The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, Queens Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and the National Lawyers Guild – NYC Chapter sent a letter today to the five NYC District Attorneys demanding that they dismiss and decline to prosecute all criminal cases arising from arrests related to or made during the recent protests for racial justice, as well as all criminal cases related to or arising from the enforcement of executive orders during the COVID19 public health crisis, including all such matters that resulted in summonses, desk appearance tickets, and criminal arraignment, reports Gothamist.

“If these cases are still pending, then you’re also putting people at a disadvantage in housing. If they’re looking for new employment, this can have dire consequences. All of these different factors [should] go into dismissing these cases in the interest of justice,” said Jennvine Wong, Staff Attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at The Legal Aid Society.