“A federal judge ordered ICE officials at a jail in New Jersey on Monday to release Ousman Darboe, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Gambia who has been detained for more than three years, according to his lawyers at The Bronx Defenders. Darboe, a Black Muslim, was pardoned by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in February but has…
“Ousman Darboe arrived from Gambia at age 6. He was locked up by ICE more than three years ago — an extraordinary length of time even more notable because in February, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pardoned him for the alleged crime that landed him in detention: robbing gold chains, which he said he didn’t do. Sophia Gurulé,…
“The twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice that have ripped through this country the past six month have exposed and exacerbated long-standing inequities in our collective health, prosperity, and safety. Thousands of low-income people of color have died, millions of low-wage workers are out of a job, and Black people are experiencing violence, trauma,…
A broad coalition of civil rights organizations sent a demand letter to Airbnb today urging them to end a company policy that discriminates against individuals with arrest and conviction histories and allows users to be banned without explanation or a meaningful chance to appeal. New York, NY – A broad coalition of civil rights organizations, including…
“You’re codifying these structural inequalities into the tool,” said Scott Levy, chief policy counsel at the Bronx Defenders, a public-defender organization. “That is particularly pernicious because you are doing it under the guise of science.” Read the full article here
“The protests following George Floyd’s murder have amplified two different, yet intertwined demands: to hold police officers accountable and to defund the police. In New York City, the NYPD’s continued use of predatory “buy and bust” operations, which target poor people of color and are conducted by detectives with long misconduct histories, exemplifies the imperative…
“A group of legal service providers including Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) came together to write a letter demanding that certain city agencies provide clear and transparent COVID-19 protocols for local jails. The groups, which also include the Legal Aid Society, the Bronx Defenders, New York County Defenders, Queens Defenders and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem…
“The program has improved the chances of people getting released from city jails and state prisons, said Julia Solomons, senior policy social workers for the Bronx Defenders. Prosecutors, judges and prison officials are more likely to agree to let people out when they know there’s a hotel bed available as opposed to a packed shelter, Solomons…
“We are setting up Black communities, and the Black immigrants who live in those communities like in the Bronx, to fail,” said Sophia Gurulé, Darboe’s attorney and a policy counsel at Bronx Defenders. “He was basically plagued by constant policing and criminalization since he was a teenager.” Now, Darboe faces the prospect of deportation back…
“This is a report about the role of official misconduct in the conviction of innocent people. We discuss cases that are listed in the National Registry of Exonerations, an ongoing online archive that includes all known exonerations in the United States since 1989, 2,663 as of this writing. This Report describes official misconduct in the…
“The Giants revealed this week that earlier this off-season, they split into nine smaller groups with each group collaborating with local community organizations such as the United Way of NYC, Far Rockaway Colts (NYPD), New York City Police Foundation, RISE, Bronx Defenders, Eva’s Village, East Orange Mayor’s Office, My Sisters’ Place, and Covenant House to…
“The Giants said the purpose of their community-outreach campaign — which breaks the team into nine groups involving nine local organizations — is “to unify and reinforce how togetherness will be collective and unwavering among Giants fans, players, coaches and the front office this season.” The nine partner organizations will be United Way of NYC,…
As the Director of Data Science, Katie (she/her/hers) maintains The Bronx Defender’s data infrastructure and manages reporting and analytics projects to meet the needs of BxD’s advocacy efforts, strategic planning, and contractual funding obligations. Katie also assists in the administration of BxD’s holistic case management system to ensure and improve the quality and integrity of BxD’s…
“When the anti-racism protests grew across the five boroughs, MINYC coordinated the donation of 1,626 units of masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer to those practicing their civil right to peacefully and safely assemble. Partnering with community-based groups like Equality 4 Flatbush and the Bronx Defenders, they worked to direct this PPE to communities most impacted by the…
“Michael Thomas, a staff attorney in the criminal defense practice for The Bronx Defenders, called the release “huge,” and predicted it would lead to major changes in how his cases will be tried, compared to the era in which 50-A shielded many records from discovery. “A lot of our cases that end up going to…
“We’re sick of talking about it,” McDougald added. “We’re sick of sharing our emotions about it. Like, we’re hurting. And then to have that type of deep conversation and then to have to snap right into football mode, it’s just crazy. But it’s the life we’re living, it’s the world we’re living in. It’s what’s…
“What Judge and the Giants have done is split their players and coaches into nine teams. Each team is paired with an organization in New York or New Jersey connected to an initiative or issue the players pinpointed as a priority. And the team dedicates time on Mondays and Wednesdays to these initiatives every week….
“A Manhattan federal judge said Tuesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not complying well with his March injunction that ordered the agency to arrest fewer immigrants. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein had asked ICE to provide reports about its arrest activities in the New York City area after his injunction, and said since March…
“After graduation, Clemmer started her career as a public defender at the Bronx Defenders, representing low-income clients charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes. She then worked for the firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, defending clients against security class actions and other complex financial matters, while continuing to develop her pro bono practice litigating matrimonial,…
“Over the last several months, our players and coaches have spent countless hours meeting with our community partners and identifying ways we can work together to inspire and create change,” said Giants Vice President of Community and Corporate Relations Allison Stangeby. “This player driven initiative will continue throughout the season and will be an impactful…
“Law360, New York (August 25, 2020, 5:06 PM EDT) — A Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide more information about how decisions are made on detaining people for alleged civil immigration offenses, after immigrant…” Read the full article here
“The march was organized in partnership with the Bronx Defenders, a group which represents many families going through similar experiences. “It’s shown in data, it’s documented that folks across races use drugs at the same amount of rate,” says Bronx Defenders Attorney, Miriam Mack. “Yet we know that it’s Black and brown folks in hospitals…
“This interview with Emma Ketteringham, managing director of the family defense practice at the Bronx Defenders, was conducted and condensed by franknews. Part one of this conversation on the child welfare system can be found here. Emma | If you look at all of the systems that do harm, whether it’s to poor communities or Black and brown communities, they are…
“This interview with Emma Ketteringham, managing director of the family defense practice at the Bronx Defenders, was conducted and condensed by franknews. The second half of this conversation on the child welfare system can be found here. When I started, I began to talk to my clients about the impact contact with the criminal system had affected their families and I…
“As the social justice movement against racial discrimination continues in the wake of George Floyd’s death, The Bronx Defenders, one of the city’s largest nonprofit legal advocacies, and the New York Giants pro football team are pairing up “to combat inequities in the criminal, immigration, family, and civil legal systems,” according to a joint news…