Past Events

On May 16, 2018, The Bronx Defenders is hosting a community forum about commonplace forms of police brutality, including physical violence, harassment, and abuse. We want to hear directly from New Yorkers who have experienced or witnessed these problems in their communities.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 5:30 - 8:00 PM
WHERE: 360 161st St, Bronx, New York

The event will include breakout sessions that provide an opportunity for the community to voice their experiences along with their ideas for solutions, and a conversation about steps toward organizing grassroots collective action. Dinner will be provided. 

Contact Shakeer Rahman (shakeerr [at] bronxdefenders.org or 347.842.1335) or Carmen Pineiro (carmenp [at] bronxdefenders.org or 718.508.3440) for more information.

Release of Report on the Business of Homelessness

This year, for the first time, the city’s share of homeless shelter spending will top ONE BILLION DOLLARS, bringing the total expense budget for DHS to 1.8 billion dollars. With so much money moving around, it’s clear that homelessness is “big business” in NYC – but if the system is bad for the budget, bad for homeless people, and bad for neighborhoods, who exactly is profiting?

The cost of sheltering a homeless person can run anywhere from $2000-7500/month (and sometimes more than that) – far more than the cost of even a luxury apartment! And yet – in spite of all the money associated with a shelter stay, residents are forced to endure restrictive, austere, and inhumane conditions.

“Business as usual” isn’t working. Homeless people have a better plan, and later this month Picture the Homeless will release its report, “The Business of Homelessness: Human and Financial Costs of the Shelter-Industrial Complex.” It is the result of a year-long investigation by Picture the Homeless’ research committee into the fiscal policies and priorities that influence the lives of homeless New Yorkers… and how those priorities could be adjusted to support permanent, stable, and decent housing for the lowest income New Yorkers.

Join Picture the Homeless on the steps of City Hall at 9 AM on Tuesday, March 27, for a press conference announcing the official release of the report.

Help rid NYC streets of abusive, discriminatory policing by coming to the Right To Know Act rally on October 11th! Communities United for Police Reform and a citywide coalition of over 200 organizations are calling for the New York City Council to pass the Right to Know Act into law to help end police abuses. It would promote police accountability in New Yorkers' most common interactions with the NYPD to prevent abuses and unconstitutional searches that continue in communities across the city. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Right To Know Act.

SHARE ON SOCIAL:

CLICK HERE for the Facebook event page.

Use the hashtag #RightToKnowAct.

Click on the image below to get the graphic.

Join WITNESS and Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) for a webinar on the power and perils of filming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and how to safely, ethically and effectively document encounters. The webinar will cover: When and how to document in case of an ICE raid; Your right to film ICE; Sharing ethically, including live-streaming; Digital security concerns