Legal Aid Society

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LAS Blasts de Blasio Administration for Unsanitary Courthouse Dodge

Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, called out the denials of responsibility issued by Mayor Bill de Blasio in response to the release of stomach-churning photos depicting the ‘historically unsanitary’ conditions of New York City courthouses, buildings managed by City agencies under his watch.

“I’m not shocked that this mayor doesn’t understand after eight years his agency’s responsibilities. He’s often turned a blind eye to what’s happening in the criminal court,” Luongo told the New York Daily News.

“Our clients are humans,” Luongo continued. “They are often detained for hours upon hours upon hours. They are members of our community. I can’t imagine that they can’t figure out between four, large, exceedingly well-funded city agencies how to work together to move people in order to open up a cell, clean it, make repairs, and make it habitable.”