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Who We Are (Home) · · The Importance of Holistic Advocacy. · A Winning Approach. · A History of The Bronx Defenders. · Staff Biographies. · A Letter from our Director.
A History of The Bronx Defenders
On September 1st, 1997, eight people met in front of a small storefront in the South Bronx. It was nearly invisible, hidden between a Radio Shack and a Rent-a-Center. There was a small group of lawyers, one social worker, an office manager, a part time investigator and a receptionist. We shared computers, stored client files in shoeboxes and interviewed clients wherever we could, which sometimes meant a vacant closet. Our reception was hardly warm. The Bronx legal community was suspicious at best; at worst it was openly hostile. Assistant District Attorneys didn't understand who we were, judges refused to even meet with us to discuss our plans and intentions. The larger Bronx community barely noticed that we had moved in.
Today, The Bronx Defenders is a nationally recognized model of community based, holistic advocacy, a vibrant part of the Bronx community, respected by judges, feared by adversaries. Today, with a staff of 60, we have represented over 80,000 clients, worked with dozens of different high schools and hundreds of students, collaborated with over 100 community based social service agencies and created our own programs to address the needs of clients. Today, we can say without exaggeration, that we have begun the task of redefining the role of the public defender. Today we address the underlying problems that bring clients into the system, respond to broader justice issues that affect clients and underserved communities, work with Bronx youth and local organizations to prevent crime and enhance public safety and understand the value of working with clients well after their court cases are closed.
And we've only just begun.
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The Bronx Defenders • 860 Courtlandt Avenue • Bronx, NY 10451 • (718) 838-7878 • (800) 597-7980
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