Hundreds of New Yorkers received a second chance by getting summonses and warrants dismissed during a two-day effort called Project Safe Surrender, a community program involving The Legal Aid Society, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, the New York State Office of Court Administration and a number of churches in Bedford Stuyvesant.

Legal Aid’s Community Justice Unit was established as part of the New York City Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence. Today, the Community Justice Unit staff work on the ground in neighborhoods across the city, helping individuals obtain their rap sheets and seal their criminal records, offering legal advice, assisting New Yorkers with housing issues, and sharing Know Your Rights information, and also run a 24/7 hotline for legal emergencies.