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Researching Civil Rights ...

Stop and Frisk Rights Violations Continue
A report from the Center for Constitutional Rights finds that the New York Police Department has committed over 100,000 unconstitutional stops. The report which follows up on data from 2004-2009 shows that unconstitutional stop and frisks have continued through the first half of this year. (December 13, 2012)

Human rights violations in response to Occupy Wall Street
A report by The Protest and Assembly Rights Project has found a number of human rights violations conducted by law enforcement in across the country in response to Occupy Wall Street protests. Chapter six of the report focuses exclusivley on the eviction of protesters from Zuccotti Park (July 26, 2012)

Racial Disparities in City School Arrests
Police arrested over five students each day in city public schools from October through December, according to police department data released today by the New York Civil Liberties Union. About 94 percent of students arrested were black or Latino; 75 percent were male. Black students comprise only 29 percent of the student population in city schools, but 60 percent of those arrested were black. (February 23, 2012)

Ballot Design Deficiencies and Lost Votes
In 2010, tens of thousands of votes in New York state did not count due to overvotes — the invalid selection of more than one candidate. This report by the Brennan Center for Justice demonstrates how the lack of adequate overvote protections disproportionately affected the state's poorest communities, suggests commonsense reforms, and examines national implications. (December 8, 2011)

Who Gets Loans?
The number of conventional refinancing loans granted to homeowners in predominantly white neighborhoods in New York City increased between 2008 and 2009, according to a new report. In communities where 80 percent or more residents are people of color, though, the number of loans fell, according to the study by Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project and six affiliated groups. In Paying More for the American Dream V, the organizations examined the recent home mortgage data for New York City and six other metropolitan areas, and found disparities based on racial composition of neighborhoods. In New York, lenders were 1.6 times as likely to deny loans to those in predominantly white neighborhoods, in 2009. (May 4, 2011)

The Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the constitution, responsible for the establishment of civil liberties.
New York Civil Liberties Union
The NYCLU is a statewide organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of New Yorkers' civil liberties as enumerated in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the State of New York.
Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force
Immigration Equality is a national organization fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive individuals.
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund works to secure, promote and protect the civil and human rights of the Puerto Rican and wider Latino community."
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
The first organization on the east coast to defend and promote the legal rights of Asian Americans through litigation, legal advocacy, community education, leadership development and the position of free legal assistance to low-income and immigrant Asian Americans.