Author: BXD

Rise Magazine: Uplifting Every Voice

“When you are powerless in a system that is tearing your family apart, you hold on to any little ray of hope. My hope and strength came from my boys and the deep and instinctual knowledge that I, as their mother, could not and would not allow strangers to obliterate the years of nurture and […]

Dawit Getachew Testifies at Cost of Justice City Council Hearing

New York City Council Committee on Justice System Oversight Hearing on Cost of Justice September 27, 2018 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Dawit Getachew Chairman Lancman and members of the Committee, my name is Dawit Getachew, and I am a criminal defense attorney and Associate Special Counsel at The Bronx Defenders. I am grateful […]

Medium: When Protection Hurts

“I frequently recall one child who was asked to draw himself as a superhero. I asked him what his power would be. ‘When I grow up, my superpower is going to be to keep families together,’ he said. ‘So no kid has to go through what I am going through right now.’” As an attorney […]

The Appeal: Facing Lawsuit, NYPD Changes How Officers Use Sealed Arrest Data

  Our lawsuit against the NYPD states that the department is routinely accessing the sealed records of thousands of people and targeting people of color with low-level charges. Under New York’s sealing statutes, arrest records on file with the NYPD that do not result in criminal convictions must be sealed and not disclosed to anyone. […]

Gothamist: NY Officials Are On A Marijuana Legalization Listening Tour

This Monday, the first of five public forums was held to inform new legislation being drafted by Governor Cuomo’s marijuana legalization work group. The goal is to introduce a bill for state lawmakers to consider in the upcoming legislative session. Our Criminal Defense Practice Attorney Eli Northrup attended that forum. “Law enforcement needs to be prevented from using […]

NY Daily News: Legal group pushes back against NYPD’s claim it can use info from sealed cases in other investigations

The Bronx Defenders strongly oppose the NYPD’s claim that they have the right to use information from sealed cases to conduct investigations. Keeping files on individuals with sealed cases has serious ramifications for millions. Our deputy director of impact litigation, Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, says “Half of all NYPD arrests do not result in criminal convictions, yet […]

NYC Public Defenders Implore Hudson County Executive to Postpone Vote on Phase-Out of Hudson County Jail Contract with ICE

*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** SEPTEMBER 11, 2018 CONTACT Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services, (650) 814-0565, jchausow@bds.org Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, 929-441-2384, rhaskins@legal-aid.org Anna Kim, The Bronx Defenders, 646-504-2977, annakim@bronxdefenders.org New York, N.Y — Attorneys from Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Legal Aid Society – New York City’s public defender organizations providing […]

Deb Lolai Testified Before City Council on Sexual Abuse and Harassment in City Jails

New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice, Committee on Justice System & Committee on Women Joint Oversight Hearing on Sexual Abuse and Harassment in City Jails September 6, 2018 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Deborah Lolai Good morning, Chair Lancman, Chair Powers, Chair Rosenthal and committee members. My name is Deborah Lolai and […]

The Bronx Defenders Reaches Settlement in Bronx Court Delay Case

Settlement will ensure Bronx Courts uphold people’s constitutional rights to due process and speedy trials. ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** CONTACT: Anna Kim (annakim@bronxdefenders.org) 646-504-2977 AUGUST 9, 2018 NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Bronx Defenders, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, and Morrison & Foerster, LLP announced a settlement with the defendants in Trowbridge v. […]