Category: Archive
Gothamist: Analyzing 323,911 Newly-Released Records Of NYPD Misconduct
“Michael Thomas, a staff attorney in the criminal defense practice for The Bronx Defenders, called the release “huge,” and predicted it would lead to major changes in how his cases will be tried, compared to the era in which 50-A shielded many records from discovery. “A lot of our cases that end up going to […]
News12 The Bronx: ‘Black Families Matter’ march speaks out against Child Protective Services
“The march was organized in partnership with the Bronx Defenders, a group which represents many families going through similar experiences. “It’s shown in data, it’s documented that folks across races use drugs at the same amount of rate,” says Bronx Defenders Attorney, Miriam Mack. “Yet we know that it’s Black and brown folks in hospitals […]
Frank News: Systems Built on Good Intentions are the Most Dangerous: Part 2
“This interview with Emma Ketteringham, managing director of the family defense practice at the Bronx Defenders, was conducted and condensed by franknews. Part one of this conversation on the child welfare system can be found here. Emma | If you look at all of the systems that do harm, whether it’s to poor communities or Black and brown communities, they are […]
Frank News: Systems Built on Good Intentions are the Most Dangerous: Pt. 1
“This interview with Emma Ketteringham, managing director of the family defense practice at the Bronx Defenders, was conducted and condensed by franknews. The second half of this conversation on the child welfare system can be found here. When I started, I began to talk to my clients about the impact contact with the criminal system had affected their families and I […]
City & State: Bronx Power 50
“Justine Olderman was named executive director of Bronx Defenders in 2018, but she has been with the organization since its earliest days. As managing director of the organization’s criminal defense practice, she more than doubled the size of the department and its caseload. As executive director, Olderman sounded the alarm about COVID-19 on Rikers Island […]
The Imprint: The Sad Omission of Child Welfare from Mainstream Discussion on Race
“As thousands of Black people and their allies are protesting the systemic racism and police brutality that have been part of the fabric of this society for centuries, some white Americans appear ready to discuss the damage that oppression has done to Black and brown people. Books about anti-racism are flying off the shelves. There are […]
NBC News: Video of police abuses and the NYPD trampling the Constitution reveal inefficacy of ‘reform’
“Amid a summer of protest sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, much has been said about the importance of “reforming” police departments. But what if those departments cannot be reformed? This week, a video went viral showing the arrest of a young trans woman during a protest. The 18-year-old woman was tackled in broad daylight […]
The Appeal: Virtual Hearings Have Created A ‘Caste System’ In America’s Courts
“Particularly problematic is the fact that many courts have closed to all but those hearings determined to be emergencies. The deferment of so many legal proceedings raises its own set of dilemmas, particularly for people who are incarcerated while awaiting a trial. Child welfare cases have proved especially fraught for some parents. Many jurisdictions are […]
Gothamist: Pardoned By Cuomo But Detained By ICE, Bronx Immigrant Marks Three Years In ICE Detention
“In a series of court decisions since the pardon, neither immigration nor federal judges have agreed to his release — even on bond. “Black immigrants are treated differently in these court proceedings,” said Sophia Gurulé, his attorney from Bronx Defenders. “For some reason they don’t value the community ties that he has, they don’t value […]
Document Journal: A new law seeks to expose the NYPD’s secret surveillance technology
“As surveillance technology evolves, New Yorkers will have to balance surveillance power with personal freedoms. In addition to license plate readers, x-ray vans, and stingrays, the NYPD now has a unit dedicated to operating face recognition systems—but it isn’t just being used in the fight against terrorism. “There’s been an explosion in face recognition in the […]
