New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

NYLPI proudly participated in the recent Disability Unite Festival, celebrating Disability Pride and the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act alongside multiple advocacy groups. Our staff and interns showcased our work, with a particular focus on highlighting the Access-A-Ride Reform Group (AARRG!) and our efforts to enhance sidewalk accessibility. Learn more about our work here: https://lnkd.in/eTK2wYWY #disabilitypride #disabilitypridemonth #ada #disabilityrights #disabilityawareness #nylpi

Every year, Disability Pride Month celebrates the resilience and contributions of individuals with disabilities. It's a time to celebrate and act, reminding us to strive for a more inclusive world. At NYLPI, we are dedicated to achieving equality of opportunity, self-determination, and independence for people with disabilities. Our advocacy spans community integration, educational rights, accessible housing, and more. We use tools like community organizing, impact litigation, and legislative advocacy to drive change. Disability Pride Month honors critical disability laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, and break down barriers while acknowledging that challenges persist. The Disability Pride Flag, originally designed by Ann Magill, embodies the ongoing struggle for rights and recognition, updated collaboratively by the community to feature straightened stripes and muted colors, each representing diverse facets of the disability community. Join us in promoting awareness and celebrating the diversity of people with disabilities year-round! Learn more about the history and significance of the Disability Pride flag here: https://lnkd.in/gWNxvCXu #disabilityrights #inclusion #equality #diversity #advocacy #ada #nylpi

NYLPI commends Attorney General Letitia James for announcing settlements with four school bus companies to stop illegal excessive idling in communities of color and low-income communities across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Our Policy and Legislative Coordinator, Suhali Méndez, was featured in the press release issued by the New York Attorney General's office, highlighting this crucial step towards environmental justice and protecting public health, especially in disadvantaged communities. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eFS-JEvN

Exciting day for our NYLPI interns! Joined by Advocates for Children of New York, they toured New York City's Second Circuit Court, the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse and met the Honorable Judge Lohier. Judge Lohier eagerly discussed his position and story with our interns, who asked questions and learned about his work. Huge thanks to Advocates for Children of New York, Kim Sweet, and Judge Lohier for making this experience possible! #LegalEducation #NYLPIInterns #AdvocatesForChildren #SecondCircuitCourt #ThurgoodMarshallCourthouse #CourthouseTour #JudgeLohier 

LGBTQ and HIV-positive individuals face appalling mistreatment daily in U.S. federal immigration jails, enduring sexual abuse, medical neglect, unjustified solitary confinement, and more. NYLPI Staff Attorney Arielle Wisbaum, Esq. alongside several NYLPI clients, contributed to a new report on the treatment of LGBTQ+ and HIV-Positive individuals in Federal Immigration jails. Published by Immigration Equality Human Rights First, and the National Immigrant Justice Center. The report urges the phasing out of immigration detention for all, including LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive people. https://lnkd.in/eQc2UFdM

Our Director of Policy Justin Wood and City Council Member Shaun Abreu  responded to a The New York Times story about the heroic actions of sanitation worker Angelo Cruz, highlighting the broader hazards faced nightly by Cruz and thousands of other workers. https://lnkd.in/ebgxN9Dr

Thank you NYN Media for featuring our 31st Annual Law & Society Luncheon in their latest newsletter! Read it here: https://lnkd.in/efVUbqPe

So happy to report that thanks to Council Members Shaun Abreu and many other City Council Members funding has been restored for community composting in the FY25 NYC Budget! So great advocating with the Save our Compost coalition - Anna Sacks Lonnie J. Portis Eric A. Goldstein Justin Green gil lopez Anneliese Zausner-Mannes Christine Datz-Romero Renée Crowley Marisa DeDominicis David Hurd Mary Ellen Sullivan Shari Rueckl, Justin Wood Big Reuse, Earth Matter NY, The Lower East Side Ecology Center, GrowNYC, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York League of Conservation Voters and so many more. Thanks to everyone who has come to rallies, signed petitions, called council members and more! Now for sure we need NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to renew Big Reuse's lease!

This month, NYLPI partnered with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates to host the Nonprofit Bylaws Review Clinic for New York nonprofits. Our 30 volunteers met with 20 nonprofit leaders, benefitting 13 organizations, from arts groups to legal service organizations. Clinics such as this one go a long way in supporting nonprofits with strengthening their governance practices and overall organizational capacity. We would like to thank Skadden for hosting this clinic as well all our participating nonprofits for their time and trust!

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️ This video includes discussions of violence and sounds of gunfire. Each year, the New York Police Department responds to approximately 200,000 mental health crisis calls. When police are the first responders, it can lead to trauma, ineffective care, and sometimes deadly consequences. Over the past 5 years, 20 people have been killed by the NYPD during these encounters, with 17 of them being Black or Brown individuals. We are organizing and collaborating with directly impacted communities and their supporters for policy and legal strategies leading to a more appropriate, comprehensive, and community-based response system. Join NYLPI in advocating for safer, more effective crisis response solutions. For more information please visit: www.nylpi.org