Author: BXD
Letter to ICE Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum
February 3, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.decker@ice.dhs.gov Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum Dear Director Decker, We write on behalf of the three NYIFUP programs at Brooklyn Defender Services, […]
The City: After ‘Horrifying’ Rochester Arrest, City Advocates Call on Cuomo to Keep Kids Out of Cop Hands
“Following the release of body-camera footage that showed Rochester police pepper-spraying a handcuffed 9-year-old girl, New York City advocates are renewing a push to raise the minimum age of criminal prosecution statewide. In a letter sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Albany leaders on Wednesday, public defender groups from all five boroughs pushed for passage of legislation that would hike the […]
The New York State Senate: Senate To Repeal ‘Walking While Trans’ Law
Deb Lolai, Supervising Attorney in the LGBTQ Defense Project at The Bronx Defenders, said, “We applaud the Senate’s passage of S1351, which will repeal New York’s ‘Walking While Trans’ law. This bill is a critical step toward eliminating enmeshed penalties — such as reduced access to employment, fewer housing options, and punitive immigration consequences — […]
NYIFUP Letter Re: Bergen County Jail’s Lack of Heat
January 29, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.r.decker@dhs.ice.gov Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Dear Director Decker, We have received several alarming reports over the last 36 hours from clients at Bergen County Jail that there is no heat in various […]
NYIFUP Condemns ICE for Heat Outage at Bergen County Jail on Coldest Day in Tri-State in Two Years
January 29, 2020 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP Condemns ICE for Heat Outage at Bergen County Jail on Coldest Day in Tri-State in Two Years (New York, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender […]
Demand Letter Re: Vaccination of People Held in Prisons and Jails
Via e-mail January 27, 2021 The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of the State of New York New York State Capitol Building Albany, New York 12224 Re: Vaccination of People Held in Prisons and Jails Dear Governor Cuomo: As science and experience have both made clear, jails and prisons perpetuate the COVID-19 pandemic, both […]
Politico: Public defenders threaten to sue Cuomo to allow vaccinations for prisoners
“Public defender groups are threatening to sue Gov. Andrew Cuomo if he does not allow prisoners to get the Covid-19 vaccine. The state has given the green light for correction officers to get the vaccine, but people locked up in state prisons and local jails are not eligible — even as the virus rages inside prisons.” Read the full […]
Defenders to Gov. Cuomo: Stop Blocking COVID-19 Vaccinations for Our Incarcerated Clients
January 29, 2021 Contact: Redmond Haskins The Legal Aid Society (929) 441-2384 rhaskins@legal-aid.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Defenders to Gov. Cuomo: Stop Blocking COVID-19 Vaccinations for Our Incarcerated Clients (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, The Bronx Defenders, Legal Aid Society […]
Filter Magazine: New York’s Two Marijuana Legalization Paths: Will Lawmakers Get It Right?
“The two bills also differ on several matters of criminal law. While the MRTA has a provision that the odor of marijuana can’t be used as a basis to stop or search somebody, no similar provision exists in the Governor’s proposal. Eli Northrup, a public defender, said that this difference is significant: “Stop and frisk […]
Human Rights Watch: An Innovative Approach to Justice for New York Police Violence
“The Bronx Defenders, a public legal defense organization representing 24 people alleging the New York Police Department (NYPD) committed abuses against them during protests last summer, are taking a different approach to achieving justice. Instead of suing the NYPD, as many other organizations and the New York State Attorney General have done, the Bronx Defenders asked the New York City Comptroller on Tuesday […]