The Bronx Defenders & Coalition of Advocates Send Letter to Governor Cuomo Calling for Bail Reform
On November 15, 2017, The Bronx Defenders joined over 100 community groups and advocacy organizations in sending a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo calling for meaningful and effective bail reform. Governor Cuomo has made clear his interest in bringing change to New York State’s pretrial detention system but has yet to take action. Advocates urge…
BxD Testifies Before City Council Committees Regarding Rights to Succession in Public Housing
On October 24, 2017, Runa Rajagopal, Managing Director of The Bronx Defenders’ Civil Action Practice, presented written and oral testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Public Housing jointly with the Committee on Aging Oversight Hearing regarding the permanent addition of family members to a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) household and…
BxD’s Justine Olderman Highlights Connection Between Broken Windows and False Police Testimony in Panel
October 3, 2017, New York – Justine Olderman, managing director of The Bronx Defenders, spoke at a panel entitled “Police Officer Testimony: A Quarter of a Century After the Mollen Commission.” The event was hosted by the New York City Bar Association. Participants included the police department’s deputy commissioner for legal matters, Lawrence Byrne, Harvard…
Bronx Defenders Founder to Step Down as Executive Director
September 20, 2017, New York, NY —Bronx Defenders founder Robin Steinberg will step down as executive director at the end of this year, leaving the public defense office that she founded two decades ago. The announcement was made at the organization’s 20th anniversary gala last night, which was attended by over 300 supporters and hosted…
The Bronx Defenders Condemns Trump’s Cruel and Shameful Decision to End DACA
New York – In response to the Trump Administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, The Bronx Defenders issued the following statement: “The Bronx Defenders stands in solidarity with our immigrant clients, their families, and communities and condemns in the strongest terms the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA. This…
Bronx Warrant-Clearance Event Saturday at Eastchester Presbyterian Church
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark will host an amnesty event on Saturday, August 5th, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Eastchester Presbyterian Church in the Bronx to give New Yorkers an opportunity to clear up open warrants for low-level summonses without fear of arrest. Attorneys and advocates from The Bronx Defenders…
The Bronx Defenders Supports Bill That Would Remove “Turnstile Jumping” from NY Penal Code
July 25, 2017, New York – In response to the introduction of S4841, a bill that would remove “turnstile jumping” from the NY penal code, The Bronx Defenders issued the following statement. The bill was introduced by Senator Jesse Hamilton at a press conference this morning. “Subway and bus transportation are basic needs to live…
Bronx Defenders Applauds City Council Passage of Bill Requiring NYPD to Report on Seized Property Data
July 20, 2017, New York – In response to the passage of Intro 1000-B, a law requiring the NYPD to report on seized property data on an annual basis, The Bronx Defenders issued the following statement: “The passage of this bill marks an important victory for our clients and countless other New Yorkers disproportionately affected…
Bronx Defenders Applauds Passage of Bill Guaranteeing Legal Representation for Low-Income New Yorkers Facing Eviction
July 20, 2017, New York – In response to the passage of Intro 214b, a law providing free legal representation to low-income New Yorkers facing eviction, The Bronx Defenders issued the following statement: “After years of advocating for full funding to ensure this basic protection for low-income New Yorkers, we are thrilled to see that…
BxD Hosts Annual Celebration of Families
Last Friday, June 2, we hosted our annual Celebration of Families, welcoming 21 of our clients’ families to The Bronx Defenders’ Justice Campus for an evening of celebration. Every year we hold this intimate gathering to honor the families we have served through our Family Defense Practice and mark June as National Reunification Month. After…
The Bronx Defenders welcomes its 2017 summer interns!
We are very excited to welcome our 2017 summer interns! The Bronx Defenders internship program gives students the opportunity to experience and learn client-centered, holistic advocacy through hands-on work with our interdisciplinary advocates. This summer BxD is hosting a total of 84 interns, including 61 law school students from 23 different schools who will undergo…
BxD’s Emma Ketteringham Selected to be a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School
The Bronx Defenders is proud to congratulate Emma Ketteringham, managing director of our Family Defense Practice, for being selected to be a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School for the 2017-2018 academic year. Emma is one of a select few from across the country and around the world to be awarded this honor…
BxD Urges Mayor de Blasio to Reconsider Position on Exceptions to City-Funded Immigration Representation
May 4, 2017, New York – In response to the ongoing debate between Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito regarding City funding for the New York Immigrant Family Project (NYIFUP), The Bronx Defenders, one of three NYIFUP providers, issued the following statement: “At a time when we should be radically reimagining what it means to be…
BxD Testifies Before City Council Committees Regarding DOI Report on NYCHA Policy of Permanent Exclusion
On April 24, 2017, Runa Rajagopal, director of The Bronx Defenders’ Civil Action Practice, presented written and oral testimony before the New York City Council Committees on Public Housing and Oversight and Investigations regarding a new report by the New York City Department of Investigation’s (DOI) on the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) policy…
Bronx Defenders Asks NY Supreme Court to Compel NYPD to Produce Property Seizure Records
March 21, 2017, New York –The Bronx Defenders has asked the NY Supreme Court to compel the NYPD to appear at a hearing to explain its property seizure database and to produce internal records about policies and procedures involving millions of dollars in cash and property seized during arrests each year. The Bronx Defenders sued…
BxD Applauds City Announcement of Right to Counsel in Housing Court
New York – The Bronx Defenders released the following statement in response to the Mayor and Council Speaker’s announcement they have agreed to create a universal right to counsel for low-income New Yorkers facing eviction. “We applaud Mayor de Blasio and the City Council for taking this historic step toward making NYC a more equitable…
BxD Condemns Trump Immigration Orders, Recommits to Defending Bronx Immigrant Community
New York – The Bronx Defenders released the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s orders this week regarding new immigration policies: “The president’s actions this week threaten the well-being, safety, and rights of immigrant families in the Bronx and across the country. As an organization committed to serving one of New York City’s…
Register now for the 2017 Defenders’ Academy: Spring Training!
From June 5 to June 10, The Bronx Defenders will be hosting its 2017 Defenders’ Academy: Spring Training program. Defenders’ Academy: Spring Training is a six-day intensive trial skills program for criminal, family, and civil defenders. Through the lens of a complex case problem, participants will receive training on voir dire, opening statements, direct examination, cross…
NYC Public Defenders Submit Legal Brief in Invocation of Right to Counsel Case
New York – The Bronx Defenders submitted a friend-of-the court brief before the New York Court of Appeals, on behalf of itself and six other public defense providers in New York City, in a case involving the invocation of the right to counsel during police interrogations. The case, People v. Slocum, is headed to the…
Public Defender Orgs Urge Speaker Mark-Viverito to Call for Vote on Right to Know Act
New York – Representatives from public defense providers in New York City gathered today on the steps of the New York City Hall to urge Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to call for a vote on the Right to Know Act after the legislation has remained stalled in the Committee on Public Safety for over two years. The…
The Bronx Defenders Issues Statement in Response to Police Killing of 66-Year-Old Bronx Resident
New York City – In response to the fatal police shooting of a 66-year-old Bronx resident last night, The Bronx Defenders issued the following statement: “Last night’s police killing of Deborah Danner, a 66-year-old woman from the South Bronx, is the latest, tragic reminder that police officers are simply ill equipped to deescalate encounters with people…
The Bronx Defenders Mourns Passing of Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson
New York – The Bronx Defenders mourns the death of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, who passed away last night after a battle with cancer. “We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Thompson’s family, friends, and staff,” said Robin Steinberg, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders. “A staunch advocate for criminal justice reform, Ken Thompson…
Bronx Defenders Lawsuit Challenges Lack of Transparency in NYPD Property Seizures
Contact: media@bronxdefenders.org August 4, 2016, New York – Today, The Bronx Defenders filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the New York Police Department, arguing the department has violated New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) by refusing to provide relevant information pertaining to its policies and procedures…
Bronx DA Agrees to Property Seizure Reforms in Response to Bronx Defenders Lawsuit
Contact: media@bronxdefenders.org July 26, 2016, New York – The City of New York and The Bronx Defenders have requested a six-month stay of the federal class action lawsuit Encarnacion v. City of New York after the Bronx District Attorney’s Office agreed to implement a series of reforms to ensure the NYPD promptly releases personal property…
NYPD Asks New Yorkers to Weigh in on Body-Worn Camera Policy
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is planning a large body-worn camera (BWC) experiment involving 1,000 cameras at precincts all over the City, and is seeking public input to develop the policies that will guide officers using the cameras. This pilot program emerged in part from the class action lawsuits in which the court found the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk…