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The Bronx Defenders Hosts Fifth Annual Community Day of Action in Albany to Redefine Public Safety  

The Bronx Defenders Joined Community Activists and Elected Officials to Rally for the Passage of Treatment Not Jail, Informed Consent, New York for All, and others Contact: Michael Paul Jackson, mjackson@bronxdefenders.org  The Bronx, NY – The Bronx Defenders traveled to Albany today with community leaders, supporters, and advocates to demand legislation that will redefine public…

NYPD Agrees to Pay $125,000 to Bronx Woman Who Sued to Stop Police Violence and Retaliation Against Black and Brown New Yorkers 

Media Contacts: Michael Paul Jackson, mjackson@bronxdefenders.org   The Bronx, NY – Today, The Bronx Defenders and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP announced that the City of New York has agreed to pay Cheyenne Lee $125,000 after nine NYPD officers barged into her home without a warrant, arrested her teenage nephew, and then arrested her without…

BxD Celebrates New York City Council Vote to Ensure Greater Police Transparency and Accountability

Contact:  Michael Paul Jackson, The Bronx Defenders, mjackson@bronxdefenders.org  New York, NY – Today, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Adams’ veto of the How Many Stops Act. In response, Christine Rivera, Policy Counsel for The Bronx Defenders’ Criminal Defense Practice, issued the following statement:   “We are pleased that the City Council stood up…

NYC Public Defenders Release 2024 Statewide Criminal Legal System Legislative Priorities

Measures Include Increased Funding for Public Defender Offices, Passage of the Treatment Not Jail Act, the Youth Justice & Opportunities Act and the Eliminating Mandatory Minimums Act, Along With Additional Key Reforms (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of…

New York City Public Defenders Urge Federal Lawmakers to Reject the Most Catastrophic Immigration Reform Effort in a Generation

Contacts: Anthony Chiarito, The Bronx Defenders, achiarito@bronxdefenders.org  Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, ailopez@legal-aid.org New York, NY – On Thursday, the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) – the nation’s first public defender program for detained immigrants – issued the following statement in response to reports that the…

IMPACTED PEOPLE, LABOR UNIONS, BUSINESSES, AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS CELEBRATE THE GOVERNOR’S SIGNING OF THE CLEAN SLATE ACT

Katie Schaffer, kschaffer@communityalternatives.org, 646-265-2044 Tanya Frable, tfrable@communityalternatives.org, 347-677-2463 NEW YORK – Today, Governor Hochul signed the Clean Slate Act, legislation that will help millions of people support their families, boost New York’s economy and help create safer and stronger communities. Her signature on this historic legislation was lauded by hundreds of labor unions, businesses, and…

The Bronx Defenders Response to its union’s October 20 Statement

Contact: media@bronxdefenders.org “The Bronx Defenders (‘BxD’) is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization whose central mission is to provide client-centered, holistic representation to low-income people in the Bronx. BxD helps approximately 20,000 Bronx residents a year navigate criminal, family, civil, and immigration legal proceedings. “The organization has decided to issue this statement in light of the…

Written Testimony re: to examine issues in the New York State market related to consumer accessibility and retail sale of legal adult-use cannabis

New York State Senate Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis; Standing Committees on Agriculture, Finance, and Investigations and Government Operations To examine issues in the New York State market related to consumer accessibility and retail sale of legal adult-use cannabis October 30, 2023 Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Eli Northrup, Policy Director, Criminal Defense Practice…

Ariana Brill (Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice)

Ariana Brill (she/her/hers)  earned her B.A. from New York University and her J.D. from Penn Law, where she was a Levy Scholar and graduated magna cum laude. During law school, she completed internships at the Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project,…

Keiana James (Staff Attorney, Immigration Practice)

Keiana (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by a blended family of New Yorkers and Jamaican immigrants. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science, French, and International Relations from Amherst College, finishing her studies by writing a French thesis entitled “Living in the Imaginary: An Exploration of Liminality Within Cahier…

Austin Thierry (Staff Attorney, Immigration Practice)

Austin (he/him/his) is from Oxnard, CA, and has a B.A. in Political Economy from UC Berkeley. Prior to attending law school, Austin worked for four years as a paralegal at a law firm in San Francisco, CA where he assisted immigrants pursuing various forms of relief from deportation. At NYU Law, Austin was a student…

Emma Connolly (Staff Attorney, Family Defense Practice)

Emma Connolly (she/her/hers) comes to Bronx Defenders from Project Guardianship, where she worked on behalf of incapacitated New Yorkers. She previously worked as a staff attorney in the Family Defense Practice of Bronx Defenders. She is a graduate of UC-Berkeley School of Law.

Dakota Stennett-Neris (Benefits Advocate)

Dakota (she/her/hers) is a recent college graduate from Cornell University where she double majored in biology & society and government as well as double minored in inequality studies and law & society. She hopes to become a human rights lawyer and pursue her interest between the intersection of social justice, law, politics, and science.

Weronika Bzura (Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice)

Weronika Bzura (she/her/hers) is Staff Attorney with The Bronx Defenders Criminal Defense Practice. She received her BA in Political Science and Sociology minor from SUNY Albany and her JD from New York Law School. During law school, Weronika focused on public interest law and graduated with a distinguished award for civil rights and social justice….

Lisa Boesen (Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice)

Lisa (she/her/hers) received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. During her time at Suffolk, Lisa was the Editor-in-Chief of the Suffolk Transnational Law Review. During her third year of law school, she was a student attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Boston where she represented indigent clients from…

Samantha Espada (Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice)

Samantha Espada (she/her) earned her J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law with a certificate in the rule of law and constitutional design. There, she was recognized by Indiana University with the Terry and Judy Albright Pro Bono and Public Interest Award and the John T. Edwards Fellowship for her public service, exemplary character,…

Teddy Brodsky (Homicide Investigator, Homicide Practice Group)

Teddy Brodsky (he/him/his) graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Science-Statistics. Originally from New York, Teddy explored his passion for public defense in college through work at the Center for Appellate Litigation, the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, and at Columbia University’s Center for Justice….

Elizabeth McCurdy (Communications Associate for Narrative Change)

Eliza McCurdy (she/her) graduated from NYU Wagner with a Masters in Public Administration and specialization in advocacy and political action. She started her career in criminal legal reform interning with JustLeadershipUSA in 2016 on the #CLOSERikers campaign, after which she interned with The Sentencing Project in Washington, D.C. Pre-pandemic, Eliza worked on Rikers Island for…

Dinah Ortiz-Adames (Associate Community Engagement Director)

Dinah (she/her/ella) is an activist for drug users. For over 20 years, she has been advocating for vulnerable womxn, specifically Black, Brown and Indigenous people in a variety of contexts from substance use to child regulation. Dinah has appeared on hundreds of panels nationwide to discuss harm reduction strategies highlighting the unique challenges facing parents…

Kiara Santiago (Benefits Advocate)

Kiara Santiago (she/her/hers) is a Bronx resident that is passionate about advocating for the community and its residents. She has assisted survivors of domestic violence with trauma informed care, career and educational development, and resource attainment. She recognizes the systemic barriers that perpetuate a cycle of poverty and immobility, and seeks to continue advocating for…

Christopher Garcia-Munoz (Information Technology Associate)

Christopher Garcia (he/him/his) is a skilled IT professional with a passion for technology and innovation. He has completed the Npower Tech Fundamentals program, gaining valuable knowledge and expertise in the field. Along with his technical abilities, Christopher is also a talented chess player who has competed at a master level across the United States. With…

Omayra Colon (Operations Coordinator)

Omayra Colon (she/her/hers) is a Bronx resident. She has worked for non-profits for over 16 years and has over 20 years of administrative experience working in a variety of jobs that have allowed her to help people of all ages. Whether working with young children or older adults, Omayra’s commitment to making a positive difference in…

Aurora Maoz (Forensic Practice Group Director, Criminal Defense Practice)

Aurora Maoz (she/her/hers) graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a student attorney in the Michigan Innocence Clinic, a member of the editorial board of the Michigan Law Review, and a recipient of the Freeman Scholarship for demonstrated true excellence in criminal law…

Gisselle Gonzalez-Lopez (Benefits Advocate)

Gisselle (she/her/hers) is a graduate of NYU where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Prior to joining the Bronx Defender’s, Gisselle worked as an Office Assistant at the NYU Silver School of Social Work. As a Bronx native, Gisselle understands the struggles and hardships the Bronx community faces. Her goal is to work within…