On March 16, Chris Kwok testified on behalf of AABANY before the City Council Committee on Public Safety in support of two changes to the NYPD Asian Hate Crimes Task Force: to fully fund the Task Force and to replace its volunteer staff with paid personnel. An AABANY Board Director and Chair of the Issues Committee, Chris shared that AABANY was the first to publicly voice these recommendations in its report on anti-Asian violence. The report recounts numerous instances of assault and harassment against Asian Americans in New York over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Chris highlighted the persistence of such racially fueled attacks to this day. Chris also noted that media outlets, community leaders, and politicians have since backed AABANY’s proposals to fully fund and formally staff the Task Force. Among these supporters, Chris identified the inspector of the Task Force itself, New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, and all of the District 1 City Council candidates. District 1 covers Manhattan’s Chinatown among other neighborhoods and sites. In the face of unrelenting anti-Asian violence throughout the state, the statement concluded with Chris’s call for a fully funded and full-time task force to foster trust within the Asian American community and to encourage the continued reporting of anti-Asian hate crimes. To read Chris’s written statement, submitted with his testimony, click here. AABANY gratefully acknowledges Student Leader Taiyee Chien for his assistance in drafting the statement.
From MinKwon: Immigrants’ Day of Action
Immigrants’ Day of Action
Join MinKwon and New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform to raise the voice of immigrants in New York City!
Date & Time: April 10, 12 p.m.
Place: Foley Square
On April 10th, we will stand united to call on lawmakers to enact policies that advance immigrant rights and services! We will start off the day with the New York Immigration Coalition and participate in legislative meetings with City Council Members to push City legislative and budget priorities. Then we will join New Yorkers for Real Immigration Reform for a rally at Foley Square to demand Congress pass federal legislation to fix our broken immigration system. Join us to call for a just and fair America for all!
Mark your calendars! RSVP with Jorim Rhee at [email protected] or 718-460-5600.
Press Release: NYC Council Unity Map Released
From our friends at AALDEF:
Civil Rights Groups Announce Unity Map for NYC Council Redistricting and 9/4 Press Conference
Thursday, Aug 30, 2012
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), LatinoJustice PRLDEF, National Institute for Latino Policy (NILP), and the Center for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ) of Medgar Evers College have released the NYC Council Unity Map, a joint proposal for new City Council districts that reflects New York City’s changing demographics and protects the voting rights of Blacks, Latinos, and Asian Americans.
AALDEF, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, NILP, and CLSJ will hold a joint press conference on the Unity Map on Tuesday, September 4 at 12 noon on the steps of City Hall. Please RSVP to [email protected] or 212.966.5932 ex.217.
To read more and see the maps, go to http://bit.ly/unitymaps.
Press Release: Congratulations to Linda S. Lin on Nomination to City Council Districting Commission
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2012
Contact: Yang Chen – (718) 228-7206
ASIAN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK APPLAUDS
CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENT OF LINDA S. LIN TO DISTRICTING COMMISSION
NEW YORK – May 4, 2012 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) welcomes the news that City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Minority Leader James Oddo announced eight appointments to the Districting Commission on May 3. The Districting Commission meets once every ten years following the decennial census. Based upon changes in the population of the City, Council district lines are redrawn to accommodate shifts in population within the City.
“I am pleased to announce the Democratic Caucus appointments to the Districting Commission,” said Speaker Quinn. “These five individuals together with the appointees of Mayor Bloomberg and the Council’s Minority Caucus will take on the important task of redrawing our electoral districts fairly. I want to thank them for their leadership, for the challenging work they will do, and for their service to our City. ”
Among the Council appointments is:
Linda S. Lin
Ms. Lin is a senior attorney with Liberty International Underwriters and a former Associate of the law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Ms. Lin is the Immediate Past President of the Asian American Bar Association of New York. She is the former law clerk for U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and Binghamton University. She resides in Forest Hills, Queens.
“AABANY is pleased that the City Council has appointed our Immediate Past President Linda Lin to this important position,” said AABANY President Jean Lee. “Linda has been following the redistricting issue closely and is well-informed about the impact that properly drawn district lines will have on the civic engagement of under-represented populations, including the Asian American community. With the explosive growth of the Asian American population in New York City over the past decade, we hope that the City Council Districting Commission will draw lines taking into account this significant demographic shift. We applaud the City Council on its appointment of Linda Lin. We believe she will prove to be an asset to the City Council Districting Commission.”
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (718) 228-7206, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].
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).
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Additional information about AABANY is available at www.aabany.org
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ACCORD: Press Release and Fact Sheet on City Council Redistricting
On the morning of Tuesday, March 20, AABANY joined ACCORD for a press conference on the steps of City Hall to urge the City Council to advance diversity and representation of communities of color in the City Council redistricting process. To read the press release go here. To read a Fact Sheet about City Council Redistricting go here.