Queens Defenders and Queens Public Library team up for reentry program
Queens Daily Eagle | November 2020
NYC courts indefinitely halt in-person proceedings after uptick in coronavirus cases
New York Daily News | November 2020
Queens Defenders Serves Thousands of Queens Area Residents Through Queens Defenders Food Pantry
The Queens Defenders Food Pantry continues to expand to meet the needs of Queens residents who need access to healthy food. In what began as a dedication to serve twelve families impacted by domestic violence in Far Rockaway when COVID-19 hit in March has grown to serving thousands of families throughout the Queens community. With the help of our community partners, Queens Defenders is now able to conduct both direct deliveries and large-scale food drives to provide thousands of boxes of emergency supplies each week.
This major expansion in our ability to support this community is made possible thanks to our incredible donors and partners: JEWELEX, 9 Million Reasons, Food Bank for NYC, Fresh Direct, Rockaway Mutual Aid, Beach 40th Street Tenant Association, the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, Mr. Mak’s GinBao LLC, Hour Children, Rockaway Greek Council, and NYCHA. With their support, the Queens Defenders Food Pantry has grown to serve nearly 10,000 residents per month.
Stanislav Khaldarov, Esq., Queens Defenders newly appointed Director of Food Justice, added, “the Queens Defenders Far Rockaway community team recognizes the need on the Rockaway peninsula for quality nutrition and the lack of access to it which many of our clients experience. Our team works diligently to secure a variety of food on a weekly basis to ensure everyone we work with is able to sustainably provide food for their families. Our team is now focusing on working hand in hand with many community partners to create the best plan to expand our reach and serve more residents of South-east Queens. Everyone deserves to eat.”
Demand for this critical program will only grow with the upcoming prolonged pandemic, which is why Queens Defenders has planned important expansions for the year ahead. We are building out a more comprehensive warehouse space with the capacity to store refrigerated items, offering more regularly scheduled food distribution events, and we are raising funds this giving season to purchase a van to assist in direct deliveries.
To support the Queens Defenders Food Pantry in their efforts to get a van you can donate here and find more information on Queens Defenders website.
Youth Spotlight: Hector
From volunteer, to part-time Young Adult Leader, to a now full-time Youth Organizer, Hector Rodriguez is the picture of success here at Queens Defenders. Hector is a leader among his peers, but his journey to get here was not always an easy one. Three years ago, Hector was headed down the wrong path. He was skipping school, making bad decisions, and hanging out with some not-so-great influences. He knew he had to turn things around, but couldn’t find the means to do it.
On October 5, 2017, when Hector was sixteen, his life changed forever. His father passed away unexpectedly, and it was on that day that Hector knew he had to make a drastic change. More than ever, he wanted to make his father proud; and he recognized that he needed to care for his mother and siblings.
In the days after, Hector reflected on what to do. He’s an athlete – basketball and football – so he considered using sports to pull himself up. He always dreamed of being a police officer, but that possibility was many years away. He had options, but he still sought more.
In July of 2018, Hector stumbled upon Queens Defenders’ Rockaway Outreach Center. At the time, it was still under construction. Determined to keep himself busy over the summer, he came inside and offered to help. He’s been with us ever since. For five months, Hector volunteered in any way he could. He helped out around the Center, he brought ideas for events and workshops to the staff, and helped spread the word about the newly opened Center to the Far Rockaway community.
Our staff at Queens Defenders saw real promise in Hector. Everyone was impressed by his commitment to volunteering, even when he knew that his peers were getting paid for similar tasks. For Hector, it was always about helping his community and making his family proud. After five months of volunteering, Hector was officially brought on as a Young Adult Leader.
“Hector has grown into a young man who’s realizing his true potential. Observing the change has truly been an amazing experience. Always having a strong work ethic, Hector also motivates team members and community residents. He encompasses the phrase “Far Rock Strong” and I couldn’t be prouder.” –Brandon Jeffries Director of Youth Programs
Over the past two and a half years, Hector has become an integral member of the Community Outreach Team and was recently promoted to Youth Organizer because of his energy and determination. Hector actively seeks relationships with community members to build the program at the Center. He has formed relationships with City Councilmembers, teachers and principals, sports coaches, police officers, and more. Hector is recognized on the street by people of all ages, and he proudly represents Queens Defenders.
Through his transformation, Hector has achieved great success outside of his role at Queens Defenders, as well. Hector graduated high school, and is set to attend LaGuardia Community College starting in January 2021, with a scholarship he won from an essay contest. He is also on track to fulfilling his dream of becoming a police officer. Hector has worked closely with the Community Affairs Police Officers at the 101st Precinct, and he is set to start classes for the Auxiliary Police Officer program.
Queens Defenders is proud to have Hector on our team. At 19 years old, he has accomplished more than most people his age, and he is not done. To support Queens Defenders youth programs and see more of the great work visit here.
Investors Bank Provides Financial Literacy Workshop for Queens Defenders Young Adult Leaders
Queens Defenders partnered with Investors Bank in October to offer a Financial Literacy Workshop for twelve Young Adult Leaders. The workshop provided important tools and information for the Young Adult Leaders including establishing savings and retirement accounts, responsible credit usage, savings for a home and the basics of obtaining a mortgage, and more.
Jennifer L. Smith Community Development Officer at Investors Bank stated, ““Investors Bank is new to Forest Hills and we are excited to start a new partnership with Queens Defenders. Alex Russo, Maria Odysseos and I were so happy to join the workshop with Queens Defenders youths. The questions were insightful, and the conversation was inspiring. Thank you so much for letting us spend an afternoon with Queens Defenders! Happy Thanksgiving!”
Young Adult Leaders received financial literacy training on the ways to properly manage their financial profile while working and in their personal lives. With the help of the Forest Hills Branch of Investors Bank, Queens Defenders tackled the ways our youth leaders can create a bank account, manage a 401K, and create an investment profile.
Queens Defenders is dedicated to ensuring that our Young Adults Leaders are full prepared to enter adult hood with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to thrive. Investors Bank joins a growing list of Queens Defenders corporate supporters that are committed to our young people. More financial literacy workshops are being planned for the coming months with Investors Bank. If you or your company are interested in volunteering with Queens Defenders, please fill out this form here and a team member will get back to you.
Queens Defenders Celebrates Annual Lights On Afterschool Initiative with Chief of Staff Manuel Silva
On October 22, 2020, Queens Defenders joined more than 8,000 organizations across the country to celebrate ‘Lights On Afterschool,’ an annual initiative by the Afterschool Alliance to highlight the importance of afterschool programs throughout the nation. According to the Afterschool Alliance, 11.3 million children are alone and unsupervised after school. Queens Defenders is committed to decreasing that number by keeping our “lights on afterschool.”
For the event, our Young Adult Leaders hosted a virtual discussion with Chief of Staff, Manuel Silva, to talk about the importance of activism and community involvement. Structured as a Q&A session, the youth took turns asking Mr. Silva questions about his experiences with activism and politics. Mr. Silva gave advice on how to fight for change within the community, how to get involved in politics, and how to persevere in the face of adversity.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Silva urged young people to not give up, and to advocate for change. He emphasized the importance of getting involved in community affairs and building people power in Far Rockaway. His message to the young leaders of tomorrow is – “reach out to organizations and politicians to get involved. If they don’t answer, reach out again. Don’t stop until someone responds.”
Thank you to Manuel Silva for joining our event and speaking to the young leaders of tomorrow. Queens Defenders is grateful to our partners that create meaningful programs for our youth after school. We will always keep our #LightsOnAfterschool.
Queens Defenders Opens Emergency Food Distribution Center in Far Rockaway
Queens Defenders Community Outreach staff have not slowed down their efforts to respond to the dire need for emergency food assistance for vulnerable residents and families in Queens.
In addition to the weekly deliveries of food and essential items to over 65 families in Far Rockaway and Jamaica, our staff has partnered with the Food Bank for NYC, Fresh Direct, and other generous organizations to distribute over 4,000 boxes of food to Queens residents since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Our team has assisted with organizing and distributing bags of food in a number of NYCHA housing developments, as well as at various community events across the borough — from Far Rockaway to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Every Friday, we receive deliveries from community partners with hundreds of boxes of food including potatoes, onions, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, celery, apples, and bananas and other staples. With these deliveries, Queens Defenders has been able to give away free bags of fresh produce to anyone who stops by our Outreach Center.
We are extremely grateful to our generous partners at the Food Bank for NYC, Fresh Direct, Rockaway Mutual Aid, Beach 40th Street Tenant Association, the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, Mr. Mak’s GinBao LLC, and to our generous donors who continue to support our emergency relief work in Queens.
NYC Public Defenders Decry The Increase In NYC Jail Population Following The Implementation Of Rollbacks To New York State’s Bail Reform Law
Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org)
Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org)
Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org)
Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org)
Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org)
Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders, (hpowell@queensdefenders.org)
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Marking 100+ Days Since Albany Rolled Back Bail Reform, Defenders Decry Rising Jail Population – 14 Percent – as Alarming Second Wave of COVID-19 hits NYC
With Jails Functioning as Deadly Incubators for COVID-19, Officials Must Commit to Decarceration to Save Lives
(NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, Queens Defenders and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem issued the following joint statement decrying the increase in New York City’s jail population by 443 people – 14 percent – held pretrial following implementation of rollbacks to New York State’s bail reform law — which went into effect on July 2, 2020 — and amid a second wave of COVID-19:
“It is plainly unconscionable that Albany capitulated to racist fear-mongering and subjected more people to pretrial detention during the COVID-19 pandemic – a betrayal that is downright cruel. One hundred days after the implementation of these bail rollbacks, our fears have been realized as more and more people are in jail as the City braces for a resurgence of COVID-19. Forcing people to share dorms, meals, sinks, toilets, and poorly-ventilated air, and having people constantly coming in and out of custody and moving from facility to facility goes against everything public health experts have told us. This makes us all less safe, and particularly threatens the Black, Latinx, and working class communities that were already disproportionately devastated by the pandemic. New York needs a commitment from all stakeholders, from prosecutors to lawmakers, to resume decarceration and help New Yorkers protect themselves and each other from this deadly virus.”
Background: On July 2, 2020, the day bail reform rollbacks took effect, there were 2,909 people languishing pretrial in New York City jails. As of October 6, 2020, there were 3,352 people held pretrial in local jails. This amounts to an increase of 443 people. This increase reflects even larger number of people who are admitted to New York City jails and exposed to others there, as people cycle in and out and every day.
Queens Defenders & Queens Public Library Partner to Provide Immediate Technology Access to Parolees during COVID-19 Pandemic
QUEENS DEFENDERS & QUEENS PUBLIC LIBRARY have formed a partnership to equip parolees released from prison during the COVID-19 pandemic with smartphones, data plans, and other tech resources. Funded through a $330,000 Federal CARES Act Grant for Museums and Libraries, the “Immediate Access: Technology Re-entry Program” will assist 75 individuals over two years.
As part of the Program, the parolees recently released from prison will receive smartphones to connect them to online resources and services to assist them with re-entry, ranging from the Library’s virtual programming and financial and transportation apps to online certification programs. They will also receive a data plan, technology assistance, and job training to equip them with the information, skills, and resources they need to help them move forward on the outside.
Read more about the Program in the full press release here:
***PRESS RELEASE***
QUEENS PUBLIC LIBRARY AND QUEENS DEFENDERS FORM PARTNERSHIP TO EQUIP PAROLEES RELEASED FROM PRISON DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WITH SMARTPHONES, DATA PLANS AND OTHER TECH RESOURCES
Funded Through a $330,000 Federal CARES Act Grant for Museums and Libraries, the “Immediate Access: Technology Re-entry Program” Will Assist 75 Individuals Over Two Years
QUEENS, NY – Queens Public Library and Queens Defenders have formed a partnership to offer a tech-focused program to help parolees overcome the challenges they face following their release from correctional facilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Re-entry of former inmates – who had no access to technology while incarcerated – is challenging, especially for those who have been imprisoned for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has added new barriers to this already difficult transition.
As part of the “Immediate Access: Technology Re-entry Program,” the parolees recently released from prison will receive smartphones to connect them to online resources and services to assist them with re-entry, ranging from the Library’s virtual programing and financial and transportation apps to online certification programs. They will also receive a data plan, technology assistance, and job training to equip them with the information, skills, and resources they need to help them move forward on the outside.
All participants will have access to QPL-created resources, including its Re-entry Resource Guide, and assistance from the Library’s Job and Business Academy and its Queensbridge Tech Lab at the Queensbridge housing complex in Long Island City. In addition, QPL staff will design a skills training and job certification curriculum for each individual.
The program, which will assist the 75 formerly incarcerated individuals over a two-year period, is funded with more than $330,000 from the CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries, awarded to QPL and QD by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS). QPL and QD are among the 68 grant recipients selected from more than 1,700 applicants.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made the transition from life inside a correctional facility to life on the outside especially challenging,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “Our joint program with Queens Defenders will provide formerly incarcerated individuals with tools allowing them to take advantage of learning opportunities available at the Library and beyond, helping them connect with their communities and realize their full potential. We are grateful to Queens Defenders for partnering with us to develop this important initiative and to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for awarding us this grant.”
“Queens Defenders is honored to partner with the Queens Public Library on this grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to address the needs of individuals moving out of incarceration and into the community – a transition made even more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Queens Defenders Executive Director and Founder Lori Zeno. “This technology-focused initiative will help individuals re-establish themselves in the community as they aspire to lead productive lives free of further justice-system involvement. We look forward to sharing lessons learned so more individuals re-entering society from incarceration can benefit from the supports and access to technology offered through this program.”
Queens Public Library has worked with Queens Defenders on a number of prior initiatives, including the Youth Justice Court, which empowers youths while they help their peers from the community avoid school suspension, criminal and family court appearances, and potential violations of probation. The program, offered at four QPL locations – Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Central and the Queens Public Library for Teens in Far Rockaway – has resumed virtually in November.
QPL has a dedicated, trained team of staff members who assist formerly justice-involved individuals as they transition back into society, helping them obtain a library card, teaching them job skills and directing to job search resources, technology workshops and literacy programs.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in multiple languages, technology and digital resources, and more than 87,500 educational, cultural, and civic programs a year. It consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab, one universal pre-kindergartens, and two teen centers.
About Queens Defenders
Queens Defenders (formerly Queens Law Associates) provides free, high-quality legal representation to individuals living in Queens County. Since 1996, Queens Defenders’ highly skilled attorneys have represented over 450,000 Queens residents and handle major trials and homicides, work with clients involved in Queens treatment courts, and represent cases involving domestic violence, youth charged with felonies, and immigrants facing criminal charges. In 2013, the organization launched youth diversion programs to help young people develop critical life skills, improve emotional and physical health, and enhance educational and professional opportunities to build successful lives. Learn more at queensdefenders.org.