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Projects
New InitiativesRedistricting: CLSJ continues its strong advocacy in regard to new redistricting methods and processes being considered for use in New York State. CLSJ attorneys continue to meet with other advocates, such as NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, CSS, AALDEF, LPI, PRLDEF, Demos and the Brennan Center, regarding the protection of the voting rights of NYC's Black voters.Legal ProjectsCase: People United for Children v. City of New YorkThis case challenges New York’s city’s child welfare policies and practices on the grounds that they discriminatorily enforced against African Americans. In 2007, the case was settled. The district court has signed the parties‘stipulation pertaining to the incentive awards for the named plaintiffs and attorney fees. All awards have been disbursed by the City of New York. Case: Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence In response to repeated complaints by Black parents, students and teachers about their treatment in the New York City public schools, in June 2009, CLSJ filed Freedom of Information Law requests on behalf of Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District. The requests sought records pertaining to the hiring and disciplining of teachers by race, and the academic performance, drop-out rates and disciplining of students by race. In June 2010, the DOE refused to release records to, inter alia, the race of teachers hired and disciplined on the ground that it would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. With respect to the other records, the DOE claimed that the information was available on its website. CLSJ recently filed an administrative appeal of the DOE’s decision. The Special Commissioner has provided some of the records sought and is still searching for the others. Education ProjectsParent Advocates Coming Together (PACT): To address the disempowerment of public school parents, CLSJ, in January 2010, established Parents Advocates Coming Together. The goal of PACT is to train Central Brooklyn parents with an interest in advocacy to be more effective advocates. PACT is designed to equip parents with the tools and knowledge to be organizers and advocates for quality education and increased parental involvement in public schools. To this end, PACT sponsored fourteen training workshops on topics such as “Planning Your Child’s Education from Pre-K to 12th Grade,” “How to Navigate the Department of Education’s Website,” and “Entitlements of Parents of Students with Needs.”Education Equity Advocacy: Esmeralda Simmons is continuing CLSJ’s advocacy work addressing citywide issues in public education facing NYC families. CLSJ will be partnering with the member organizations of the Coalition for Public Education, a citywide grassroots coalition for educational equity in 6th NYC public school system. Voting Rights ProjectsPre-Redistricting Research and Alliance Building: FY2010, CLSJ began our community organizing and community information campaign. Esmeralda Simmons and Joan Gibbs met individually or jointly with several community organizations, e.g., Community Voices Heard (CVH) of East Harlem and FUREE! of Brooklyn, to provide information about the redistricting process and possible collaboration. Joan Gibbs represented CLSJ at the Voting Rights Law Conference sponsored by the National Organization of State Elected Officials; Esmeralda Simmons gave a presentation on redistricting to almost two dozen Census grantees of NY Census Grantors Collaborative [New York Community Trust and New York Foundation]. General Counsel Gibbs researched and compiled a current voting rights law bibliography. In addition, as part of the 2010 Census project of our research team, CLSJ commissioned a demographic preview of the census results for Brooklyn. This project will continue through FY2013.END PRISON GERRYMANDERING Campaign: CLSJ was a very active participant in the statewide coalition pressing this public policy campaign’s message home to state elected officials and the residents of those New York City’s inner city communities that are hardest hit by the prison industrial complex. The campaign sought to have people currently incarcerated in New York State prisons (most of which are located in upstate rural communities) counted in the communities of their home residences for the purposes of state and local redistricting within New York State. VICTORY!!! The law was passed as part of the omnibus budget statute by both houses of the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Patterson in 2010! Immigration Legal ProjectIMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES AT EAST NEW YORK: In January 2007, the Center for Law and Social Justice, with funding provided by City Councilmember Charles Barron, opened an immigration office in East New York. The office provides free legal counseling and representation to immigrants residing with Brooklyn Community District 5. Since opening its doors this project has served over 1000 people.Community DevelopmentIn response to the limiting, de-funding or closure of many community–based and faith-based service providers in Central Brooklyn, in spring 2010, CLSJ established the “Capacity Building and Civic Engagement Project. The goal of this project is to build the capacity of faith-based and community based organizations in Central Brooklyn, to successfully administer social service, economic and human development programs and to successfully undertake civic engagement projects.Cultural Rights ProjectsEsmeralda Simmons, representing CLSJ of Medgar Evers College, is continuing to provide legal work and the human rights advocacy perspective to several African-centered cultural organizations.Publications (Past and Present)
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