The Bronx Defenders

Read the powerful op-ed from Carol Larancuent, Immigration Policy Advocate for The Bronx Defenders. As Carol points out “no amount of profit will ever justify or rectify the immense and irreparable harm that detention causes to a person’s mental and physical health, let alone their survival; or the emotional and financial impact on their loved ones, and entire communities across the state.” We MUST support people in ICE detention! https://bxd.pub/3xmVYLO

Read the insightful op-ed on the dangerous effects of police propaganda on children, from Kaitlin Jackson Roll, Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Practice for The Bronx Defenders. Kaitlin explains that children's books, toys and television shows glorifying crime-fighting and incarceration normalize and celebrate violence. As Kaitlin says, “copaganda fantasies prime our populace from a young age to tolerate human suffering.” We must change the narratives of police and incarceration! https://bxd.pub/3VCommD

BxD’s Defenders Academy is our flagship trial and advocacy skills training program that empowers and trains public defenders from around the country. This week, nearly 200 participants and trainers joined us in New York to discover and strengthen their courtroom and conference room skills. Our unique approach uses the power of storytelling as a persuasive tool to humanize and persuade. And our experienced faculty use performance and feedback to sharpen our participants' trial tools. At Defenders Academy 2024, we embraced our identity as storytellers to move judges, juries, and audiences. We want to thank everyone who participated this year, and to the generous time of our faculty. We look forward to seeing you or your colleagues next year!

You're Invited! Join the Informed Consent Coalition on June 10th at 6pm at Ancient Song in Brooklyn for food and fellowship as we discuss the need for real care and trust from community medical providers (doctors, nurses, etc.) in communities of color, the inequities of the family policing system, and how these fit within the larger fight for birth and reproductive justice.    Together we will build community, share resources, and talk about the Informed Consent Bill, which would require medical providers to ensure pregnant people have full, informed, knowledge, and are allowed to give permission before they are drug tested during labor and delivery.   RSVP: bxd.pub/ICTownHall24   For more information, visit www.informedconsentny.com

Last month, twenty-five members of our incredible Family Defense Practice traveled to Tysons Corner, Virginia to participate in the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law’s National Conference on Parent Representation.    Five BxDers, Janae (Hunte) Weh, J.D., Desseray Wright, Kimesha McDonald, MSW, SIFI, Sarah Alexander, LMSW, and Zoe Russell, J.D. presented at the conference on best practices for litigation, client counseling, and policy reform strategies when advocating in multidisciplinary holistic teams and holistic advocacy for parents navigating the stigma of substance use in Bronx Family Court. 

“Without the perspective of young people, the truth is, we don’t know anything at all.” The Bronx Defenders is excited for the return of our Youth Justice Summit next week, where we will help empower Bronx youth on issues that impact their daily lives, by offering workshops on the systemic biases that unjustly force youth into adult work too soon. Please watch our video, and if you are interested in joining us, RSVP here: https://bxd.pub/3wYDMrA

TONIGHT from 6-8 pm! Join us at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby Street) for an evening of conversation on public defense and justice with founder and former Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, Robin Steinberg, about her new book, The Courage of Compassion. The discussion will be hosted by Earl Ward, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, and will be moderated by Wesley Caines, interim executive director of The Bronx Defenders. See you tonight! https://bxd.pub/4aan8mA

On Monday, May 20 at 6PM, please join us for an evening of conversation on public defense and justice with founder and former Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, Robin Steinberg, about her new book, The Courage of Compassion. The discussion will be hosted by Earl Ward, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, and will be moderated by Wesley Caines, interim executive director of The Bronx Defenders. We hope to see you there! https://bxd.pub/4aan8mA

BxD is hiring! Check out two new positions below. Applications close May 15 for the P&C Generalist and May 16 for Homicide Investigator. Apply at: bxd.pub/jobs today!

Read the powerful, moving op-ed from Carolyn Strudwick, the managing director of social work for The Bronx Defenders in the Imprint News. Carolyn explains that incarcerating marginalized children, particularly from Black and brown communities, does not make them better, or anyone safer. Instead, "public safety comes from investing in the communities that have been ravaged by racist practices and policies. We need a true, earnest commitment to building infrastructure in disinvested communities, including affordable healthcare, decent and stable housing and access to quality education.” https://bxd.pub/4bqPY2Z