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Louisiana Weekly: OPD Staffers Win NAACP Legal Defense Fund Scholarship
From Ryan Whirty of The Louisiana Weekly:
Two staffers in the Orleans Parish Public Defender’s Office have received awards from the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund to help the pair of aspiring attorneys attain their goal of tackling issues of racial fairness and social justice.
Statement on 8th District Task Force Investigation Findings
NOPD clears French Quarter officers probed over station house video and street stops.
OPD's full statement on the report's findings:
The findings in the investigation of the 8th District Task Force are disappointing and should be concerning to all New Orleanians. The body cam footage presented by OPD attorney Diana Yu was just that, an unaltered copy of NOPD's own recording. There was no false testimony as the report claimed. Simply evidence of unconstitutional behavior, to which the Court agreed.
It is the job of the public defenders to protect innocence, fight for the rights of our clients, and hold power accountable. We witness the aggressive, discriminatory and racially disproportionate interactions between communities of color and law enforcement, and the harm caused by over-policing. There are no personal or financial gains to be made by our work. We stand between abuses of that power and the rights of our clients and community. With these findings, NOPD has disregarded the concern and call for accountability by the community, the truth determined by the Courts, and demonstrated a grave lack of understanding of the court process.
Read the full Times Picayune | nola.com article here.
Statement on Dismissal of 400,000 Municipal and Traffic Court Cases
The New Orleans City Attorney recently dismissed almost 400,000 cases in Municipal and Traffic Court. We have worked tirelessly for many years for a solution to the hundreds of thousands of open cases and outstanding attachments because we see the devastating collateral effects to our clients and community. This concern was the impetus for our Muni at the Mission project in 2016.
OPD's full statement on this extraordinary step forward:
The elimination of almost 400,000 cases in Municipal and Traffic Court is an incredible feat worth celebrating. This is the result of many years of partnership and persistent advocacy between OPD and community partners, including Stand with Dignity, who led this fight. We are thrilled for the relief this brings to so many New Orleanians and applaud these initial steps by the City and Courts. Today is truly a new day.
While this is a critical first step, we agree with Mayor Cantrell that there is much work still to be done. Thousands of cases and attachments still remain. Too many still face significant barriers because of this ongoing backlog. We remain committed to work with the Courts, Clerk, City Attorney, and community to ensure this progress continues.
OPD FY22 Budget Public Notice
The Orleans Public Defenders will hold a public hearing on the FY 2022 proposed budget.
June 14, 2021 at 12:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 383 211 9495
Password: 1234
The proposed budget will be available for public inspection on June 14-15, 2021.
OPD Statement on Adult Prosecution of Juveniles
May 25, 2021
District Attorney Jason Williams’ recent decision to prosecute two fifteen year-old boys as adults is contrary to all science regarding adolescent development and public safety. During his campaign, Mr. Williams specifically committed to hold children accountable in ways that are developmentally appropriate and to never prosecute children in adult court and never incarcerate them in adult jails or prisons.
Two OPD Staff Named Inaugural LDF Marshall-Motley Scholars
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2021
ORLEANS PUBLIC DEFENDERS’ VICTOR OLOFIN AND MARKUS RENEAU CHOSEN AS INAUGURAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND MARSHALL-MOTLEY SCHOLARS
Groundbreaking Program Provides Full Scholarship and Support for the Next Generation of Civil Rights Lawyers; Olofin and Reneau are 2 of the 10 Cohort Across the South
This week, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) announced its inaugural Marshall- Motley Scholars Program recipients. Among the 10-person cohort are OPD Reentry Paralegal Victor Olofin and Staff Investigator Markus Reneau. The groundbreaking program seeks to shape and support the next generation of civil rights lawyers working in service of Black communities in the South. Scholars will receive a full law school scholarship, internships with national and regional civil rights organizations, and a postgraduate fellowship focused on addressing racial justice.
