The Legal Aid Society and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys – UAW 2325 called attention to the poor, decrepit conditions afflicting local courthouses just behind the courtroom walls, where defense lawyers meet their clients before an arraignment to talk about the charges against them, as reported by the New York Daily News.

Lawyers say the conditions – replete with moldy chairs, dirt-splattered walls, infestation problems, and air intake vents black with soot – pose a hazard to courthouse occupants as the Delta COVID-19 variant continues to threaten public spaces.

Lisa Ohta, the president of The Legal Aid Society’s lawyers’ union called the conditions “historically unsanitary” and lamented the lack of public information about what is being done to address the situation.

“These deplorable conditions are nothing new,” remarked Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of Legal Aid’s Criminal Defense Practice. “The city has wholly failed in its commitment to keep these areas sanitary, and this failure, in our opinion, is indicative of how administration after administration views our hard-working staff and the New Yorkers that we represent.”