We’ve launched “The 9/11 Effect,” our resource site and are demanding the Biden administration dismantle post-9/11 policies 

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we’ve launched “The 9/11 Effect,” providing background and resources on the United States’ post-9/11 response that caused two decades of injustice at home and abroad. Having represented people directly harmed by policies enacted in 9/11’s wake, we have compiled content driven by the lived experiences of the people, communities, and movements the organization serves to inform both its analysis and agenda. The page pulls together highlights of twenty years of the organization’s related work – from cases to videos and client stories, to media clips and opinion pieces – and offers new analysis, resources, demands, and information about upcoming events. 

For more information about this launch, head to our website, or visit the resource site directly here.

NYPD continues to underreport incidents of stops and frisks, with racial disparities persisting 

In response to a report filed by Peter Zimroth, the court-appointed monitor in our landmark stop-and-frisk case Floyd v. City of New York, Senior Staff Attorney Darius Charney, lead counsel for the Floyd plaintiffs, said, “This latest monitor’s report shows that reports of the demise of race-based stop and frisk in New York City were greatly exaggerated. After almost seven years of federal oversight, the NYPD still conducts more than 80 percent of its stops on Black and Latinx New Yorkers, just like it did during the height of the Bloomberg stop-and-frisk era a decade ago. And because of the vast number of unreported stops, as documented by the monitor, the racial disparities are larger than we realize.”

Learn more about this case on our website.

We’re urging the court to permanently end a Trump-era policy that turned back tens of thousands of asylum seekers 

After presenting oral arguments before U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California in our case Al Otro Lado v. Mayorkas, we released the statement below with Al Otro Lado, the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Immigration Council, and the law firm Mayer Brown. In oral arguments, we urged the court to declare unlawful and permanently end the Trump-era turnback policy. Under the policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the country’s largest federal law enforcement agency, falsely claimed they did not have capacity to process asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border as a pretext for denying refugees access to protection in the United States.

This case marks a particularly shameful page in this nation’s history. Rather than welcoming those fleeing persecution at its front door as this country has done for generations, the U.S. government engaged in institutionalized lying and denied asylum seekers access to the nation’s asylum system. It is time for this dark chapter of our history to end.

Continue reading and learn more about this case on our website.

Upcoming events: ATTICA THEN AND NOW, and more… 

ATTICA THEN AND NOW

ATTICA THEN
Thursday, September 9, 2021 | 6–8:30 p.m. ET

ATTICA NOW
Monday, September 13, 2021 | 6–8:30 p.m. ET

This two-part series focuses on the current struggle for abolition, decarceration, defunding, reparations, equal justice, and making the historic demands of the Attica Brothers a reality. Register and learn more on our website. 

Indefinite Detention: Examining Guantanamo 20 Years After September 11
Thursday, September 9, 2021 | 4–5 p.m. ET

Will courts defer to executive branch claims that the U.S. government can legally detain suspected terrorists after the withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Justice Department claims? If so, what does this say about how – or if – the judiciary will police separation of powers and protect civil liberties in the face of national security claims moving forward? Join our Legal Director Baher Azmy as he participates in a webinar hosted by the American Constitution Society to discuss these and other questions! Learn more and RSVP on our website.

20 Years After September 11: Lessons in Solidarity
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 | 3–5 p.m. ET

Join our Executive Director Vince Warren as he participates in this teach-in to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and its aftermath. Members of the Solidarity Summits will share insights around deepening connections, being co-conspirators, and building toward co-liberation. Head over to our website for more information. 

Letters from Detention: Performance and Talk-Back
Monday, September 20, 2021 | 7–8:30 p.m. ET

Join us for a virtual performance, conversation, and reflection on 20 years since the post-9/11 roundups, detentions, and deportations. This event is organized in association with The Public Theater.

Letters from Detention is a moving theatrical performance adapted by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen (authors of The Exonerated and Aftermath) from a series of letters exchanged between two brothers, our clients, during their time in detention. Actors Laith Nakli and Hadi Tabbal will perform the roles of Yasser and Hany. Yasser will participate in a talk-back with Senior Attorney Rachel Meeropol following the performance. Register on our website.