Legislators Demand End to Transfer of Women and Transgender People Held on Rikers Pre-trial to Prison
Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – 17 legislators issued an open letter to Governor Hochul and Mayor de Blasio today demanding an [...]
More than 70 Incarcerated Women and Transgender New Yorkers at Rikers Island Release Petition Protesting Transfers to Upstate Prisons
Contact: Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (rhaskins@legal-aid.org) Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Sarah Duggan, Brooklyn Defender Services (SDuggan@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org) Lupe [...]
NDS’ Danielle Jackson Testifies Before NY State Senate on Predatory Court Fees
NDS’ Danielle Jackson testified before the New York State Senate on the End Predatory Court Fees Act. She said that court surcahrges are “a regressive tax that plunders money [...]
Legislators and Impacted People Demand That District Attorneys End Cash Bail Practices to Curb Rikers Crisis
Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** (NEW YORK, NY) – Legislators, public defenders, and impacted New Yorkers gathered outside the office of Manhattan [...]
NYC Defenders’ Statement on Yet Another Death in DOC Custody
September 20, 2021 Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Sarah Duggan, Brooklyn Defender Services (SDuggan@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org ) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** (NEW [...]
NYC Defenders Demand Courthouse Safety as the Delta Variant of COVID-19 Surges in New York City
August 16, 2021 Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Press Office, The Legal Aid Society (press@legal-aid.org) Sarah Duggan, Brooklyn Defender Services (SDuggan@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx [...]
NYC Defenders’ Statement on Death of Brandon Rodriguez in DOC Custody
August 13, 2021 Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Sarah Duggan, Brooklyn Defender Services (SDuggan@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org ) Press Office, The Legal [...]
NDS’ William Botchway Testifies Before New York State Assembly on Emergency Rental Assistance Program
The program, designed to support tenants hurt by the pandemic, faces myriad problems: a confusing application process, unnecessary means testing, bureaucratic delays and more.
To Mark Juneteenth, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit Announces Creation of Eviction Defense Practice
The practice will focus on representing people negatively impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic who are in danger of losing their home, and will play a pivotal role keeping Detroiters housed.
NDS Mourns Death of Former Vera Institute President Michael E. Smith
Michael was a giant in the fight for justice in the criminal legal system and an early supporter of NDS and the practice of holistic public defense.
Joint Statement in Response to Reports that NYC Family Court Clerk Used Racial Slurs to Refer to 15-Year-Old
Joint Statement in Response to Reports that NYC Family Court Clerk Used Racial Slurs to Refer to 15-Year-Old (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, [...]
NY Supreme Court Rules Incarcerated People Must be Offered COVID Vaccine Immediately
Judge sides with public defenders and advocates in suit, says state’s exclusion of incarcerated people from vaccine eligibility is unconstitutional March 29, 2021 CONTACT Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service [...]
Following Bombshell Report on COVID Deaths on Rikers Island, Officials Must Address the Deadly Conditions That Persist in Jails and Prisons
Today, THE CITY reported on an unreleased Board of Correction (BOC) investigation into three deaths that occurred in Department of Correction (DOC) custody last year. The men died at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in conditions exacerbated by a series of DOC failures, the report shows
NDS: Mayor de Blasio’s Police “Reform” Plan Reinforces Police Impunity and Endangers Black and Brown New Yorkers
Mayor de Blasio’s plan for police reform is an insult to public defenders, to organizations working to confront police misconduct, and to Black and brown New Yorkers who have been subject to constant surveillance and frequent police violence.
Public Defenders, Advocates Ask Court to Force State to Offer Vaccine to Incarcerated People Immediately
If granted, the preliminary injunction would force the state to begin offering vaccinations to incarcerated people immediately, while awaiting a final decision on the petition.
Public Defenders, Advocates Sue New York, Claim Vaccine Denial Violates Constitutional Rights of Incarcerated People
February 4, 2021 CONTACT Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (smccann@ndsny.org) Arianna Fishman, New York Civil Liberties Union (afishman@nyclu.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (rhaskins@legal-aid.org) Ryan Karerat, [...]
NDS’ Amy Kwak Testifies to New York City Council on Expanding Right to Counsel
Evictions are always an act of violence; during a pandemic they can be deadly. Expand the Right to Counsel
NDS Harlem Calls on New York to Vaccinate Incarcerated People Now
As the pandemic’s latest wave rages, with New York City’s COVID positivity rate now at more than 9 percent, the state has two solutions before it, which must be pursued in tandem: vaccinate every incarcerated person and reduce the jail and prison population. The consequences of inaction would be catastrophic.
Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice; Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration
The plan urges the Biden administration and new Democratic majority in Congress to act swiftly and decisively for immigration justice to undo the unjust, harmful and destructive tactics of the outgoing administration.
New York Installs Privacy Safeguards for Contact Tracing
Last night, Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that will protect the confidentiality of contact tracing information and prohibit access by police and immigration enforcement.
NDS Harlem Calls on New York to Vaccinate Incarcerated People Now
As the pandemic’s latest wave rages, with New York City’s COVID positivity rate now at more than 9 percent, the state has two solutions before it, which must be pursued in tandem: vaccinate every incarcerated person and reduce the jail and prison population. The consequences of inaction would be catastrophic.
Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice; Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration
The plan urges the Biden administration and new Democratic majority in Congress to act swiftly and decisively for immigration justice to undo the unjust, harmful and destructive tactics of the outgoing administration.
New York Installs Privacy Safeguards for Contact Tracing
Last night, Governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that will protect the confidentiality of contact tracing information and prohibit access by police and immigration enforcement.
In 2020, NDS Showed the Power of Public Defense
Neighborhood Defender Service’s clients are vulnerable in the best of times; facing a crisis, they need us more than ever. And we need you to make our indispensable work [...]
Neighborhood Defender Service Mourns Loss of New York City Mayor David Dinkins
(NEW YORK, NY) – Neighborhood Defender Service (NDS) Executive Director Rick Jones issued the following statement regarding the enormous contributions of New York City Mayor David Dinkins to Harlem, [...]
NDS 30th Anniversary Gala Honoring Cardi B Postponed Until November 2021
Dear Supporters, Due to the ongoing threat of Covid-19, the Neighborhood Defender Service 30th Anniversary Gala originally scheduled for November 19, 2020 has been postponed until November 17, 2021. [...]
NDS’ Helen Montalvan on Racism in the Family Regulation System
New York City Council's Committee on General Welfare hosted a hearing on "Racism in the Child Welfare System." NDS' Helen Montalvan testified on the white supremacist roots of the system, and why the title of "child welfare system" obfuscates the function and history of ACS and other agencies.
NDS Harlem’s Sara Wolkensdorfer Testifies Before City Council on Ending the Discriminatory Use of Background Checks in Public Housing
This week, NDS Harlem's Sara Wolkensdorfer submitted written testimony to the New York City Council on the need to end discriminatory background checks in public housing.
Contact tracing isn’t working; Cuomo can help
New Yorkers need contact tracing, but for it to succeed we need to make sure police and ICE never have access to sensitive information.
Save the Date: Celebrate 30 Years of NDS with Cardi B
For 30 years, NDS has fought for our neighbors’ justice and dignity in the face of systems that would deny it. On November 19, we're celebrating that work and those who fight alongside us.