March 1, 2023 – NEW YORK CITY – This morning, the NYCLU, advocates and elected officials rallied outside of City Hall demanding transparency and accountability from the NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG) just before the City Council held its first-ever oversight hearing on the unit. Following months of advocacy from the NYCLU and individuals impacted by SRG violence, the hearing took place after multiple postponements and the NYPD refusing to testify.

The NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG) is a violent, overfunded, and unaccountable unit of the NYPD. notorious for its abuse of protesters, particularly those standing up for racial justice. Despite promises from the NYPD that the unit would not be deployed at protests at its 2015 founding, the SRG has consistently threatened, attacked, and arrested protesters, drawing condemnation from international human rights organizations, and litigation brought by the NYCLU and Legal Aid Society. Advocates and elected officials urged City Council to disband the SRG and reinvest its millions in funds back into our communities.

“The New York City Council must provide the leadership our city needs to reduce the size, scope and power of the NYPD, including by disbanding the reckless SRG,” said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “Today, New Yorkers who survived SRG violence are finally able to exercise their right to question the SRG’s conduct at a City Council oversight hearing. City lawmakers must disband the SRG and its funds should be reinvested to serve, and not harm, New Yorkers. Militarized police forces do not belong in our streets.”

The SRG is a voluntary unit that attracts officers seeking action. They escalate violence against protestors rather than facilitate First Amendment activity. Their members have higher substantiated misconduct complaints and allegations of excessive force than the NYPD as a whole. The SRG uses tactics including the use of bicycles as weapons, excessive force when making arrests, and deployment formations that give rise to injuries, violence and false arrests, like kettling. The NYPD offers no transparency on the funding, staffing, and deployment of SRG in our communities. 21 City Council members issued an open letter in support of disbanding the SRG.

With at least 700 officers and a budget that has ballooned from $13 million to over $100 million dollars since 2015 with no public oversight, the SRG is trained to suppress protestors, especially those demanding racial justice. SRG training documents define two type of protestor crowds: “peaceful” and “violent.” Examples of violent crowds include the “BLM movement, Occupy Wall Street, and Anti-Trump Demonstrators.” These trainings include guidelines for the deployment of sound cannons and tactical formations to trap and mass arrest protestors. There is no focus on First Amendment protections or de-escalation strategies, and a clear bias against those calling for racial justice.

The NYCLU’s database of NYPD CCRB misconduct complaints shows that SRG officers in the database receive an abnormally high number of misconduct complaints compared to non-SRG officers:

• Of officers who were named in at least one complaint while in SRG, the median number of complaints since 2000 is six – double the median number of complaints received since 2000 for all officers on the force.
• 11% of misconduct complaints against SRG officers were substantiated by the CCRB, compared to 7.1% of complaints against all NYPD officers.
• The SRG also has a pattern of targeting people of color. Of those complaints that included a victim’s race, the impacted individual was a person of color 91 percent of the time. Sixty-six percent of victims were Black, 21 percent were Latinx, and nine percent were white.

“Two of the NYPD officers involved in my son’s murder were from the Strategic Response Group. Hyper militarized units like the SRG do not make us safer. These officers come into our communities as if they are going to war. They escalate rather than de-escalate and all too often resort to excessive force. Rather than continuing to pour tens of millions of dollars into the SRG, this dangerous unit must be disbanded and those funds must be invested in services like quality mental healthcare that our communities need and deserve,” said Eric Vassell, father of Saheed Vassell, a New Yorker who was killed by the NYPD on April 4, 2014, and member of the Justice Committee.

“The Strategic Response Group is an example of a notoriously violent NYPD whose dangerous tactics are a threat to the safety of New Yorkers. The SRG should be disbanded and the millions of city dollars dedicated to this unit should be redirected towards community safety solutions,” said Ileana Mendez-Penate, Program Director, Communities United for Police Reform.

“The Strategic Response Group has a long track record of violently suppressing peaceful protests, in violation of both Constitutional and human rights. It should be disbanded. A healthy democracy has no room for a militarized force that brutalizes civilians and stamps out dissent. It erodes trust in leadership and delegitimizes our government in the eyes of the people. Unaccountable to New Yorkers and counterproductive in our City’s shared pursuit of public safety, the SRG has no place in our city,” said Council Member Chi Ossé.

“In both 2021 and 2022, the NYPD stationed phalanxes of SRG troops near the endpoint of our annual Queer Liberation March. In both cases, SRG used the flimsiest of excuses to escalate into violence. Were it not for the de-escalation skills of our volunteer marshals, the SRG would have escalated the situation to the point of scores of serious injuries. They function as a roving occupying army treating New Yorkers attending non-violent protests like armed enemy combatants. While they claim they are “peace officers,” the only violence ever committed at any of our marches have been instigated by NYPD officers and SRG. The SRG must be disbanded and the NYPD needs to give all its officers a re-education on the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights,” said Jay W. Walker, the Reclaim Pride Coalition.

“The United States has a long and tethered history in its mission to suppress non-violent protests by the people, and NYC is no stranger to that historical violence. The Strategic Response Group (SRG) is nothing more than a militarized arm of the NYPD whose sole mission is to quell non-violent civil disobedience by utilizing some of the most painful and harmful methods at their disposal. The SRG must be disbanded in the wake of hours of captured video and testimony by protestors who this violent group of officers took an oath to protect and serve,” said Jon McFarlane, a leader with VOCAL-NY’s Civil Rights Union.

“The people have the right to protest and gather, to exercise their first amendment freedoms without being intimidated,” said Council Member Shaun Abreu. “The NYPD Strategic Response Group has been deployed in a way that undermines this principle. Sending the SRG to peaceful protests is an unnecessary and inappropriate use of police resources, and we must put an end to it.”

“This week, we finally have an opportunity to hold the Strategic Response Group, a notoriously violent NYPD unit, accountable for its abuses. From unlawfully and unnecessarily brutalizing peaceful New Yorkers, to draining taxpayer dollars upwards of $90 million, it’s time to end this City-sponsored violence, disband the unit, and reinvest these dollars immediately into community safety,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez.

“For years, the Strategic Response Group has been at the forefront of the NYPD’s war on our City’s Black and brown residents. They have beaten protestors and harassed everyday residents with impunity. Today, the Council takes the first step in dismantling their reign of terror,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Our oversight hearing today is a long overdue step in moving toward a City without the SRG. Rather than arming cops with riot shields and legal amnesty, we should invest in housing, healthcare, and education. I’m proud to stand firm with the dozens of community organizations and progressive allies who dare to dream for a City rooted in care, not cages.”

“I stand with my colleagues and all New Yorkers in my support of the disbandment of the SRG. We must protect the right to protest free of fear to maintain a healthy and open democracy,” said Council Member Althea Stevens.

“The SRG is the poster child for mission creep,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “At the unit’s inception, New Yorkers, still traumatized by the September 11th attacks, wanted protection from terrorism, and were instead given an unaccountable squadron that does everything from violently cracking down on legitimate protests to evicting our homeless neighbors from their encampments. Relatedly, over the years, SRG’s headcount has also ballooned to multiple times its initially-intended size. The time is long past to disband this unit and redirect its funding to evidence-based public safety strategies, from mobile mental health services to overdose prevention centers to violence interruption programming.”

“The NYPD Strategic Response Group’s aggressive tactics contribute to a culture of police brutality while empowering bad cops to act with impunity,” said Lori Zeno, Executive Director of Queens Defenders.  “146 officers were recommended for discipline by the Civilian Complaint Review Board following the 2020 George Floyd protests alone, yet the NYPD continues to shield them from accountability.  Public safety has never been achieved by putting needlessly aggressive police units on the street to target demonstrators.  We demand the SRG be disbanded, and funding redirected to initiatives that address the needs of clients targeted by our criminal legal system including mental health and substance use treatment, access to safe and affordable housing, education and job training, and meaningful diversion programs.”

“The Strategic Response Group is a notoriously abusive unit in the NYPD, with a long history of inflicting egregious violence and surveillance primarily on New Yorkers exercising their First Amendment rights,” said Jackie Gosdigian, senior policy counsel with Brooklyn Defenders. “We must disband SRG and instead redirect funding towards community investments that actually create safety for New Yorkers, such as housing and education.”

“The SRG is not known by New Yorkers as a so-called ‘counter-terrorism unit.’ The SRG is known for brutalizing New Yorkers who are exercising their First Amendment Rights. Time and time again, the SRG abuses people who are protesting for Racial Justice, and for Black Lives. We have seen events with under 30 people attacked by 100 SRG officers. Whether protesters are in the streets, or on the sidewalk before a march even begins, the SRG attacks. It is time to disband this violent, anti-Black unit,” said Equity for Flatbush.

“As one of the leading organizing groups in New York City we have experienced first hand the extremely violent practices of the Strategic Response Group, a manifestation of one of the worst characteristics of the New York Police Department. We need to immediately disband the SRG and prioritize investing in our communities and developing non carceral solutions to public safety instead of relying on the same violent strategies that have continuously harmed communities. Especially those that are Black, people of color, and low income communities. Enough is enough and we must do better!” said Frantzy Luzincourt, Co-Founder & CEO of Strategy for Black Lives.

“The Strategic Response Unit is a stain on New York City and its existence represents government sponsored harassment. New Yorkers have the right to gather and protest peacefully without being intimidated by the police. Disbanding the SRG unit is not just the right thing to do, it’s the right thing for public safety,” said Robert Willis, Justice Advocate Coordinator at LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

“The SRG already ensures that critics of police power have no right to public protest. Now the same violent volunteers – with their secret budget, their riot gear, their shields, bikes, Punisher skulls and Trump patches – will be occupying those communities that the wealthiest city in the world exploits most. Mayor Adams is draining these Black and brown neighborhoods of resources to advance gentrification and privatization, and he’s betting that he can control the resulting fallout with overwhelming force. He will lose this bet. Police can’t solve our problems: resources, community self-organization, and alternatives to policing can. And since we ourselves have suffered the SRG’s violence, we will keep fighting until the SRG is gone,” said Crown Heights CARE Collective.

“I’ve been part of many actions where we are fighting to keep our neighbors housed and the SRG has descended on us like animals. They instigate violence against tenants defending their homes against eviction. When they attack, they attack indiscriminately. I have seen them attack people of all ages, including elderly New Yorkers. They are completely indiscriminate in who they hurt in their hurry to protect capital and the financial interests of Eric Adams and all other landlords,” said Zara Cadoux, Steward of the Crown Heights Tenant Union.

“The NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, notorious for its racism and violence, is typical of the City’s response to the growing effects of disinvestment under the Eric Adams austerity regime.  Rather than give people homes in the midst of a housing crisis, Adams is sending SRG riot cops into Black and brown neighborhoods most at risk of displacement to ensure that real estate tycoons continue to profit off the backs of everyday New Yorkers. The City Council must disband the SRG and reinvest its funds directly into communities targeted by police violence and chronic disinvestment to truly treat the root causes of harm in our city,” said the NYC-DSA Racial Justice Working Group.

Governor Hochul’s 2024 Executive Budget proposal sets a record for New York State spending yet fails the vulnerable New Yorkers we serve every day at Queens Defenders through our free legal defense services and housing assistance programs.

A budget proposal is a plan of action and an opportunity to address inequity. Unfortunately, this spending plan ignores our State’s low-income residents, further criminalizes poverty, and instead favors prosecutors, law enforcement, landlords, and real estate developers.

The Governor’s budget appears to be more influenced by sensational headlines than what the data tells us – that there is no clear connection between recent crime increases and bail reform laws.  Eliminating the “least restrictive means” standard will remove safeguards on arbitrary bail decisions in favor of ensuring a low-level offender shows up in court.  What the citizens of New York will get with the Governor’s proposal is more pre-trial detention, more disruption to their lives, and with little to no impact on public safety.

Since the implementation of bail reform laws, rearrests within 180 days have only marginally increased, from 19% in 2019 to 21% in 2021.  An estimate from an Albany Times Union’s analysis suggests that as many as 80,000 New Yorkers may have avoided incarceration and went on to pose no recorded threat to public safety as a result of bail reforms.  We implore the Governor’s office to analyze how many people were able to keep their jobs and provide for their families because of these laws and consider that when making policy recommendations.

The Governor’s Executive budget proposal allocates $40 million in additional funding to hire new prosecutors and supplement changes to discovery laws.  Public Defender and legal services organization had hoped to see an equal increase to address our staffing and operational needs, but we are left out of this budget.  Further, only providing funding to district attorneys to address changes to discovery puts public defenders and most importantly our clients at a distinct disadvantage.

What we have painfully learned over the last several years is that discovery is not a one-way street from the district attorney’s office to our case files.  We must receive gigabytes of data, documents, video, recordings, and other media, organize it, view it, and then mount an effective defense of the clients we represent.  The Governor’s budget cuts public defenders out of the process, and leaves us at the whim of district attorney’s offices to develop their own systems and processes, leaving us only to react in whatever way our operating budgets allow.

This ultimately harms justice-involved low-income New Yorkers when their attorneys can’t rely on efficient and standardized systems for receiving discovery materials, as we will be constantly working from behind to respond to the systems impressed upon us by prosecutors.  In order to ensure true, equitable implementation of discovery changes, public defender and legal services organizations must have access to equal funding.

The Governor’s Executive Budget proposal addresses “affordable housing” largely through tax breaks for developers to build new units over the next decade.  What we are missing is an answer for the families living in the shelter system right now with a voucher on the verge of expiring, and a local real estate market that continues finding creative ways to keep them out of available units.

The national average for Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) that have been used to acquire affordable housing is 48.7%, while New York State lags at 27.5% and New York City at an abysmal 17%. Thousands of New Yorkers are literally waiting in shelters for a space to call home.  This budget does not offer solutions for closing this gap and helping New York residents acquire stable housing.

The Governor needs to include strategies and funding to address staffing problems at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and create protections for voucher participants to ensure they have equal access to stable housing and landlords are not discriminating against them in favor of market rate renters. New Yorkers languishing in shelters deserve action on this today, not in ten years.

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January 31, 2023

The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Hochul:

We, the undersigned, write with an urgent request: that your administration include in your proposed budget (1) an increase in the amount of rent assistance made available to cash assistance recipients to reflect the actual cost of rent across New York State, and (2) an increase in the basic needs cash assistance allowance to reflect inflation. The current levels of these benefits – a key part of New York’s statutory safety net – have not been updated in decades. Each successive year that the state ignores its constitutional obligation to provide aid for those in need, New Yorkers are suffering in deep poverty, and, as a result, experience housing instability and homelessness, adverse health outcomes, poor long-term economic prospects, and a host of other negative collateral consequences. This is a problem that your administration has inherited, and we respectfully request that you address it this budget season. New Yorkers cannot wait.

Increase the Cash Assistance Shelter Allowance Amount to the HUD Fair Market Rent

The current cash assistance shelter amounts are so low that, aside from federally subsidized housing units with rents set at 30% of tenant income, there are literally zero habitable rental units priced at the level of the shelter allowance anywhere in New York State. For example, in Albany, the cash assistance shelter allowance for a family of three is $309. Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that there are simply no apartments that meet basic housing quality standards in the private rental market for $309 in Albany County. HUD’s data and analysis for every county in New York States shows that there are no units in the private market at or even near the meager cash assistance shelter allowance.

The appropriate measure of housing costs in New York State is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Market Rent, as your administration has recognized. In December 2021, you signed into law a bill that sets maximum subsidy levels at the HUD FMR for a subsection of cash assistance recipients (New York City families with children experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness and who are eligible for a supplement called FHEPS). Your administration also used this standard last year when you approved limited funding for rental assistance set at 85% of the FMR for certain low-income households experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Other state-funded rent subsidies available only cover a fraction of the cash assistance households who need help, and across the state, most waitlists for federally subsidized housing are closed and are years long.

New York State has a housing affordability crisis, and we appreciate your administration’s attention to this issue. However, any truly comprehensive statewide housing strategy must recognize that development of new affordable housing is not enough. Construction of new housing will take years, and even “affordable” housing funded with the State Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is out of reach for New Yorkers eligible for cash assistance. New Yorkers need assistance to pay for the housing that is currently available – and in many areas of New York State there are enough vacancies to meet the needs of low-income households – if only families had the resources to be able to pay the rent. Without increasing the shelter allowance, cash assistance recipients face chronic housing instability, living in substandard or overcrowded conditions, risking their health and welfare in unsafe living arrangements, falling behind on rent, getting evicted, or experiencing homelessness. The adverse health outcomes, lower educational attainment, and ability to improve long-term economic prospects for families experiencing housing instability due to the inadequacy of the cash assistance shelter allowance are beyond measure.

Increase the Cash Assistance Basic Needs Allowance

The basic needs allowance is designed to help people pay for necessities like clothing, diapers, hygiene products, over the counter medication, and transportation. But because the basic needs allowance has not been updated since 2011, and has never kept pace with inflation, it is woefully inadequate to cover these essential expenses. The utility supplement portions of the basic needs grant have also not been updated since they were established, in 1981 and 1986, respectively. The result is that a family of three with no other income is granted only $389 a month to meet their basic needs, including money for utilities. A single person anywhere in the State, including New York City, is expected to survive on $183 per month for their basic needs.

Increasing the maximum rent allowance for cash assistance recipients to the HUD FMR and increasing the basic needs allowance to keep pace with inflation will help lift affected New Yorkers out of deep poverty in every community comprising our great state.

Sincerely,

Empire Justice Center

Asian American Federation

Broadway Community, Inc.

Bronx Defenders

CAMBA, Inc.

Care for the Homeless

Catholic Charities Family and Community Services

Center for Elder Law & Justice

Center for Independence of the Disabled NY

City Bar Justice Center

Coalition for Homeless Youth

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Mary Lupien, Rochester City Council Vice President

Lurden Corona

Community Service Society of NY

Community Voices Heard

Citizens’ Committee for Children of NY

Kadisha Davis

Disability Rights New York

Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project

FPWA

Henry Street Settlement

Housing Works, Inc.

Homeless Services United

Hunger Free America

Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing

Ibero-American Action League

Journey’s End Refugee Services

Vicki Lens, Professor, Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College

Mobilization for Justice, Inc.

The Legal Aid Society

Just Cause

Legal Services of Central New York, Inc.

Make the Road New York

Miguel Melendez, Rochester City Council President

National Center on Law and Economic Justice

Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem

New Destiny Housing Corporation

New York Legal Assistance Group

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corp.

Queens County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers

Queens Defenders

RiseBoro Community Partnership

Robin Hood

Rochester Housing Authority

Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI)

Rural Law Center of New York

Safe Horizon

Sanctuary for Families

Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy

Settlement Housing Fund, Inc.

The Children’s Agenda

The Family Center

The Legal Aid Society of Rochester

United Neighborhood Houses

Urban Justice Center – Safety Net Project

Urban Justice Center – Safety Net Activists

Urban Pathways

VOCAL-NY

Volunteer Lawyers Project of CNY, Inc.

Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS)

Welfare Rights Initiative

WIN

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

To honor the 10^th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Assembly Member Anderson provides funding to Queens Defenders for the renovation of the Queens Defenders Emergency Distribution Center in Far Rockaway.

October 26^th, 2022 – (FAR ROCKAWAY) – Today, in honor of the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Queens Defenders and New York State Assembly Member Anderson broke ground on renovations to the Queens Defenders Emergency Distribution Center thanks to funding provided by the Assembly Member. This funding of $150,000 was generously provided through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York’s (DASNY) Community Capital Assistance Program and is part of Assembly Member’s dedication to expanding emergency provisions throughout Far Rockaway to safeguard against future emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Far Rockaway residents were hit the hardest.  They faced massive flooding, prolonged disruptions in utilities, and difficulty accessing food, water, and gasoline, and they experienced significant structural barriers to the distribution of emergency supplies. The Queens Defenders Emergency Distribution Center is located directly on the evacuation route and in an area that will experience limited flooding. With this Distribution Center, Assembly Member Anderson is ensuring that Far Rockaway is prepared for the next storm.

Today’s event was attended by Queens Defenders staff that work directly with the Warehouse and partners of the Queens Defenders Food Pantry including Gabrielle Mosquera, Deputy Director of Teens for Food Justice; Dr. Melony Samuels Founder & Executive Director of Campaign Against Hunger, and others. Before hearing from Assembly Member Anderson an introduction was given by Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders’ Managing Director, and Brian Schatz, Queens Defenders’ Director of Community-Based Initiatives & External Affairs, who expressed the organization’s gratitude to the Assembly Member and commitment to serving the Far Rockaway community. Those in attendance also heard from staff who work with the Queens Defenders Food Pantry & Domestic Violence services, who shared stories of clients and community members who depend on these impactful programs.

Queens Defenders’ Managing Director Hettie Powell stated, “On behalf of Queens Defenders leadership, board of directors, staff, and especially the individuals we serve every day, we offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Assembly Member for his partnership, leadership, and commitment to the residents of Queens, and we look forward to working with your office to address food insecurity throughout the Rockaways. When he first learned about our Food Justice initiative, the Assembly Member brought his trademark enthusiasm, energy, and solutions-focused mindset to address infrastructure needs of the communities he represents. A leading voice in addressing issues of food insecurity and disaster preparedness, Assembly Member Anderson’s commitment to these important issues is evident in his advocacy and diligence in directing state resources to the 31st Assembly District.”

Queens Defenders’ Director of Community-Based Initiatives & External Affairs Brian Schatz spoke on the impact of the program to the Far Rockaway community by stating, “In 2020 Queens Defenders began our food justice initiative in direct response to our clients’ needs during the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic.  What began as a way to serve our clients quickly turned into a critically needed resource for the community and our partners stepped up to support this effort.  Partnerships were formed with The Food Bank for New York, The Campaign Against Hunger, 9 Million Reasons, Urban Upbound, Teens for Food Justice, and Sister Denean Ferguson. Our partners in elected office took notice and began directing resources:  Assembly Member Khlaeel Anderson, New York City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, State Senator James Sanders, Jr., and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. And the work attracted the attention of supporters who contributed to this effort with grants and gifts:  Atul Kothari from The Ask Kothari Foundation and JEWELEX, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The New York Bar Foundation, The Pickman Foundation and Whitehall Terrace, and hundreds of Queens Defenders staff and individual donors contributed to ensuring that the individuals and families we serve have access to healthy food and essential supplies.”

“I am proud to announce a historic $150,000 investment for the Queens Defenders Emergency Food Storage Facility that will provide critical food service to the low-income and working-class families of Far Rockaway and Southeast Queens,” said Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson. “Superstorm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the logistical struggles and challenges in delivering essential services like food throughout the Rockaways. This capital funding will support the procurement of refrigerated vehicles, forklifts, food storage containers and shelving, food prep and food box assembly areas, a commercial dishwasher, and stainless-steel sinks and workspaces. The construction and rehabilitation of this emergency food storage facility will help eliminate food disparities and bottlenecks. Moreover, the strategic location of this warehouse in Inwood, which is just off of the Rockaway peninsula, should help facilitate more safe and efficient transportation of food not if but when the next emergency happens. As we work together with partners to expand and fortify food infrastructure and delivery systems, our goal must be to develop a self-sufficient and food-sovereign community. We have to stay ready, so we do not have to get ready.”

Renovations on the warehouse are already in progress and will include a loading zone, a small office, and main area alterations to accommodate for the pallets of food provided by Queens Defenders Food Pantry partners, emergency PPE, and clothing provided by Delivering Good as well as other partners. The warehouse is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2023 with the public access being by appointment only through the Rockaway Community Justice Center.

Photos from this event can be found here and the full video of this event can be received upon request; for an interview or to request more information please reach out to Alora Sherbert at press@queensdefenders.org

ABOUT QUEENS DEFENDERS:  

Queens Defenders 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. Queens Defenders’ dedication to their clients and community goes beyond the courtroom with their expansive support programs for both adults and youth spreading throughout the borough. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization started the Queens Defenders Food Pantry first servicing a small group of clients and their families, but rapidly expanding to thousands served through weekly distributions in both Far Rockaway and Jamaica.

Learn more about our programs and work at queensdefenders.org