The Bronx Defenders

Bronx Defenders, Advocates & Elected Officials Launch The Bronx Cannabis Hub

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Bronx Defenders and The Bronx Community Foundation, along with U.S. senate majority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, joined Bronx community leaders on Sunday, July 24, to announce the launch of The Bronx Cannabis Hub. Advocates included the Drug Policy Alliance, Mothers on the Move, 1 Freedom For All, TakeRoot Justice, and All That Jive NYC.   The launch follows a Bronx Cannabis Forum held last month, as reported, which aimed to tackle various open questions surrounding the emerging cannabis market in New York State, further to the passage


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UPDATE: De Blasio Signs “Rikers Relief Plan,” Hochul Announces Release of 191 Inmates & Transfer of 200 to State Facilities

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A number of Bronx and other elected officials were taken on a tour of Rikers Island on Monday, Sept. 13. Their aim was to highlight what they said are illegal and unsafe conditions at the jail. Among the group were State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34), Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Assembly Member Kenny Burgos (A.D. 85), Assembly Member Amanda Septimo (A.D. 84), as well as public defenders and activists like Min. Dr. Victoria Phillips of the Jails Action Coalition.   Ahead of the visit, Bowman said the group intended to call on City and State governments to use every tool


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UPDATE What Does the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act Mean for Bronxites?

By DAWN CLANCY
Considered a major win by progressives when it was passed by New York State legislators, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was the subject of a virtual community discussion hosted by The Bronx Defenders on Tuesday, July 6, in conjunction with local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80). The purpose of the discussion was to explain to Bronxites what the new law means for them.   According to its website, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is “radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and in doing so, transforming the


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Call about a Shooting Sparks Drug Arrest in Bedford Park

By DAVID GREENE
An apparent, erroneous call placed with the emergency services about a person who was allegedly shot prompted an arrest of an individual for drug sales in Bedford Park.   At about 9:15 a.m. on Friday, April 2, officers from the 52nd precinct who were responding to the report of the alleged shooting, duly arrived at 2974 Valentine Avenue in Bedford Park.   A half dozen police vehicles briefly shut down Valentine Avenue, between East 201st Street and East Bedford Park Boulevard, as officers entered the five-story Valentine Avenue building. Two ambulances also responded to the call. Police later emerged from


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New Bill to Protect Contact Tracing Data from Law Enforcement

By Síle Moloney
New Important legislation has been introduced to ensure that contact tracing in relation to COVID-19 achieves its public health goals and is not weaponized against communities of color. State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, chairs of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees, introduced the bill to ensure confidentiality of contact tracing data and prohibit access by law enforcement and immigration enforcement.   Rivera said he was honored to have worked with Neighborhood Defender Services, Center for Community Alternatives, The Bronx Defenders, and the New York Civil Liberties Union in drafting the new bill, based on powerful testimony he


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