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.
September is National Preparedness Month
Plan for Disaster
Make sure everyone in your family is prepared for disasters: Establish a meeting place that’s familiar and easy to for everyone in your family to find – for example, your church or community center. Fill out a Family Communication Plan. Make sure every member of the family has a paper copy and keeps it with them in a plastic sandwich bag. For more information and safety tips visit Ready.gov.
Know Your Zone
Use the Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder to find out if you are in an area that may be affected by storm surge flooding. In the event of a coastal storm or hurricane, areas to be evacuated will be identified by the assigned zone.
Stay Informed
Register for Notify NYC, the City of New York’s official, free emergency communications program. You’ll receive information about emergency alerts and important City services via email, text messages, telephone, a mobile application, the Notify NYC website, RSS, Twitter, and American Sign Language videos.
Pack a Go-Bag
Being prepared means having enough food, water, and essential supplies to last several days. Your disaster supplies kit, or “go-bag,” should include the basic supplies your family needs in the event of an emergency, including water, food, tools, and hygiene products. Don’t forget cloth face coverings to protect against COVID 19, prescription and over-the-counter medications, cash, and important documents such as copies of identification and insurance plans. Store all items in airtight plastic bags and put the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag. Pack a go-bag for home, for work, and for your car.
Protect Your Finances
In the event of an emergency, you’ll need ready access to your personal financial, insurance, and medical records to start your recovery process quickly and efficiently. Make copies of these documents and put them in airtight plastic bags. Keep them in your go-bag in your car and in your office.
Obtain homeowners or renters property insurance, health insurance, and life insurance if you do not have them. Homeowners insurance does not typically cover flooding, so you may need to purchase flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.
From Here to There
Have a plan for traveling between your home and your work in the event of a disaster. Think about alternative ways to get to and from your job. How would you get home if you needed to take a different subway line? A bus and a subway? A taxi or ride-share? Could you get a ride from a co-worker or neighbor? Don’t forget to consider alternative transportation to other important places, too, like daycare, school, your doctor, and the grocery store. Fill out this Commuter Emergency Plan and keep copies in your home, go-bag, and office.
Queens Defenders Provides Summer Internship Opportunities for 56 Young People
The Queens Defenders Summer Youth Internship came to a close on Thursday, August 27th. This eight-week internship was created when the status of New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program was cut by 40,000 slots due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the City’s budget. With the support of our generous donors, we were able to offer eight-week virtual internships to 56 Queens youth — our largest cohort in the program’s history.
As an organization that has hosted large groups of SYEP youth for the past six years, Queens Defenders was unwilling to let the summer pass by without providing an opportunity for youth to work and grow while receiving financial compensation.
“While I loved pretty much everything about Queens Defenders, I think what stuck with me the most is how passionate everyone was about their community. I want to be a strong voice in my community and in many others to create real change. This was one of the most important takeaways from Queens Defenders – besides learning about the law – and I really want to be the change I want to see.”
Throughout the eight-week program, interns engaged in remote work including professional development and college and career readiness workshops. Interns learned about legal careers by participating in mock trials, workshops on the U.S. Constitution, and hearing from attorneys at Queens Defenders. We also hosted a series of guest speakers from BAM Creative architecture firm and Queens College during Career Week, who spoke about career fields in architecture, accounting, and politics.
“My biggest takeaway from the internship was everything that I learned. Not only did I learn new information about the law and various other social topics, I also learned more about myself through frequent group discussions with my peers.”
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the summer, according to the interns themselves, was the continued discussions about current events. Interns engaged in conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, women’s rights, rights for the LGBTQIA community, mental health, and more. The youth valued the time spent on these topics, citing that they felt safe to speak their mind and that everyone was always respectful of differing opinions.
“This internship introduced me to many things. It showed me the importance of having a strong work ethic, it gave me a better sense of professionalism, and most importantly, it opened my eyes to the world of law and helped me gain knowledge in the field. My favorite parts were participating in the mock trials because that was a new experience for me and it helped me step out of my comfort zone.”
While the summer of 2020 did not look how any of us expected, Queens Defenders is thankful for our staff and donors who made this program possible. Queens Defenders is committed to providing opportunities to youth in the community, whether virtually or in-person.
Queens Defenders Attorneys Go Above and Beyond for their Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Queens Defenders attorneys have not let the pandemic stop them from advocating for their clients. From the moment offices and courts closed in March, our attorneys adjusted to virtual practices and did not skipped a beat. Arraignments, hearings, and court appearances were held via Skype while all parties participated safely from home.
COVID-19 posed a serious risk to our clients both on Rikers Island and in their home communities, and our team prioritized the health and safety of our clients from the beginning of the pandemic. Since March, Queens Defenders has fought for — and won — the release of nearly 200 of our clients from Rikers Island who were most at risk of contracting COVID-19. Throughout the last six months, our attorneys continued to go above and beyond — from delivering clothing to clients and their families to raising money to pay their utility bills so that they could remain in their homes.
With courts opening up, Queens Defenders is working to ensure the safety of our staff, our clients, and their families. We will continue to provide zealous advocacy to our clients whether it is virtually or in-person.
NYC Public Defenders Demand At Least $1 Billion Cut to NYPD Budget
(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 sent a letter today to Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council reiterating their demand that lawmakers cut at least $1 billion from the NYPD budget and redirect those funds low-income communities of color across the city.
The letter states:
“Our clients are disproportionately stopped, ticketed, arrested, and punished because of the color of their skin and the communities in which they live. As public defenders, we see firsthand how the NYPD undermines public safety, perpetuating and exacerbating the conditions that trap people in a cycle of poverty and criminal legal system involvement through Broken Windows policing. We witness how targeted policing of communities of color reinforces state violence that too often costs Black and Latinx New Yorkers their lives. And now the general public has witnessed these atrocities, too. In recent weeks, viral videos of police officers violently abusing their power have increased the public’s awareness of what Black and Latinx New Yorkers have long known: It is long past time for transformative change.
New Yorkers recognize that bold action is necessary. Transformative change must start with divesting at least $1 billion directly from the NYPD’s almost $6 billion FY21 expense budget, but it cannot end there. We must dramatically shrink the footprint of law enforcement and reverse our decades-long defunding of social services and public infrastructure. It’s time to reject the impulse to arrest, punish, and incarcerate our way out of complex social problems. It hasn’t worked. Instead, as recommended by Communities United for Police Reform, New York City must invest in ‘strong, accessible, and culturally competent systems and infrastructure that center the needs of low-income Black, Latinx, and other communities of color.’”
“New Yorkers have taken to the streets over the past several weeks in response to the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breona Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many other Black people at the hands of police with a simple message: enough is enough,” said Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders. “As public defenders, we witness every day how police surveillance, harassment, and violence creates intergenerational trauma and funnels hundreds of thousands of people into the criminal legal system. Elected officials have a unique opportunity to chart a new path for the city. One that dramatically shrinks the policing footprint and invests in community self-determination, health, and stability.”
“New York City’s budget is woefully disconnected from New Yorkers’ values, values that our neighbors have taken to the streets to reassert. The bloated NYPD budget threatens our Black and brown neighbors’ lives and starves communities like ours in upper Manhattan of vital resources,” said Alice Fontier, Managing Director of Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem. “Mayor de Blasio and the City Council must respond to the demands of their city. It is time to cut at least $1 billion from the NYPD budget and to invest those resources in programs that reflect our city’s values and meaningfully serve New Yorkers.”
“The NYPD has nearly unfettered power to surveil, arrest, and incarcerate tens of thousands of Black and brown New Yorkers every year,” said Stan Germán, Executive Director of the New York County Defenders Services. “Recent reforms have shrunk the size of the criminal legal system, but the racial disparities at every stage of the process remain chillingly the same. We must find a new path. Good research has shown that decreasing the number of police can make our communities safer. Instead of wasting billions of dollars every year on the NYPD, we must now invest in the kinds of programs that make us all stronger: our schools, mental health care resources, and housing. We stand with the protesters to call for these long overdue reforms.”
“Brooklyn Defender Services joins people rising up in the wake of police killings of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd and so many others in demanding an end to racist police violence and defunding of police, said Lisa Schreibersdorf, Executive Director of Brooklyn Defender Services. “Every day, our attorneys and social workers serve Black people and other New Yorkers of Color who desperately need housing and healthcare, including mental healthcare, and yet instead face arrest, prosecution, incarceration, or worse. Defunding police means reinvesting funds to meet people’s needs and provide for true community safety.”
“As New York City reckons with structural racism and economic inequality that continues to plague Black and brown communities, those in government must respond with bold action not just cheap talk,” said Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “It is due time to cut the NYPD’s bloated budget by at least $1 billion dollars and use those funds to support education, housing and employment in the very same communities that have shouldered over-policing for decades. The New York City Council has committed, and now City Hall must join for what is right. New Yorkers are watching and are demanding real action.”
“At Queens Defenders we witness firsthand the impact of what intergenerational poverty can have on our city’s most vulnerable residents and communities – the same residents and communities that the NYPD has historically targeted leading to unprecedented levels of our Black and brown neighbors being behind bars,” said Lori Zeno, Founder & Executive Director of Queens Defenders. “The City agencies focused on lifting up vulnerable New Yorkers have for too long dealt with shoe-string budgets while the NYPD swelled their ranks. The time has come to redirect funding to where it can have the most impact on ensuring all New Yorkers can reach for and realize their full potential.”
###
Queens Defenders Quickly Responds to Police Brutality Incident in The Rockaways
Less than two weeks after Governor Cuomo signed a ban on police use of chokeholds into law, a young Black man was choked unconscious in Rockaway Park. Videos of the event quickly spread on the Internet, and community members called out to Queens Defenders for help.
While Lori Zeno, Executive Director, went to the hospital to check on the young man, staff and attorneys gathered at the NYPD 100th Precinct for a peaceful protest. The quick response by Queens Defenders and other community members resulted in a swift investigation by NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea, leading to a suspension of the officer without pay.
“It is important that we keep holding police officers accountable for their actions. The officer involved here used a chokehold to strangle my client until he was unconscious, because according to the officer, ‘he was being disorderly.’ This officer needs to be fired and prosecuted. He is the one who committed a crime in this circumstance. We will not stop until the people of The Rockaways can feel safe as they travel through their own neighborhood. They should not fear the very people who are sworn to protect them.”
Lori Zeno – Executive Director, Queens Defenders
Read more about the incident in the New York Times here.
Photo Credit: Fuljens Henry, @FuljensHenry