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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Anthony Posada, Supervising Attorney of the Community Justice Unit at Legal Aid Society
5:12:45
·
125 sec
Anthony Posada from the Legal Aid Society's Community Justice Unit testifies about the critical importance of restoring $1.5 million in funding for legal services provided to the Crisis Management System (CMS) to prevent and reduce gun violence in underserved communities. He emphasizes that cutting these services undermines the success of community-led public safety efforts and leaves vulnerable populations at greater risk.
- Legal services are integral to gun violence prevention, helping community members navigate issues like evictions, ICE raids, arrests, and warrants.
- The Legal Aid Society's 24/7 hotline has taken over 141 calls this fiscal year, providing crucial support to individuals in crisis.
- Posada urges the committee to restore funding to maintain the effectiveness of the CMS model in reducing gun violence and supporting at-risk communities.
Anthony Posada
5:12:45
Thank you chair Stevens and the committee on children and youth for holding this hearing.
5:12:49
My name is Anthony Posada.
5:12:50
I'm a supervising attorney with the Legal Aid Society's Community Justice Unit And I am here today because the ongoing 1,500,000.0 cut to the critical legal services that we provide to the CMS is threatening the model's success in preventing and reducing gun violence in our most underserved communities.
5:13:08
When our city made a commitment to co produce public safety with community led groups, it also took on our responsibility to ensure that the ecosystem in which those groups operate is sustainable and not piecemeal.
5:13:19
By not restoring our funding, we are abandoning communities that need us the most.
5:13:24
Legal services are an integral component to gun violence prevention because when our community members are facing evictions, ICE raids, arrests, and warrants, they need our immediate support.
5:13:35
Otherwise, they become more vulnerable to violence.
5:13:38
Most of our community members, especially the youth that we serve across the city, do not know what their rights are.
5:13:44
This means that they are more likely to have those rights violated.
5:13:48
Our twenty four seven hour hotline assists community members who are in need and this saves lives.
5:13:53
This fiscal year alone, we have taken over 141 hotline calls.
5:13:58
There is a person in crisis behind every single one of those calls that was able to navigate the criminal legal system with Zella's representation to ensure that their constitutional rights were protected.
5:14:09
While the CMS keeps growing and expanding bringing safety into our communities, our services are being reduced.
5:14:16
This means that this cut is a cut to the communities that need us the most.
5:14:20
We just heard from DYCD testify that our services are critical and vital to CMS but at the same time we did not hear a concrete plan or a commitment to ensure that our funding will be restored.
5:14:31
Restoring our funding is about investing in prevention and education and injustice for the communities that need us the most.
5:14:38
Let us be true to the responsibility that come with investing in community led public safety by not disrupting the model that has proven to reduce gun violence in our communities.
5:14:47
We urge you to help us restore our funding.
5:14:49
Thank you.