We condemn NY Governor Hochul's unconstitutional “subway safety” plan 

In response to the governor of New York’s announcement of a five-point “subway safety” plan, we issued a statement, which says in part:

We unequivocally condemn Governor Kathy Hochul's recently announced five-point plan aimed at escalating police presence on the MTA, which echoes troublingly the unconstitutional practices that led to our landmark case Floyd v. City of New York.

The proposed plan comes on the heels of the ten-year anniversary of the ruling in our case, which found the NYPD’s implementation of the highly controversial stop-and-frisk practices unconstitutional. The proposed measures not only raise serious legal concerns but also evoke disturbing parallels with the stop-and-frisk practices brought to light in Floyd.

Just last month, the court-appointed monitor found that the NYPD has not resolved its racist policing problem, noting in a public letter to the court that “racial disparities remain with respect to frisks and searches.” 

Read the full statement on our website. 

Sunshine Week: Shining a light on the importance of public records and open government 

This week, March 10-16, 2024 is Sunshine Week, a nonpartisan collaboration among groups that shine a light on the importance of public records and open government. Sunshine Sunday began in Florida in 2002, and National Sunshine Week was launched in 2005.

We have our own Open Records Project: FOIA for the Movement, which focuses on using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and open records laws in support of movements and organizing. Each year we update our online resource, FOIA Basics for Activists, with new tools for our partners to use in their work. 

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal statute that enables anyone in the United States to request records from federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Department of State. All U.S. states also have their own open records laws, many of them enacted after the passage of FOIA. 

Learn more about our Open Records Project on our website.

Performance touring New York State: “Let’s end immigration detention” 

Come see a special performance that tells the real-life story of a Nigerian asylum seeker who was held in immigration detention for almost 6 months. The performance is a poignant exploration of the harrowing realities of U.S. immigration detention that can be part of igniting our collective movement to end it in New York State. The performance is by Amara Aja.

Location and date:
Westchester County, Friday, March 15, 6:00 - 8:00 pm: Pace University, Westchester Campus (861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY)
Queens, March 16, Saturday, March 16, 2:00 - 4:00pm: Terraza 7 (40-19 Gleane St, Queens, NY)
Manhattan, March 19, Tuesday, March 19, 6:00 - 8:00pm: The People's Forum (320 W 37th St, New York, NY)

The performance will be followed by a Town Hall discussion with directly impacted people and organizers talking about how we can build power to pass the Dignity Not Detention Act. 

Tickets are FREE, RSVP through this link.

Letter to Biden and Department of Homeland Security urging collection of race data 

We joined 180 organizations in signing a letter from Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) which urges President Biden to immediately and publicly commit to mandating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) systematically collect race and ethnicity data. 

The Biden Administration had promised a commitment to racial equity and specifically identified the collection of race and ethnicity data as a fundamental “first step to promoting [such] equity in Government action.” Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas echoed that commitment in a memorandum. DHS’s recognition of the need for race data collection is an important first step to implementing the Biden administration’s commitments to race equity. 

A robust data collection regime is critical to identifying racial bias. DHS should mandate the comprehensive and accurate collection of race data.

Read the full letter on BAJI’s website.

We’re hiring: Staff Attorney, Southern Regional Office 

We’re excited to announce a new position, Staff Attorney, Southern Regional Office. Our Southern Regional Office represents the hub of our Southern Justice Rising Initiative, which is the next critical step in our decades-long support of frontline, grassroots social justice movements taking on the most challenging issues of our time. This initiative reflects the urgent need to strengthen, support, and help build the power of Southern regional movements to fight white supremacy and other forms of oppressive power. 

Southern Justice Rising draws on our historical roots in the Deep South and thus represents our deepened, renewed institutional commitment to liberatory movements in the South. 

This individual must live and work in the South (particularly Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, or Louisiana), with periodic onsite visits to our headquarters in New York City. 

Read the full job description on our website. Candidates should submit an online application.