FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2013 Contact: Molly Kovel, The Bronx Defenders, (718) 508-3421 The Bronx Defenders Announces the Release of “A Marijuana Arrest” on BuzzFeed “A Marijuana Arrest” is a short film collaboration between filmmakers Julie Dressner and Jesse Hicks and advocates from The Bronx Defenders. Bronx, NY – The Bronx Defenders announces BuzzFeed’s…
Watch Bronx Defenders Attorneys Phil Hamilton, Molly Kovel and Scott Levy interviewed in a Buzzfeed documentary regarding their representation of client Alberto Willmore.
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…
“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…
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…
Join us for a FREE screening of the award winning documentary, The House I Live In. Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at 6 PM Abundant Life Church 650 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238 View the event flyer. Following the screening will be a panel discussion with: Assemblyman Karim Camera, District 43 Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director, Correctional Association…
The deaths of three young children in a Bronx fire last month exposed the harsh living conditions of many impoverished New Yorkers, but the family’s treatment by city authorities in the wake of this tragedy deserves equal scrutiny. The tragic loss of these children is grief unimaginable for their parents. But New York City’s response…
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 Bronx Defenders “Dining with Defenders” Thanksgiving Feast is this Thursday, November 28, 2013 from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. Join us for turkey, sides and delicious pies! At The Bronx Defenders community reception space: 360 East 161st Street Bronx, NY 10451 Free for clients, families, and guests! RSVP encouraged but not required. Please call Porsha at (718)…
Our contract with New York City’s Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator was recently amended to include representation in ‘conflicts’ cases. These are criminal cases with more than one suspect or defendant involved in related criminal proceedings. The interests of one may ‘conflict’ with another and so separate counsel is assigned. We will eventually handle…
Watch Scott Levy and Molly Kovel on Norwegian Broadcasting. Watch here.
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…
Experts in nonprofits often call management the “non-sexy” part of philanthropy. It’s true: Sharpening strategies and refining management techniques aren’t as appealing as feeding children or building an arts center. But in recent weeks, I’ve been reminded that management is, in its own way, sexy. I’ve been hearing a lot about effective management because we…
Emma Ketteringham, Managing Attorney of the Family Defense Practice, and Dinah Ortiz, Parent Advocate, spoke at a discussion on November 19, 2013 at the Open Society Foundations in New York. They spoke alongside other experts regarding the war on drugs, child welfare, and junk science. The discussion followed the screening of a new film from…
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…
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…
Join us on December 6, 2013 from 6-9pm at Sway Lounge for a holiday fundraiser for our clients’ families. Our goal is to raise funds to provide a wonderful holiday experience for our clients, their children and their families. For $20 donation, you can hear about our work, enjoy a few drinks, and make a…
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…
New York, New York, November 7, 2013 — Now, for the first time in the United States, detained immigrants who cannot afford attorneys of their own will be provided with court-appointed deportation defense counsel through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP). Funded through the New York City Council, this first-in-the-nation pilot program, will…
The new initiative, called the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, emerged from several years of study and lobbying among immigration lawyers and immigrants’ advocates. They were concerned that the absence of competent legal representation for many of New York’s immigrant detainees was resulting in unnecessary deportations that ruptured families and put an undue financial…
Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB) focuses on keeping infants safely at home with their parents by working with pregnant women who are at risk of losing their newborns to foster care.
The Bronx Defenders offers two law school clinics through the Cardozo School of Law and Columbia Law School.
We need your help! The Bronx Defenders has created a Blueprint for Public Safety in the Bronx Survey to present to the next Mayor of New York City in January. Provide your input on how together we can make the Bronx safer for everyone. If you have five minutes, we just have a few quick…
Bronx residents who can’t make their bail now have a financial backer who can help them avoid jail time. The Bronx Freedom Fund has already helped five cash-strapped defendants charged with misdemeanor crimes avoid pretrial detention since it launched last week. Clients, many of whom have no prior arrests and face minor drug charges, are…
Jahlanni Greene, 17, is a happy high school student. Aki Ferguson, 25, is a butcher. Jason Stewart, 32, is a maintenance worker. All three lead different lives and are different ages, but they are all black men, they all live in Hunts Point and they have all been stopped and frisked by the officers of…