the citizen engagement that pushed it to the fore, said Kumar Rao, Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Bronx Defenders. “I like to think that we are part of the legacy of American activists who move to make…
The Bronx Freedom Fund releases its first Annual Report
The Bronx Freedom Fund released its first annual report this week, showing the Fund’s impact since opening in October 2013. As the first licensed charitable bail organization in New York State, the Bronx Freedom Fund helps eligible clients of The Bronx Defenders post bail in misdemeanor cases where they and their families are unable to afford…
The Bronx Defenders wins its first ever civil jury trial
This October, The Bronx Defenders won its first ever civil jury trial. Our Civil Action Practice Attorneys Karen Maxim and Graham Dumas litigated the case of their client, Ms. Lopez (not her real name), who faced eviction when the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) brought a housing case against her and accused her of using…
The Week: Preventing another Eric Garner tragedy: 6 simple reforms we can implement right now
In the last two weeks, grand juries failed to indict the white police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner. These decisions have exposed deep-seated issues of race, class, and power that still pervade our society. We should keep protesting injustice where we see it, as thousands have done across the country. At the…
Skylar Albertson spoke before NYC Board of Correction on solitary confinement concerns
On November 18th, Skylar Albertson spoke at a NYC Board of Correction (BOC) meeting concerning the use of solitary confinement and the Department of Correction’s (DOC) proposal to create Enhanced Supervision Housing (ESH) units at Rikers Island. The BOC, an independent oversight agency responsible for setting guidelines for the DOC, has been engaged in a…
Robin Steinberg and Scott Levy are panelists at Cardozo Law Review Symposium
Bronx Defenders Executive Director Robin Steinberg and Fundamental Fairness Project Director Scott Levy are both panelists at Cardozo Law School’s symposium “The Underbelly of the Beast: Misdemeanor Practice in the Era of Broken Windows and Saturation Policing,” taking place December 3rd and 4th, 2014. The symposium is presented by Cardozo Law Review and by Cardozo’s Criminal Defense Clinic…
Molly Kovel testified in front of New York City Council on Fair Chance Act
Yesterday The Bronx Defenders’ Legal Director of the Civil Action Practice, Molly Kovel, presented written and oral testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Civil Rights regarding The Bronx Defenders’ enthusiastic support for the proposed Fair Chance Act, which would protect the thousands of people with criminal records in New York City against some of the…
The Bronx Defenders Reacts to Grand Jury Decision On Eric Garner’s Killing by NYPD
The Bronx Defenders is extremely disappointed by the decision of a Staten Island grand jury to not indict the NYPD officer who killed Eric Garner with an illegal chokehold. Given the video evidence in this case, it is particularly upsetting that the NYPD will once again evade accountability for what is indisputably an unacceptable use…
The Bronx Defenders Responds to Mayor de Blasio’s Initiative to Address Mental Health Crisis in NYC’s Criminal Justice System
The Bronx Defenders commends Mayor de Blasio for taking a major step toward addressing one of New York City’s most troubling criminal justice issues: the criminalization of individuals with mental health issues and substance use disorders. In announcing a $130 million initiative to divert these New Yorkers away from incarceration and into treatment, the City…
The Bronx Defenders’ Statement on Ferguson
The Bronx Defenders today reiterates its support for the families and communities of Mike Brown, Akai Gurley, Eric Garner, Ramarley Graham, and the countless number of young men of color who have been victims of police brutality. The announcement last night of a No True Bill against Officer Darren Wilson exposed long-standing feelings of injustice…
The Bronx Defenders’ Statement in Response to President Obama’s announcement on Executive Immigration Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Friedman, The Bronx Defenders, 718-508-3408 or JenniferF@bronxdefenders.org Last night, families around the Bronx held their breath as the President announced sweeping changes that will expand work authorization and protect millions of immigrants from deportation. At The Bronx Defenders—and for the families we represent—the announcement was met with a mix of…
BxD’s Zoni Rockoff has Fair Hearing of the Month!
Last month, Bronx Defenders Civil Legal Advocate Zoni Rockoff was recognized by Empire Justice Center in its Fair Hearing of the Month announcement regarding the case of a Bronx Defenders client facing termination of her public benefits. Zoni advocated in the fair hearing on behalf of Ms. Sanders (not her real name), a Bronx Defenders client who was…
BxD’s New York Immigrant Family Unity Project Honored at the Families for Freedom 12th Annual Fundraiser
The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) was honored last Friday, November 14, 2014 by Families For Freedom at their 12th Annual Fundraiser. NYIFUP, which is implemented by The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, and the Legal Aid Society, is the first institutionally-provided public defender program in the country for immigrants facing deportation. NYIFUP…
Brooklyn Independent Media: Pot Arrest Policy
“The much larger issue is racial disparity in arrests: Citywide 86% of the people being arrested [for marijuana possession] are black and latino.” – Scott Levy, The Bronx Defenders The Bronx Defenders Fundamental Fairness Project Director Scott Levy, together with Gabriel Sayegh of the Drug Policy Alliance and Shapriece Townsend of Vocal NY discuss…
The Bronx Defenders’ Scott Levy on Hot 97’s Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers Discussing the NYPD’s New Marijuana Policy
Scott Levy, Project Director of The Fundamental Fairness Project at The Bronx Defenders, took part in a dynamic conversation surrounding the NYPD’s new marijuana policy on “Hot 97 Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers.” The radio program brought together drug policy experts, legal experts, law enforcement officials, and individuals with previous criminal justice involvement to discuss and debate…
New York Daily News: Robin’s Steinberg’s Op-Ed – The wrong way to reform NYC’s pot policing policy
Read our Executive Director Robin Steinberg’s op-ed on New York City’s new marijuana enforcement policy in New York Daily News: New York City cannot solve the problem of discriminatory and overly-harsh marijuana policing by cramming more people into the overburdened summons court system. This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new policy aimed at…
Sixteen Bronx Defenders staff members presenting as panelists at the 2014 National Legal Aid & Defender Association Conference
At this year’s National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) conference, Blueprint for Justice: Designing a New Paradigm for Impact, a total of 16 Bronx Defenders advocates — attorneys, social workers, and data and technology specialists across the Criminal Defense, Family Defense, and Civil Action Practices, as well as the Technology & Evaluation Department — will be presenting on 4 different…
New York Times: Shift on Marijuana Policy Was a Long Time Coming, and Too Late for One Man
Anthony Welfare closely followed this week’s news that New York City no longer will bring criminal charges against people who are seen with small amounts of marijuana, as long as they are not smoking it in public. “I find that funny,” Mr. Welfare, 28, said. But not hah-hah funny. Not LOL funny. After seven years…
Robin Steinberg to Speak at CUNY Law School Panel this Wednesday, November 12
This Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 6:00 pm at CUNY School of Law, Bronx Defenders Executive Director Robin Steinberg will join a panel of fellow experts and advocates to discuss economic inequality and practical solutions. “The Long Crisis” will reflect the theme of CUNY Law Review’s 18th volume: the role that economic inequality and injustice…
Kate Rubin to speak at New York Reentry Roundtable on November 19th
Next Wednesday, November 19th, Kate Rubin, Managing Director of the Civil Action Practice at The Bronx Defenders, will be speaking at the New York Reentry Roundtable discussion about the harms to communities of Broken Windows policing and the policy changes The Bronx Defenders is fighting for to mitigate those harms. To learn more about the…
Law 360: 2nd Circ. Denies Union Intervention In Stop-And-Frisk Suits
Law360, New York (November 03, 2014, 2:56 PM ET) — The Second Circuit on Friday affirmed a district court decision denying a bid by New York City police unions to intervene in two class actions challenging the city’s stop-and-frisk policy, saying the motions were untimely and that the unions’ interests were too remote to warrant…
Robin Steinberg to speak at UCLA School of Law on November 3
Next Monday, November 3, 2014, Robin Steinberg, Bronx Defenders Executive Director, will be speaking at UCLA School of Law. Her talk, “Perspectives on Holistic Criminal Defense – The Bronx Defenders and the Growing Community Defender Movement,” is presented by the The David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy and co-sponsored by the Critical Race Studies…
BxD Holistic Defense Partner ArchCity Defenders Received National Attention for White Paper on St. Louis County Municipal Courts
The ArchCity Defenders, a holistic legal services office in St. Louis, released a white paper earlier this year detailing the injustices of the St. Louis County Municipal Courts. The report has received extensive coverage in both local and national media organizations, including The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Huffington Post, FiveThirtyEight, and the…
Huffington Post: Prisoners’ Rights Advocates React To Retirement Of Rikers Official Who Oversaw Violent Facility
NEW YORK — Prisoners’ rights advocates and lawmakers on Tuesday welcomed the news that the top uniformed official at New York City’s Department of Correction, who has been accused of turning a blind eye to rampant violence in a Rikers Island juvenile detention facility, is stepping down. Chief of Department William Clemons, who climbed to…