Criminal Justice, Education, Urban Environment & Health Among Issues Examined in New York’s Latino Community

WASHINGTON, D.C., March. 18, 2011 — Latinos who have survived racial violence and experts in the New York Latino community will testify at the third hearing held by the American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities on March 25 at New York University Law School. These regional testimonies will be used to foster a discussion about the state of the legal landscape and its impact on Latinos across the country.

WHO:               ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

WHAT:             Regional hearing on the state of Latinos in New York and the United States

Topics include: 

• Puerto Rican community in N.Y. and the greater United States
• Voting rights and redistricting
• Youth in public education/urban school system
• The effect of the urban environment on Latino health and access to health services for bilingual communities
• Latino immigrants and the criminal justice system
• Latinos and their relationship with police and police departments 

Latinos who have been victims of racial violence will present  prepared statements about their experiences beginning at approximately 12:45 p.m. Witnesses will include a Latino/a who has been a victim of police brutality, a Latina/o who has been a victim of domestic violence, a Latino/a who has been a survivor of violence by a civilian and a Latino/a student who has been the survivor of school violence.

WHEN:             March 25
                              9 a.m. — 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:           Lipton Hall
                              New York University Law School
                              D’Agostino Hall
                              108 West Third Street, New York City   

Commission members from across the country will join commission Chair Cesar L. Alvarez and New York commission member Professor Jenny Rivera at this hearing.

This event is free and open to members of the press. For exact schedule, please contact Alexandra Buller at Alexandra.Buller@Americanbar.org.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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