NYPD Policy Questionnaire from MBBA

The NYPD wants your input on an important NYPD policy before it is finalized: their body camera policy.

The NYPD will equip 1,000 officers in 20 precincts with body-worn cameras.  In partnership with the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, the Department is seeking input into the policy that will govern the use of the cameras from the people who live, work or go to school in New York City through an online questionnaire.

The questionnaire may be completed in minutes and is mobile-friendly. The questionnaire may be found at  www.nypdbodycameras.org. There you will also find the Department’s proposed policy in full and in summary form. The questionnaire is designed to get feedback on the core policy issues the Department must address and it also provides an opportunity for the participant to provide narrative comments.

The site will remain open until July 31, 2016.  NYU will collect the responses and comments and provide a report to the NYPD for the Department’s consideration in drafting the final policy.

Please give your input, and please share this blog post with other members of your organization or community. 

Thanks to MBBA for sharing this important questionnaire with us.

Press Release: Asian American Bar Association of New York’s Free Legal Clinics Now Moved to Asian Americans for Equality in Chinatown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2016
Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director (212) 332-2478

Asian American Bar Association of New York’s Free Legal Clinics Now Moved to Asian Americans for Equality in Chinatown

NEW YORK – July 21, 2016 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is proud to announce that it is continuing its pro bono legal clinic in partnership with Asian Americans for Equality (“AAFE”) at 111 Division Street. Launched in December 2015, AABANY’s legal clinics have served members of the Chinatown community free of charge on a variety of legal issues, including housing and immigration.

The pro bono legal clinic takes place on the second Wednesday of every month from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Appointments are currently walk-in only at AAFE’s 111 Division Street location. Those seeking legal assistance should bring all documents pertaining to their legal issues. The next pro bono legal clinic takes place on August 10, 2016.

“AAFE has a four decade history of serving the Asian American community and enriching the lives of those in need. AABANY’s pro bono clinic is relatively new, and we look forward to a productive relationship with AAFE serving the community by providing access to free legal services,” states Yang Chen, Executive Director of AABANY. “We also thank the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association for previously hosting this monthly clinic.”

AAFE’s Director of Programs, Flora Ferng, says, “AAFE is excited about this new partnership with AABANY because it will allow us to continue to serve the communities and its residents in a meaningful way.”

For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332- 2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

A translation of this press release in Traditional Chinese can be found here. A translation of this press release in Simplified Chinese can be found here.


The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Asian Americans and all of those who are in need. Founded in 1974 to advocate for equal rights, AAFE has transformed in the past four decades to become one of New York’s preeminent housing, social service and community development organizations. AAFE is committed to preserving affordable housing throughout New York and to providing new opportunities for the city’s diverse immigrant communities. Its research, advocacy and grassroots organizing initiatives help to shape government policy and to effect positive change. At its heart, AAFE embodies the hopes and dreams of New York’s many vibrant immigrant communities, and helps turn those dreams into reality.


Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org 
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EFiling – N.Y. State Courts

EFiling – N.Y. State Courts

Metropolitan Black Bar Association and National Pan-Hellenic Council of Greater New York (NPHC-NYC) “No Doubt” March for Justice

From MBBA:

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

March Begins at 5:00pm

Foley Square to Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016, the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Greater New York (NPHC-NYC) and Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA) will host a peaceful march from lower Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn seeking justice against police brutality against Black people.  The “No Doubt” March for Justice will begin at 5:00 pm in Foley Square and end at 9:00 pm at Cadman Plaza East in Brooklyn.  (We are asking participants to arrive as early as 4:00 pm.  In the event of any change, we will be sure to disseminate that change as soon as possible.)

The “NO DOUBT March for Justice” is coined as such primarily because our Black men, women and children do not receive the benefit of the DOUBT in police encounters as other people do. The phrase is also apropos in letting our communities, and the larger community, know not to DOUBT us – we are resilient, intelligent and powerful as well and have the ability to use our individual and collective resources to achieve justice for our people.  

NPHC-NYC is the umbrella organization for the historic Black Greek Lettered Organizations in the NYC area and the MBBA is a citywide association of black lawyers. We collectively pray for the country and the world during these turbulent times. In the wake of the recent shootings of Alton Sterling and Philadro Castille, the members of MBBA and NPHC-NYC are galvanized into action. As a result, we call for the ongoing senseless killings of Black men, women and children to end.

We are excited to partner with NPHC-NYC for this march. We appreciate their support, and we all should use this time to collaborate with other local and national organizations to continue striving for justice.

Please direct all inquiries regarding the “NO DOUBT” March for Justice to Lucien Metellus at [email protected]. #BlackLivesMatter, #NoDoubtMarch, #NPHCNYCMarch.

For more information about the MBBA, please contact [email protected]

Woman forced into teen prostitution weds in ceremony led by judge who prosecuted her traffickers: ‘I believed I would never be able to love a man again’

Woman forced into teen prostitution weds in ceremony led by judge who prosecuted her traffickers: ‘I believed I would never be able to love a man again’