Category: Community Partnerships

Next Shop Talk: September 24 @ Wrights Barber Shop

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1662905834934{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #c0eefd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Click here to Download & Share the Event Flyer

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1662905190885{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Don’t Miss Our Next Shop Talk Event: Pardon Us [God Did]

WHEN: Saturday, September 24 from 1 to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Wright’s Barber Shop, 1901 72nd Avenue

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1662905190885{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Join us at Wright’s Barbershop for FREE community resources, support and information to help you navigate our criminal justice system:
  • Adult & Juvenile Criminal Record Expungements
  • Pardon application support for Marijuana Convictions
  • Information on the School-to-Prison Pipeline
  • And more! 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1662905834934{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #c0eefd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Click here to Download & Share the Event Flyer

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

September 3: Community Health & Wellness Event

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1661367527121{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #000000 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1661368168522{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;background-color: #daedb6 !important;border-left-color: #f74077 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #f74077 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #f74077 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #f74077 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1661368255795{background-color: #daedb6 !important;}”]

We’re joining our community partners on September 3 for a FREE community event in Malcolm X Park!

WHEN: Saturday, September 3  |  12:00pm to 4:00pm

WHERE: Malcolm X Park, 52nd and Parkside

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1661368108898{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Defender attorneys will be providing FREE expungement information* to attendees. ALSO: 

  • Food, Games and Family-Friendly Activities;
  • Backpack Giveaway; and 
  • FREE Healthcare Screenings

Click here to download the flyer

*Pre-registration for expungements is recommended but not required. You can pre-register here[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

August 13: Expungement Event

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/-PkYUt6qk3g” align=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1660235391348{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1660235845292{margin-right: 5px !important;margin-left: 5px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1660235672700{padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]

On Saturday, August 13, we’re teaming up with the Elevation Project for a
“Celebration of Second Chances!”

Join us from 2 to 6 p.m. at    Haverford Avenue to receive criminal record expungement info from Defender Attorneys. Plus, check out the food trucks, giveaways and other community resources! 

Pre-Registration is encouraged, but not required. Click here to pre-register for this event.

Click the image below to download the event flyer

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Expungement Event: July 31

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336562186{margin-bottom: 25px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”80637″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]

The Defender is partnering with Cannabis Noire to provide FREE expungements and information as part of the “Summer of Social Justice” series! 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336573495{margin-bottom: 25px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #c0eefd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

WHEN: Saturday, July 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: One Art Community Center, 1431 N. 52nd Street

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336663458{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

All are welcome to join us for FREE criminal record expungements, educational workshops about how our justice system works, and MORE! 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Expungement Event: July 23

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336562186{margin-bottom: 25px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

The Defender is partnering with Cannabis Noire to provide FREE expungements and information as part of the “Summer of Social Justice” series! 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336573495{margin-bottom: 25px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #c0eefd !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

WHEN: Saturday, July 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Discovery Center in Fairmount Park – 3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1658336663458{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

All are welcome to join us for FREE criminal record expungements, educational workshops about how our justice system works, and MORE! 

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Chief Defender Celebrates Budget Increase with City Council Members

Posted on by 2010admin

PHILADELPHIA–Chief Defender Keisha Hudson was joined today by Councilmembers Kenyatta Johnson (Second District) and Maria Quiñones-Sanchez (Seventh District) for a press conference to celebrate the Defender Association’s $5.8 million budget increase in the new City of Philadelphia’s Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget, which started July 1. All of the funds from the budget increase will be used to raise salaries for Defender attorneys and non-attorney staff. 

“We want to take this opportunity to thank City Council, particularly Councilmembers Johnson and Quiñones-Sanchez, for making this increase a reality,” said Hudson.

Hudson credited Councilmember Johnson for helping to secure much-needed City Council support for the increase. “At a time when we weren’t sure exactly how much City Council support we had for our budget increase,” she said, “It was Councilmember Johnson who took the lead in writing a support letter to the Mayor that was signed by 12 other members of City Council.”

Councilmember Johnson said his efforts to help secure the $5.8 million increase in funding were necessary to “guarantee a defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel in order to increase the fairness and likelihood of justice ultimately being reached in a criminal justice system.”

 “Our public defenders experienced unprecedented challenges throughout the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Johnson continued, “They have acted as first responders and continued to advocate for their defendants while putting their own lives at risk, never resting in the defense of their clients.” 

Hudson also thanked Quiñones-Sanchez for her public statements in support of increased funding for the Defender Association, saying, “Councilmember Quiñones-Sanchez was one of the leaders who publicly called for us to receive more funding at a time when advocating for defendants isn’t the most popular stance to take. But she and others understand that an unbalanced justice system is not only unfair, but ineffective at bringing meaningful public safety to our city.”

Lauren Farrell is Deputy Director for Region 9 of the United Auto Workers, the union who represents attorneys at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Farrell heralded the budget increase as a positive development as the Defender Association negotiates the first collective bargaining agreement with its attorneys. 

“Attorneys in the Philadelphia Public Defender’s office formed their union with the UAW to make positive changes in the office in order to better serve their clients,” she said, “The increase to the budget allows them to achieve a fair, equitable contract with living wages that will promote longevity within the office, and ultimately aid in the quality of representation for the indigent of our city. “

Legal Clerk Dharuba Cherry, who has been with the Defender Association since 1990, said the increase represents an acknowledgement of the important work done by attorneys and non-attorneys alike. 

“With or without a raise, I would still be a Defender for life,” Cherry said, “But knowing that our work is appreciated by our city leaders makes me even more proud and committed to the Defender Association.”

All of the participants in today’s press conference agreed that, while the budget increase is something to celebrate, more state funding is needed to ensure that public defenders across the Commonwealth have adequate resources.

“Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that provides zero state funding for indigent defense and that forces local governments to pick up the tab,” said Johnson, “Every year, our city operating budget should reflect important values and fight for those most in need.”

# # #

Keisha Hudson on Reversal of Roe v. Wade

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Chief Defender Keisha Hudson on the Defender’s commitment to representing and supporting Philly’s most vulnerable citizens in a post-Roe vs. Wade America.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1656447344175{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtube.com/shorts/YfFv4NUFZXs?feature=share”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1656447363951{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]“No matter where you stand on abortion, there’s no denying that millions of people lost a constitutional right we have had for decades.

“Last week’s ruling will have the greatest impact on poor women, trans and non-binary people of color—the very same communities where most of our clients are from.

This ruling will also impact our justice system. As public defenders, we will be the ones defending many of those held on criminal charges for having, or even seeking, an abortion.

“But this only strengthens our resolve to make sure that our clients continue to get the best legal representation, as well as access to whatever supportive services they need, including healthcare.

“We will continue to partner with community organizations that serve the most vulnerable, and work closely with elected leaders who are committed to fighting for economic and social justice for ALL citizens.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1656447528429{background-color: #ffffcc !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

MORE: HEALTHCARE/REPRODUCTIVE CARE RESOURCES AND INFO

City of Philadelphia: Protecting access to abortion services

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Keisha Hudson on the Defender’s 2023 Budget Increase

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

City Council passed 2023 budget, which includes an additional $5.8 million for the Defender Association

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]PHILADELPHIA–“On behalf of the attorneys, staff and board of Defender Association of Philadelphia, I am extremely thrilled and grateful to City Council for voting on a budget that includes a $5.8 million increase to Philly’s public defenders. 

“Pay equity for our attorneys and non-attorney staff has been my priority since becoming Chief Defender. Looking at the criminal justice landscape during a time of crisis, it is imperative that the Defender is able to recruit and retain the lawyers, social workers and admin staff that keep our system moving. It is extremely gratifying to know that our calls for pay equity with other city agencies were heard by City Council. 

“I want to thank councilmembers Kenyatta Johnson and Maria Quiñones Sanchez for being the primary champions of our campaign to secure the additional funding, as well as the rest of City Council for their support. We also need to thank the dozens of community allies, activists, and family members of clients who lifted up our message on social media, testified, or called City Hall to advocate for more funding for our office. And finally, thanks to every Defender Association employee for sharing their stories and pictures, believing in and supporting our #FundPhillyDefenders campaign from the very beginning. 

“Even without the additional funding, the Defender Association would have continued on our mission to provide high-quality legal representation to our clients, and work with Philly’s community leaders to make a fairer, more efficient justice system. But this budget increase will help us to hold on to our experienced team members and attract the best new talent to our organization. We are optimistic about the future of public defense in Philadelphia.”

# # #

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Community Orgs Support Philly Defenders!

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1652975993363{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #eeeeee !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Once again, whether it’s time to get the best outcomes for our clients or show support for our attorneys and staff, our community partners always come through! A HUGE “thank you” to the 29 community organizations who signed a letter to the Mayor calling for increased funding for the Defender Association. 

Read the full letter below, or download it here[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1652976037117{margin-top: 30px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Dear Mayor Kenney,

We write today on behalf of the City of Philadelphia to urge you to support the Defender Association of Philadelphia’s request for an additional $5.8 million more than proposed by the Mayor’s budget. Our community counts on our Public Defenders to provide high-quality legal services to our family, friends, and neighbors when they are facing charges. We have seen that when the weight of the system is against you, a good defense can make all the difference, and that everyone deserves a high-quality defense when their freedom and reputation is at stake. And in the poorest big city in America, we need to know that the City understands the value of public defense and can ensure that the Defender will be there when we need them.

With so many other budget priorities, it is easy to overlook our public defenders. But we believe in the long run that is a mistake. As interested members of the community, we see a well-resourced Defender office as a long-term investment in public safety. The Defender needs to be adequately funded so it can recruit and retain a diverse and talented pool of attorneys, hire the best experts and investigate cases properly so that the justice system gets things right the first time. This is the only way people in the community will trust the system and its outcomes and not feel like it is an assembly line in the courthouse.

More importantly, the Defenders need the resources to connect people with the social supports they need to succeed so that our jails can be used as a last resort and so those who do return to the community can do so safely. They also need resources to represent their young clients, children involved in either abuse or neglect or delinquency proceedings, and make sure our young people have a chance to follow their ambitions and receive the support they need in their home communities.

We also count on the Defender to continue to give high-quality representation for people seeking early termination from probation, early release from dangerous conditions in our county jail, and appropriate diversionary opportunities so young people can avoid the lifetime impact of a criminal conviction.

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the public defender’s office has the resources it needs to do the job well which is why we are writing to let you know we support the Defender’s request for an additional $5.8 million. We know they have been working to develop meaningful connections in neighborhoods throughout the city, to build trust with clients and their families, and to empower communities to be involved in improving client case outcomes. And we stand with them in their request that the City fund the Philadelphia Defenders.

In Solidarity,[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1652975682626{margin-top: 20px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Abolitionist Law Center

Amistad Law Project

Best Outcomes Participatory Defense Hub

Chosen 300

Coalition for Parole Justice

Dignity and Power Now

Frontline Dads Inc.

Germantown Participatory Defense Hub

Human Rights Coalition

IDAAY, Inc[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Kings Saving Kings & Queens Inc

Mothers In Charge

New Leash on Life USA

North Philly Participatory Defense Hub

PENNfranchise Project

People’s Paper Co-op

Philadelphia Bail Fund

Philadelphia Community Bail Fund

Philadelphia Reentry Think Tank

POWER Live Free[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Sankofa Healing Studio

South Philly Participatory Defense

The Decarceration Team of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

The Village of Arts & Humanities

Unincarcerated Minds

West Philly Participatory Defense Hub

Why Not Prosper, Inc.

X-Offenders for Community Empowerment

Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Letter: City Council Support for Budget Increase

Posted on by 2010admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Thanks to City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson for putting together this letter in support of the Defender’s request for a $5.8 million budget increase. Also thanks to the 12 additional Councilmembers who signed the letter: 

  • Jamie Gauthier (3rd District)
  • Maria Quinones-Sanchez (7th District)
  • Isaiah Thomas (At Large)
  • Curtis Jones, Jr. (4th District)
  • Mark Squilla (1st District)
  • Helen Gym (At Large)
  • Cindy Bass (8th District)
  • Cherrelle Parker (9th District)
  • Derek Greene (At Large)
  • Allan Domb (At Large)
  • Kendra Brooks (At Large)
  • Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At Large)

Read the full text of the letter below, or download it here[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1651849253008{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Full text of the letter from City Council:

Mayor James F. Kenney 
City of Philadelphia

Re: The Defender Association of Philadelphia FY23 budget increase

Dear Mayor Kenney,

We believe that the FY23 budget should include a $5.8 million increase for the Defender Association of Philadelphia. The Sixth Amendment guarantees a defendant’s right to effective assistance of counsel in order to increase the fairness and likelihood of justice ultimately being reached in a criminal justice system. Our public defenders experienced unprecedented challenges throughout the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have acted as first responders and continued to advocate for their defendants while putting their own lives at risk, never resting in the defense of their clients.

The Defender Association is asking for a $5.8 million budget increase that would allow the ability to pay their non-legal staff a living wage and would allow them to attract and retain well qualified attorneys. $3.8 million would be allocated for salary increases for the non-attorney and administrative staff. Currently 45% of the non-legal staff earn less than $40,000, which leaves many having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. The proposal would allow for a salary increase to a livable wage of $40,000, which is in line with the pay of other comparable cities.  

The remaining $2 million would be allocated for increased pay for attorneys to allow the Defender’s Association to become more competitive with their hiring. Private legal employers aggressively recruit with salary increases and signing bonuses, which increases the difficulty of recruitment. There is also a struggle to competitively recruit applicants from the same pool as the District Attorney’s office is due to the fact that the Defenders Association is only able to offer 89 cents to their dollar. The proposed increases in pay are beneficial retention strategies that would allow for hardworking staff and attorneys to be fairly compensated and would allow the Defender’s Association to continue to hire qualified individuals.

Pennsylvania is the only state that doesn’t provide state funding for public defenders, making the funding we provide vital for many Philadelphians who find themselves enmeshed with the criminal justice system. A lack of resources can lead to an unfair fight and leaves low-income defendants who are represented by overburdened public defenders more likely to be wrongfully convicted or receive longer sentences.

As a city, if we truly believe that Black Lives Matter then we should have a budget that reflects those values and fights for those most in need. We believe that the Defender Association of Philadelphia should receive a $5.8 million increase in their FY23 budget so that they can continue working to protect our citizen’s constitutional rights.

 

Yours sincerely,[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1651849243274{margin-top: 20px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District)

Jamie Gauthier (3rd District)

Maria Quinones-Sanchez (7th District)

Isaiah Thomas (At Large)

Curtis Jones, Jr. (4th District)

Mark Squilla (1st District)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Helen Gym (At Large)

Cindy Bass (8th District)

Cherrelle Parker (9th District)

Derek Greene (At Large)

Allan Domb (At Large)

Kendra Brooks (At Large)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Follow us: @PhillyDefenders