fbpx
Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders Policy & Community

Kumar Rao in Huffington Post’s The Blog: “The War on Drugs: A Shake-down, Not a Fair Shake for the Middle Class”

In the wake of President Obama’s re-election and the fervor around “fiscal cliff” negotiations, issues related to middle class empowerment and fairness are rightfully at the center of our national policy agenda. Decisions related to tax burden allocations and spending priorities are being made that have the potential to affect the middle class for a…

Christian Lassiter presented testimony on Stop & Frisk to the City Council

As presented to City Council Civil Rights Committee: “Stop and Frisk Profiling” Brooklyn College October 23, 2012 Written Testimony My name is Christian Lassiter and I am a Staff Attorney in the Criminal Defense Practice at The Bronx Defenders. I would like to say thank you to the members and staff of the Civil Rights…

News 12 Bronx: Criminal justice groups hold first BX town hall

THE BRONX – Several criminal justice groups came together Monday night for their first Bronx town hall meeting at Hostos Community College. Organizers, including the Bronx Defenders and the Justice Committee, claim that police have taken advantage of many people during practices such as stop-and-frisk. They say the meeting aimed to teach local residents about…

New York Daily News: New version of charitable bond bill headed to Cuomo’s desk could free thousands of poor Bronx defendants

Legislation passed by state lawmakers last week with approval from Gov. Cuomo could free thousands of jailed Bronxites. Sponsored by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx), the new law will allow charitable organizations statewide to post bail – up to $2,000 – for poor defendants held on misdemeanor charges. The Cuomo-vetted bill is an amended version…

The Bronx Defenders Joins Advocates and Lawmakers in Condemning the Activation of Secure Communities Program in New York

May 15, 2012 The Bronx Defenders Joins Advocates and Federal and State Lawmakers in Condemning the Activation of Secure Communities Program in New York The Bronx Defenders re-affirmed today its long-standing opposition to the activation of the Secure Communities program in New York. Under Secure Communities, individuals may be deported as a result of any…

Shoshana spoke at the Prisoner Justice Conference in Albany

Shoshana Brown was a speaker at The Prisoner Justice Conference, a gathering of over 57 organizations statewide that are doing prisoner justice work. The conference was a day long in Albany and close to 200 people attended. Shoshana spoke about the political necessity of this conference and shared her own personal story of how mass…

Ann travels to Michigan

Ann Mathews was the keynote speaker at the Southfield, Michigan library for an interfaith roundtable forum on public defense sponsored by the Michigan Campaign for Justice. The Campaign is a broad-based group of organizations and individuals from across the political spectrum fighting for a fair and effective public defense system in Michigan. She spoke about…