the defender
DESCRIPTION
Winter Issue 2013TRANSCRIPT
Afrikaandwoulddowhatevertheycouldtosupporther.
Administrators,teachersandguidancecounselorsatKippandatMillenniumHigh
School(whereAfrikahadbeenajunior)alsojoinedinthework.Afrikawasclearlyabrilliantandgift-edyoungwoman.TheChurchpostedbailandprovidednurturingandemotionalsupport.KIPPstaffprovidedextratutor-ing,counselingandassis-tancewithcollegeapplica-tions.
Now,morethantwoyearslater,Afrikahasgraduatedfromhighschoolwithhonors,com-pletedher irstyearof
college(twosemestersonthedean’slist),andplanstobecomeateacher.Hercrimi-nalcasewasresolvedwithapleathatadju-dicatedherayouthfuloffender–thatis,nocriminalhistory–andaconditionaldis-charge.Therewastobenoadditionaljailtime.
Thiscasemayseemunusual:itgrabbedheadlinesandwasbrie lynotorious.Al-sowewereextremelyfortunatetobeabletopartnerwithpowerfulcommunityor-ganizationssuchastheAbyssinianBaptistChurchandtheKIPPnetwork.
ButfundamentallythiscaseistypicaloftheworkNDSdoeseveryday.Welookatthewholepersonaccused(notsimplytheaccusation)to indstrengthsandalsoworkwiththebroadercommunity.Itisagoodexampleofwhatacommunity-basedpub-licdefenderof icecando,andwhyNDSisamodelnationallyforcriminaldefense.
VictoryforAfrika
Th i s I s sue:
Victory for Afrika 1
“I LOVE NY” 2
Your SUPPORT 3
Out & About with NDS
3
A Message from the Director: Victory for Africa
4
The Defender A Newsletter of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
W i n t e r 2 0 1 3 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 2
InFebruary2011,KarenOwescametotheNDSof iceandaskedforhelp.Herdaughter,17year-oldAfrika,hadbeenarrestedearlythatmorningbytheNYPDandbroughtinto100CentreStreet,SupremeCourtforanarraignmentonanindictment.Afrikaandthirteenotheryoungadultswerechargedwithconspira-cytodistributegunsanddrugs.TheleaddefendantwasallegedlyAfrika’sboy-friend.
NDSdidwhatwealwaysdo:ourintaketeamdidapreliminaryinterviewwiththemotherandwecheckedtomakesuretherewerenocon licts.ThecrimesallegeddatedbacktowhenAfrikawas15years-old.TheNDSYouthLawTeampickedupthecase.Thechargeswereserious.Ifcon-victed,shecouldservedecadesinprison.AttheinitialcourtappearanceJudgeMcLaughlinsetbailat$50,000bondor$25,000cash.
Theprosecutionhadbeengatheringevi-denceformorethanayear,andsointhatre-spect,theywerewayahead.However,wehadanimportantadvantage:partnershipwithpowerfulcommunityinstitutions–theAbyssinianBaptistChurchandtheKIPPChar-terSchoolnetwork.
Fromearlychildhood,AfrikahadbeenanactiveparticipantandmemberoftheAbyssin-ianBaptistChurch.SeniorNDSTrialAttorneyElsieChandler,Afrika’slawyer,spokewithRev.CalvinButtsandRev.EboniMarshallTurman,whoassuredherthattheChurchcommunitywouldnotturnitsbackon
Elsie Chandler and Afrika Owes
P a g e 2
“His cross-
examinations
were
masterful
and at the
level of a
much more
experienced
attorney.”
-Archana
Prakash
Elbert Aull IV and Mr. Abdurraheem
I NY: NDS Shines in the Courtroom NDSFellowElbertAullIVwasassignedthecaseofMr.Abdurraheemonhisvery irstday.LittledidElbertknow,thiswouldnotonlybehisvery irstcase,buthis irstsigni i-cantvictoryaswell.
Mr.AbdurraheemwasaUSAirForceveteranandapart-timestreetvendorinNewYorkCity.Inadditiontohispart-timeworkasastreetvendor,healsoworkedinrealestateandwaslookingtoworkintheinsuranceield.Mr.Abdurraheemwasarrestedinthesummerof2012forselling,whataNYCof-iceridenti iedascounterfeit“ILOVENY”t-shirts.Hewaschargedwithtrademarkcoun-terfeitinginthe3rddegree,whichwasamis-demeanor.HewasofferedapleabargainbytheADA,however,Elbertknewthatshouldhetaketheoffer,Mr.Abdurraheemwouldsufferthecollateralconsequencesofnotbe-ingabletocontinuehisrealestateorinsur-
ancework,sincebothofthose ieldsrequirestatelicensing.Themisdemean-orchargewouldhavedeemedhimineligibleforthelicenses.Elbertadvisedhisclientontheserisksandbasedonthatinfor-mation,theydecidedtotakethecasetotrial.
Elbertwenttowork.Hebegantoresearchthehis-
toryofthe“ILOVENY”logoandthecompli-catedrelationshipbetweenwholesalers,ven-dorsandthestateofNewYork.HealsosoughtoutadvicefromSeanBasinskiwhorunstheStreetVendorProject,amembership-basedprojectwhichworkstoeducatetheNYvendorcommunityabouttheirlegalrightsandresponsibilities.Afterexhaustiveresearchexploringtheissues,ElbertfoundoutthatlawenforcementpersonnelinNew
YorkCityarethoroughlytrainedtorecognizecounterfeit“ILOVENY”merchandise,howev-erthesametrainingsandinformationses-sionsarenotavailabletovendorsorthegen-eralpublic.Healsofoundoutthatnostepsarecurrentlybeingtakentostopthewhole-salersfromcontinuingtoproducethefakemerchandiseortoeducatevendorsonhowtorecognizethecounterfeitmerchandise.Withthisinformationinhand,Elbertwasready.
ThecasewastakentoabenchtrialandElbertarguedthathisclientdidnotknowthatthet-shirtswerecounterfeitandthatbecausetheinformationonhowtorecognizecounterfeitmerchandisewasmadeavailableonlytolawenforcementandnotthevendorcommunity,therewerenoavenuesforhisclienttoobtainthenecessaryinformation.Healsoarguedthattheguiltypartyinthisequationwasinfactthewholesalerswhocontinuetomakeandsellcounterfeitgoodstovendors.Notonlydidhedevelopastrongargumentonbehalfofhisclient,Elbertdelivereditdynam-ically.“Hiscross-examinationsweremaster-fulandatthelevelofamuchmoreexperi-encedattorney”saidNDSSupervisingAttor-ney,ArchanaPrakash.
ToElbertandMr.Abdurraheem’srelief,thejudgeruledinfavorofMr.Aburraheemandfoundhimnotguiltyonthechargeoftrade-markcounterfeitinginthe3rddegree.NotonlywasMr.Abdurraheemclearedofthechargesagainsthim,healsowasnotsaddledwiththeadditionalpunishmentofacriminalrecordwhichwouldhavehaddevastatingeffectsonhisemploymentopportunities.Thisvictorywastheresultofhardwork,prepara-tionanddedication.Byproperlyadvisinghisclientandhisclientsrefusaltosubmittoaplea,ElbertAullIVwasabletosecurejusticeforhisclientandremindusoftheinvaluablerightofacitizentocounsel.
T h e D e f e n d e r
P a g e 3 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 2
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VictoryforAfricaIamrecentlybackfromaweekontheAfricancontinent.My irsttimebeingthere.TheUnitedNationsandtheNationalAssociationofCriminalDefenseLawyers(NACDL)co-sponsoredanexpertgroupmeetingentitled:PromotingtheRuleofLawandGovernanceintheCriminalJusticeSysteminLiberia.TheundertakingallowedmetomeetwithUNof icials,toppublicdefendersfromTelAvivandJerusalemaswellasdignitariesfromtheLiberiangovernmentandjudiciary.Mostimportantly,however,itaffordedmetheopportunitytospendfourdayswiththe24publicdefenderspracticingthroughoutthecoun-tryofLiberia.Itwasthe irsttimetheyhadallbeentogetherinoneplace.I
gottoseetheirof ices,thecourthouseandtheMonroviaPrison(unlikeanyplaceIhaveeverbeen).Mostsigni icantly,Iwasabletospendtwoandhalfdaysworkingwiththemoncriminaldefenseissues–every-thingfromhowtodealwithpoliceintheprecinctafteranarrest(aterriblyimportantpointintheirpro-cessinlightofthefactthatover90%ofprisoninmatesarepre-trialdetainees,manyofwhomhavebeenincarceratedforyearswaitingtoseeajudge)topreservingtherecordforappeal(Ilearnedthat“preservationoftherecord”inLiberialiterallymeansgatheringupallthepapersassociatedwiththecaseandstoringthemsafelysomewheresothattheyarenotlostordestroyedaftertrial).
Onthe inaldayoftheconveningIhadtheopportunitytoprovideclosingremarkstotheentiredelega-tion.Itoldthe24publicdefendersthattheywere“freedom ighters”andthatIwouldgobacktotheU.S.betterforhavingspenttimewiththem.HavingnowhadsometimeawayfrommyLiberianexperienceanduponre lection,itiscleartomethatoursessionsinMonroviawerethebeginningsofinstillingtherewhatNDSpioneeredinHarlem23yearsago–arelentlesscommitmenttoexcellence.Thepublicdefend-ersinLiberiaarestrivingtodowhatthemenandwomenofNDSarecommittedtoeachandeveryday:MakingJusticeARealityForThoseFarthestFromItsReach.
AsAfrikaOwesandourcommunitypartnersatAbyssinianBaptistChurchwouldsay,“GodblessthepublicdefendersinLiberiaandthankGodfortheNeighborhoodDefenderServiceofHarlem.”
Amentothat.
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Board of Trustees
Rowan Wilson, Chair Jonathan Abady B. Seth Bryant LaShann DeArcy Miriam Gohara Eric Lane Pamela Lipp-Hendricks Matthew L. Mazur Melody Rollins Downes David Sanford Gerald L. Shargel Elinor R. Tatum
Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem Making Justice A Reality For Those Farthest From Its Reach
A Message from the Executive Director