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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, The Bronx Defenders (rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, The [...]
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 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. The Gala celebrates the work we have accomplished over the past 30 years, with the people who have helped us [...]
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.
Community Statement on the Killing of Hakim Littleton
Community Demands Independent Investigation into Police Killing of Hakim Littleton, End to Excessive Force (DETROIT, MI) – ACLU of Michigan, Black Legacy Coalition, Detroit and Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Detroit Council of Elders, Detroit Justice Center, East Michigan Environmental Action Coalition, Hush House Black Community Museum, [...]
NDS Featured in Detroit Free Press
NDS was featured in Detroit Free Press in an article by Angie Jackson covering NDS Detroit's new Community Intake Practice, which launched Juneteenth 2020. "I think it’s so important that we try to do everything we can as public defenders to try to fight against the racial disparities that [...]
On Juneteenth, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit Opens Community Intake in Support of Black Community
Effective immediately, NDS will provide representation at no cost to Wayne County residents who believe they are going to be arrested or who have just been arrested.
On Juneteenth, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Launches Police Misconduct Project
New Yorkers who have experienced police misconduct can now use NDS as a resource in filing an action for police accountability.
As Contact Tracing is Rolled Out Across NY, Advocates Raise the Alarm About the Weaponization of Intimate Health Information By Police and ICE
Contact: Katie Schaffer, Center for Community Alternatives, kschaffer@communityalternatives.org Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service, smccann@ndsny.org At Press Conference, Civil Rights Groups, Health Advocates and Public Defenders Urge Passage of Bill Protecting Confidentiality of Contact Tracing Data NEW YORK—Today, local and national civil rights groups, public health officials and [...]