Queens Defenders Expands Food Pantry and Community Services to Jamaica Area
Queens Defenders is very excited to share an expansion of our Community Outreach services to the Jamaica area. These new services include weekly pop-up food pantry events, and expansion of our community-based immigration, housing, and legal support, and new initiatives launching in the coming weeks and months.
Since launching the program expansion in February, the Jamaica pop-up food pantry quickly grew to reach hundreds of families each week. Food distribution events are held every Wednesday afternoon. The Jamaica Justice Center also served as a COVID-19 vaccination site conducted in partnership with Community Healthcare Network. Thanks to the help of this great organization, Queens Defenders was able to provide 120 Moderna vaccination shots and 300 Johnson & Johnson vaccinations over two events in March and April.
With new additions to our community relations team – Johanna Flores, Community Coordinator and Sarah Murphy, Community Assistant – Queens Defenders is able to provide more events like these to provide essential services in a centralized location for Queens Defenders clients and residents throughout the borough. These new hires, including Employment Specialist Ronald Anderson, have the goal of creating a training and employment program that will create a streamlined process giving Queens Defenders clients the job readiness training needed to enter the workforce.
For more information on Food Pantry distribution events and services offered at the Jamaica Justice Center, please contact jflores@queensdefenders.org
Queens Defenders Food Pantry Partners with JEWELEX to Serve Thousands of Families
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the unimaginable impact it had on our community, Queens Defenders began a Food Pantry to serve families impacted by domestic violence in Far Rockaway. As previously shared, this program’s need grew exponentially as the pandemic continued through the year.
In the fall of 2020, we were thrilled to establish a partnership with JEWELEX to meet the demand for this essential service in southeast Queens and expand to more communities in the borough.
Support from JEWELEX has allowed the Queens Defenders Food Pantry to expand food distribution events to our Jamaica Justice Center. And with the continued support of our partners – The Campaign Against Hunger, 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, Hour Children, and NYCHA – we are able to serve hundreds of families each week resulting in over 30,000 boxes of food getting into the hands of our community since January 2021.
Stanislav Khaldarov, Esq., Queens Defenders Director of Food Justice and lead of the Food Pantry, said this of the expansion, "Looking back on the past year, the Food Justice Program is very proud of the impact we have made in our community. Everyone deserves to eat. Our biggest reward is seeing the smiles on peoples faces and a glimmer of hope in their eyes. We will continue to work hard along with our community partners to secure and distribute a variety of food to anyone who needs it."
A JEWELEX company spokesperson states, "JEWELEX believes that being kind, considerate, generous, enthusiastic, and encouraging is always the right choice. We are proud to partner with Queens Defenders on this very important project and to work with an organization that reflects these values."
In addition to supporting the Food Pantry, JEWELEX has been an insightful and generous sponsor for the Community Outreach programs at Queens Defenders. This past winter, JEWELEX went above and beyond for Queens Defenders clients by collecting and donating over 100 coats during a winter coat drive. Queens Defenders is thankful for their unrelenting support allowing us to give back to our community.
If you are in need of food support in the Far Rockaway area, there are weekly pop-up food pantries at the Rockaway Community Justice Center.
WHEN: Wednesdays & Fridays at 2:00PM
WHERE: Rockaway Community Justice Center | 1922 Mott Avenue | Far Rockaway
For more information contact sibanez@queensdefenders.org
Youth Justice Court Goes Virtual
The Queens Defenders Youth Justice Court program serves as a bridge to mend relationships in communities and schools throughout Queens. Teens volunteer to join our program and become trained peer prosecutors, defense attorneys, and jurors in trials where their peers committed an act that violated school code or laws. Using a restorative justice approach, teens deliberate and deliver a beneficial consequence to help the young person acknowledge their wrong and learn from it.
Pre-pandemic, meetings were held in person at neighboring Queens Libraries and high schools. There, the young people would learn about the process of a criminal trial, legal terms, and constructing oral arguments. Using mock-trials that we created based on high-profile cases and celebrity names, the young people strengthened their trial argument skills.
Fast forward to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the youth justice court team worked tirelessly to move the program completely virtual. With the state-mandated lockdown, we had to construct new material and lessons that would be easy to deliver through a virtual platform. We revamped our focus to incorporate the issues at hand: voters’ rights, police brutality, Know Your Rights workshops, and the Black Lives Matter movement. We wanted the youth to become informed on issues arising in their communities.
Despite moving to virtual programming, our young people continued to log-in each week. They wanted a place to voice their opinions on the current events impacting their communities and allow them to express their passion and concerns. This sparked many passionate debates that often exceed past the scheduled program time. Because the issues we discuss have lit a fire in our young people, they are now researching their topics to support their reasoning and strengthen their arguments. Each week we are able to teach and discuss new policies and laws that play a major role in the events happening today.
To apply or learn more about our YJC Programs, click here.
Building Up Young People and Giving Space to Thrive as an Activist
The Queens Defenders BLANK Project allows for local youth to learn about the law, how to organize, and bring awareness to current events and social issues. It is a place for those who want to make change to connect and learn how to make their communities a better place. Each month the group takes on different topics or causes to raise awareness and find ways they can help in their community.
The BLANK project currently consists of 23 members from the ages 16-23 from across Queens. These active members are dedicated to making meaningful change in their community, and three members have joined their local NYC Community Board. Over the past few months, they’ve organized large town halls on topics such as human rights, women empowerment, mental health, black history month, foster care, and police relations. These town halls have included local State Senators and other elected representatives, police, and many other community leaders, giving the BLANK Project youth opportunities to directly engage with their community.
“The BLANK Project is a platform that allows youth to take control and own their power for the good of their community. Be it through advocacy, discussion and planning, the youth are the drivers of BLANK - Building Leaders in A New Kulture. The teens participating determine not only what matters, but what needs to do done for the community, as a community.” Director of Youth Programs Brandon Jefferies states of the project, “The BLANK Project has been a constant inspiration of change, watching our youth take the lead and come into their own. Virtual Townhall discussions, peaceful protests, awareness events are just a few of the formats they consider. From Alexandra Brathwaite, Social Rights Coordinator, spearheading this platform to Jaden Gabb, a Queens Defender H.W. Helper, giving powerful insight. I have no doubt we are supporting future leaders in the making. To all the youth giving their time to the BLANK Project, thank you in advance.”
Alexandra Brathwaite, Social Justice Coordinator at Queens Defenders, stated, “We launched this program to provide our young people with a targeted and focused opportunity to address social justice in their communities. The program provides a platform where participants can express their concerns and frustrations with the systems they interact with every day, and where they can feel liberated and advocate for their communities."
The month of April has many awareness topics, from workshops on Fair Housing, Reentry & Restorative Justice, Autism, and Sexual Health & Wellness conducted in partnership with Planned Parenthood, culminating in a large town hall focused on the Stop Asian Hate movement at the end of the month. If you would like to join The BLANK Project, e-mail abrathwaite@queensdefenders.org to receive the application. The BLANK Project enrollment is open all year. If you’re interested in social justice, activism, and advocacy, you are encouraged to apply.
To preview The BLANK Project’s town halls, visit the Queens Defenders YouTube Page.
Queens Defenders Receives Grant from the New York Bar Foundation for the Rockaway Community Justice Center
April, 2021
Queens Defenders has been awarded a grant by The New York Bar Foundation for its Rockaway Community Justice Center – the Rockaway peninsula’s only court alternative program that is operated in partnership with the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Launched in April 2020, the Rockaway Community Justice Center (RCJC) aims to give youth ages 18-24 who commit non-violent misdemeanors in the Rockaways section of Queens the opportunity to benefit from a restorative justice-based process instead of being tried in Queens Criminal Court. The RCJC provides a chance for offenders to appear at community-led hearings, repay their community through rehabilitative methods that preserve their dignity, develop skills and gain job experience, receive referrals to needed services, and leave the program without a criminal record.
“The New York Bar Foundation is deeply impressed with the restorative justice goals and plans of the Queens Defenders Rockaway Community Justice Center and we are pleased to support the launch of this worthy effort,” said Lesley Rosenthal, President of the Foundation. “This effort is emblematic of our efforts to enhance access justice and promote racial equity in New York through our grant-making and public education programs.”
The New York Bar Foundation’s grant will support the Rockaway Community Justice Center’s first year of operation. Their funding will ensure Queens Defenders has the resources to offer on-site support services from social workers, trained attorneys, and advocates, and connect participants to opportunities to develop life skills that will help avoid future contact with the criminal justice system. Additionally, this first-time grant for the RCJC by the New York Bar Foundation will raise the program’s profile and help Queens Defenders secure additional funding from new government, foundation, and corporate partners.
Lori Zeno, Executive Director & Founder of Queens Defenders said, “We are extremely grateful to the New York Bar Foundation for being the Rockaway Community Justice Center’s first institutional supporter. The Foundation’s commitment to this innovative court-alternative for the residents of Far Rockaway ensures the individuals served through this first-of-its-kind initiative in the borough of Queens will not have their lives derailed for low-level infractions or a missed court appearance due to long travel times from Far Rockaway to Queens Criminal Court in Kew Gardens. Through the Rockaway Community Justice Center, participants will be able to develop skills, make vital connections in their communities, and avoid future involvement with the criminal justice system.”
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Queens Defenders Awarded Grant by The Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund for Youth Justice Court Expansion
April, 2021
Queens Defenders is pleased to announce that it has received a $16,000 grant for the Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund to expand our innovative Youth Justice Court program to the St. John’s Home for Boys in Rockaway Park, a Close to Home program for young men in foster care placements.
Queens Defenders’ Youth Justice Court program is a restorative justice-based diversion program that allows young offenders to have their case heard by peers instead of in Criminal Court. The program operates in nine locations throughout the borough and trains high school students to serve as attorneys, judges, and other roles to administer cases.
“The Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund (The Warner Fund) team is a lifelong advocate of restorative justice programs. That is why we are proud to sponsor the Youth Justice Court Program at St. John’s Home for Boys located in Rockaway, NY. The Warner Fund is confident that with grants like this, Queens Defenders will continue its success in creating and expanding innovative and lifesaving programming to serve adolescents and young adults that are involved in the criminal justice system.”
– Joseph R. Madonia, LCSW-R, CASAC, Executive Director, The Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund
Due to the residential nature of St. John’s and the unique challenges the young men who reside there face, The Youth Justice Court program will hear low-level offenses referred by participating police precincts in addition to resolving issues that arise within the residence itself. In addition, participants will learn about the court process, how to protect their rights and safely interact with the police, and they will be trained in various court roles, including serving as attorneys and prosecutors, judges, and members of the jury.
Historically, more than 80 percent of referred Youth Justice Court cases are resolved successfully. Of those cases, 80 percent have no further involvement with the authorities/police within a year.
“This grant from the Warner Fund will provide the young men residing at St. John’s with an alternative option to resolve conflicts within the residence and allows young men who commit infractions in the community to have their case heard by a court of their peers instead of in Criminal Court. In addition to the restorative-justice based approach to low level crime, participating youth will learn skills, discover possible career pathways, and build confidence in themselves and their abilities.”
– Brandon Jeffries, Director of Youth Services, Queens Defenders
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Youth Spotlight: Lastra
At the start of her junior year at Scholars Academy, Lastra walked into our Rockaway Outreach Center to see what it was all about. From the moment she walked in the door, our staff could see her passion for helping the community. When Lastra was asked if she was interested in volunteering, Lastra took a moment to think about what she could meaningfully contribute to the Center. She ultimately decided that she could offer tutoring services, as she had been tutoring her peers for years. A week later, she had the tutoring program up and running with multiple youth coming in daily for homework help.
Lastra volunteered in the Center for two months before being offered a position as a Young Adult Leader. Now, over two and a half years later, the tutoring program is thriving and continues to support many children in the community.
“Since I have known her, Lastra has had an interest in the education field. Her specialty has been homework help, and her enthusiasm in helping the youth is obvious. Every student involved in the Outreach program can feel Lastra’s presence. Regardless of age level or subject matter, she wants to know what area they are struggling to be of help.” -Brandon Jeffries, Director of Youth Programs
Lastra is a leader among her peers and a role model for the younger children she serves. She carries herself with grace, and always acts with purpose. Lastra is currently studying Applied Mathematics at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and continues to run our tutoring program despite her busy schedule.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to the way students learn and engage in school. Virtual cues and course instruction are aspects that even the most experienced teacher has struggled to embrace. Still, Lastra accepts the challenge. After having participated in a training with United Community Schools, Lastra has been eager to find productive ways to help, utilizing research tools, worksheets, and new communication techniques.
When asked what she is most proud of in her work at Queens Defenders, Lastra said, “What inspired me to volunteer at Queens Defenders was my need to always give back to my community in any way possible, the best way I can. What inspires me to continue to come to work every day is my community and the many people that I know need our help. I’m most proud of the tutoring program and all the outreach that I have had the opportunity to do as a result of working at Queens Defenders because it introduced me to multiple different youths and community members. I appreciate the culture at Queens Defenders and love how my coworkers always try every day to find new ways to help the community and give back.”
We are proud to have Lastra on our team. At a time when community work has its challenges, Lastra makes it look easy.
NYC Defenders Decry Breach of Attorney-Client Privilege in Wrongly Recorded Phone Calls in NYC Jails
(NEW YORK, NY) – Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders issued the following joint statement in response to a report that over 1,500 protected calls between people incarcerated in at local jails and their attorneys were wrongly recorded:
“The fact that calls between attorneys and their clients incarcerated in New York City jails were apparently recorded, without either person’s knowledge, is appalling and unacceptable.
The widespread, illegal practice described in this report undermines the most fundamental tenet of the constitutional right to counsel: the ability of people to receive confidential advice from their legal team.
It not only undermines the trust our clients have in the confidentiality of their communications with their defense teams but also the public’s trust in the legal system as a whole.
The role of private, privileged phone calls in this relationship has become even more crucial during the pandemic, at a time when the City imposed restrictions on visitation and legal staff has limited their ability to meet their clients face to face.
We urge the New York City Department of Correction and Securus to immediately ensure that no privileged calls are recorded ever again.
We call on the District Attorneys to denounce this practice, and to immediately disclose and sequester any attorney-client recordings in their possession, without listening to them first.
We also demand a full account as to how this was allowed to occur so that we can fully understand and assess the breadth and depth of this breach, how many of our clients cases were implicated, how this information was used, and whether these violations were of such a prejudicial nature that dismissal of the cases is warranted.
We are actively investigating and will take swift, and immediate action to defend the rights of our clients and our legal practices.”
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Queens Defenders Partners with JusticeText to Expedite Review of Crucial Discovery
Queens Defenders is partnering with JusticeText, an audiovisual evidence management software, to expedite the review of body camera footage, interrogation videos, jail calls, and other crucial discovery.
JusticeText was co-founded by Devshi Mehrotra and Leslie Jones-Dove while they were computer science students at the University of Chicago. They are on a mission to address the access-to-justice gap within indigent defense by building technology specifically tailored to the needs of public defenders and their clients.
Recent New York discovery reform laws require that the District Attorney turn over more material and allow criminal defense attorneys 15 days from arraignment to “discover, inspect, copy, photograph and test” what they receive. Since then, Queens Defenders has been receiving countless hours of footage from NYPD officers’ body cameras and of phone calls from incarcerated clients.
Christopher Whitehair, Supervising Attorney at Queens Defenders, states “Many of the witnesses will be on the police officers’ body cam footage. It is therefore imperative for us to be able to efficiently review the videos so we can identify such individuals. JusticeText will help us quickly identify and pursue lines of investigation.”
Nick Justiz, Staff Attorney at Queens Defenders, was one of ten attorneys in our office that piloted the software. He used JusticeText to assist him with two recent cases, both involving extensive body camera footage. “I uploaded all the videos to JusticeText before watching them because, honestly, it’s just easier to watch them through the JusticeText platform,” Nick says. “I can make a note of anything important right there. The transcript is already roughly enough laid out for you so that you know what’s important.”
JusticeText’s automated transcript is generated by a machine learning model and can accept custom vocabulary, including slang, witness names, and neighborhood names. The output is easily exportable to a separate document for sharing purposes.
The platform also makes it easy for attorneys to clip out relevant parts of the video or audio file by highlighting the transcribed speech. The snippets of discovery can then be easily shared with collaborators or used for impeachment purposes in trial. Nick says, “It was actually pretty convenient to be able to clip out just the parts of the Spanish that I needed translated — I could email them very quickly to a translator and get it back.”
JusticeText offers public defenders the ability to consolidate their workflow and helps expedite the review of high volumes of discovery. “I have all six videos right there and in one folder. It’s so easy to go back and forth to reference everything and just keep it in front of me, as opposed to the old process. It’s a huge cut down of those unnecessary logistical barriers to preparing your case,” Nick says.
Michelle Minkin, Staff Attorney at Queens Defenders, adds “I really like that I can search the transcript for keywords. I’ve found it to be very helpful in going through Body Cam videos and pulling out important statements or references to other discovery I know I should be looking for. I can highlight and flag these references so I know exactly where to refer to when I’m writing a motion.”
Following a successful pilot period, Queens Defenders rolled out software access to the entire staff. The office is dedicated to leveraging the latest technology to advance its mission of providing quality indigent defense across Queens.