abusive debt collection gets the boot in new york

Governor Paterson Signs Landmark Legislation that Protects Elderly, Disabled, Veteran, and Lower Income New Yorkers From Abusive Debt Collection

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Exempt Income Protection Act, sponsored by Senator Dale M. Volker (Depew) and Assembly woman Helene E. Weinstein (Brooklyn), was signed into law by Governor Paterson on Friday, September 26, 2008. The law will shield elderly, disabled, veteran, and lower income New Yorkers from unlawful practices by debt collectors and goes into effect January 1, 2009.
New Yorkers for Responsible Lending (NYRL), a coalition of 141 non-profit organizations from across the state, lauded Governor Paterson for signing the bill. "NYRL applauds the Governor and the State Legislature for providing vital protections to New Yorkers who rely on subsistence income," said Claudia Wilner, Senior Staff Attorney at the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP).

The new law closes a loophole that has allowed debt collectors and credit card companies to use "restraining notices" to freeze the bank accounts of New Yorkers who receive income that is exempt from debt collection under federal and state law, such as Social Security, veterans benefits, disability, and pension. The law ensures the first $2,500 in an account which contains directly deposited exempt income cannot be restrained.

"This law is a victory for older New Yorkers, veterans, and all low-income consumers who are experiencing difficult times in our sagging economy," said Lois Aronstein, AARP New York State Director. "Governor Paterson, Senator Volker, and Assemblywoman Weinstein are to be commended for their work to help those New Yorkers most in need."

"Advocates throughout the state have been overwhelmed by cases of lower income New Yorkers facing severe problems because their bank accounts have been frozen. We praise the State for passing this critical new law, one of the strongest in the nation," said Kirsten Keefe, Staff Attorney at the Empire Justice Center.

Lawyers who represent individuals when their accounts are frozen -- from agencies such as the Legal Aid Society in Queens, MFY Legal Services, South Brooklyn Legal Services, the Elder Law Clinic at St. John's University School of Law, District Council 37, and Urban Justice Center -- were thrilled with the news. "The law creates a process that strikes a fair balance between the rights of creditors and debtors," said Gina Calabrese, a Professor of Clinical Education and Associate Director of St. John's Elder Law Clinic.

Said Carolyn E. Coffey, a Staff Attorney with MFY Legal Services, "In these tough economic times, it is heartening that New York lawmakers have come together to enact a law that will protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers from unscrupulous debt collectors."

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more behind the scene news from carolyn, a SG friend, who helped make this law happen ... congrats carolyn!

I have been working on legislation for the past year and a half to close a loophole in New York law that enables debt collectors to seize elderly and disabled people's exempt income (i.e., social security, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, veterans' benefits) in their bank accounts. The practice is to freeze a person's bank account and then demand payment, even after the collector is informed that the account contains money that is not subject to collection. If they refuse to release it (which is illegal), the person is forced to go to court and navigate the judicial system on their own, which many people simply cannot do. Because so many people who receive benefits do so electronically through direct deposit, it is very simple for the banks to look into someone account before freezing it and see that the contents are clearly exempt, but they take the position that they have to freeze the account otherwise they will be violating a court order. Of course the banks also get to charge the consumer $125 restraining fee, which they take right out of the account. This is the number one problem we get calls about on our consumer rights project hotline at MFY Legal Services.

So I, along with some other consumer advocates from other organizations, drafted legislation to change New York's law regarding this practice. The new law automatically protects $2500 in a person's account that contains clearly exempt direct deposit (which is more than most of our clients ever have) and protects $1716 in other accounts. It also simplifies the procedure for claiming that all the money in an account above those amounts is exempt from collection and prohibits the banks from charging fees when the restraint is deemed void. It was passed in the assembly last year but died in the senate. So this year we lobbied extensively--among other things, I went out to Long Island and to Albany to meet with legislative aides and explain the bill, and we were able after much negotiating to get the banks on board with the proposal. It passed unanimously in the senate and assembly in June, and we had been waiting for Governor Paterson to sign it into law, which we thought would be a no-brainer. When it finally came to his desk, however, a bunch of state agencies who collect debts (like child support and unpaid tickets) came forward screaming that they would be hindered in their collection practices by the bill (which they wouldn't be) and the governor started making noises that he planned to veto the bill. So I went to Albany last week and met with his staffers in an attempt to work out a solution, and the members of our mini-coalition reached out to all those involved, and in the end, we were able to resolve the problem by exempting the state agencies. So the governor signed the bill, and it will go into effect January 1, 2009.

the MOU -- an immigrant's nightmare

from racewire, the blog of colorlines magazine (on race and politics) ... an article by a cuny law school colleague:

by Raha Jorjani

The US and Vietnam make a deal, Vietnamese immigrants suffer

What if someone told you that you had two weeks to pack your bags and leave the country?

On January 22, 2008, the United States and Vietnam made an agreement for the forced return of hundreds of Vietnamese immigrants to Vietnam.

Vietnamese community members are gradually finding out that their lives are about to change in an unthinkable way.

More specifically, the Department of Homeland Security and the Deputy Foreign Minister for the Government of Vietnam entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would allow for the repatriation of Vietnamese immigrants who had entered the United States on or after July 12, 1995, and had subsequently been ordered removed from the United States.

What does that mean?

In the United States, even after a person is ordered removed, their actual removal or deportation cannot take place until the Department of Homeland Security has secured travel documents for that person. No travel documents, no deportation.

There are countries with which the United States has no diplomatic relations or repatriation agreements, and it is primarily individuals from those countries that end up in this situation. These countries include Cuba, Iran, and Vietnam.

So what happens to people the US wants to deport but can’t?

They remain in the U.S. in a type of limbo supervised release status. They have to periodically report to the Government, keep the Government informed of what they are doing and where they are doing it, and promise not to break any laws. A life-long supervised parole. These individuals can work and live in the United States, but they can’t get their greencards or become citizens.

These individuals occupy this status until their actual deportation can take place. For many, that day may never come; but that day has come for approximately 1500 Vietnamese immigrants living in the U.S.

Imagine getting up one morning thinking it’s going to be a day like any other. You drink your coffee, get the kids ready for school, and head off to work. You’re a single mother taking care of 2 small children. At work, you counsel battered women on how to protect themselves and change their situation. You were once in that position and it led to a substance abuse problem. You were convicted of a drug offense and you were ordered removed from the U.S. over ten years ago. They couldn’t remove you so you got a second chance. Since then, you’ve been rehabilitated and had two children whose lives depend on you. You are obeying the laws, staying sober, providing a vital community service, and raising your children. On your way back home from work, you pick up the mail and there’s a letter from the Department of Homeland Security. It informs you that your removal order from 1996 is being carried out in 2008. It provides you with information about a flight that is leaving in 15 days and taking you back to Vietnam. You cannot see a Judge, you cannot explain your position, and what you do with your children is your problem. 15 days to wrap up over a decade of your life in the U.S., say goodbye, plan for a new life, find a place to live in Vietnam, pack your bags, and leave, likely for good.

For many Vietnamese immigrants, when the MOU of January 22, 2008 goes into affect, the above scenario will be a reality.

The day after news of the MOU was released, Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) authored a letter co-signed by at least 12 other Representatives expressing serious concern about the agreement for individuals who may be subject to human rights abuses upon returning to Vietnam, and asking that no implementation of the agreement take place until agreed to by Congress.

Advocates have received calls from community members who are concerned about being detained upon arrival in Vietnam. The conditions and extent of their potential confinement remain unclear.

Sudden and forced expulsion from the United States with little notice and no due process should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. It doesn’t take a lot to imagine the severe emotional, psychological, physical, and economic devastation that can arise for individuals, families, and communities as a result of these actions.

A nation that respects human rights would do better.

Raha Jorjani is a Staff Attorney in the Immigration Law Clinic at the UC Davis School of Law. The Clinic’s work includes providing legal assistance and representation to non-citizens in removal proceedings, including those who have been detained by the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to working with the Clinic, Raha was a staff attorney for two years with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, a non-profit organization providing legal assistance to thousands of detained immigrants in Arizona, and an organization on the cutting edge of detention and deportation defense.

a chambermaid reading with author saira rao

it was a wonderful night... last night saira rao entertained us at our nyc chambermaid book party with true tales of judicial hell from her federal clerkship experience. saira answered questions from the group, mostly comprised of lawyers, such as, "well, how mean is mean?" saira shed some light on the most private branch of our government and expressed outrage at clarence thomas' latest attack on anita hill in his memoirs.

saira then read an excerpt from her book and some of the ex-clerks shared their own chambermaid tales. we had good food, drinks and shared much laughter... thanks saira!!

invite saira to your reading club or throw a book party for chambermaid. you'll have a chance to get a signed copy, ask saira for more inside scoop on absolute power and the justices, and learn more about the soon-to-be sheila raj (aka chambermaid) lifetime series.

bayonne free speech buttons

i teach street law every summer at the paterson ymca to a group of teens enrolled in a leadership and job training program. and every summer i teach, i hear the same stories of racial profiling, endless terry stops, illegal searches (T.L.O. standard) and a lack of due process for disciplinary hearings and suspensions at school.

we discuss a variety of issues, mainly how to know their rights. we spend time debating search and seizure concepts, the limits of free speech and the meaning of due process. i love teaching street law -- it's always a challenge for me to prepare interesting lessons, create a dynamic class setting and engage students who don't have the luxury i possess as a white, middle-class person.

last week, i read about a recent case decision involving students in bayonne, nj that will certainly add a new twist to our studies on protesting, the first amendment and the tinker standard.

the student press law center offered the following summary:

Two students — a fifth-grader and a seventh-grader — can wear buttons with the phrase “No School Uniforms” over a background picture of the Hitler Youth, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. The court held that because the buttons were not disruptive, the Bayonne School District's censorship was “unwarranted.” Karin R. White Morgen, the students’ attorney, said it was a “wonderful” decision for student free speech. “The school will think twice before it suspends students for wearing honest buttons,” she said. “You are allowed to have an opinion, even in grammar school.” read the opinion here.

The case dates back to November 2006, when two students at two different schools in the district — fifth-grader Michael DePinto and seventh-grader Anthony LaRocco — wore buttons with a red circle and slash through the words “No School Uniforms.” The words were superimposed over an image of rows of young boys in uniforms. While the image contained no visible swastikas or specific Nazi references, both sides agreed that the picture featured members of the Hitler Youth. In response, administrators sent letters to the students’ parents warning that their sons would be punished if they continued to wear the button. Both sets of parents joined in the lawsuit, claiming their children’s First Amendment rights were violated.

Justice in Jena-- NYT op-ed piece

in today's new york times; just wondering what folks think of the DA's logic and legal reasoning.

Op-Ed Contributor

By REED WALTERS
Published: September 26, 2007
Jena, La.

(illustration by Justin Gabbard)

THE case of the so-called Jena Six has fired the imaginations of thousands, notably young African-Americans who, according to many of their comments, believe they will be in the vanguard of a new civil rights movement. Whether America needs a new civil rights movement I leave to social activists, politicians and the people who must give life to such a cause.

I am a small-town lawyer and prosecutor. For 16 years, it has been my job as the district attorney to review each criminal case brought to me by the police department or the sheriff, match the facts to any applicable laws and seek justice for those who have been harmed. The work is often rewarding, but not always.

I do not question the sincerity or motivation of the 10,000 or more protesters who descended on Jena last week, after riding hundreds of miles on buses. But long before reaching our town of 3,000 people, they had decided that a miscarriage of justice was taking place here. Their anger at me was summed up by a woman who said, “If you can figure out how to make a schoolyard fight into an attempted murder charge, I’m sure you can figure out how to make stringing nooses into a hate crime.”

That could be a compelling statement to someone trying to motivate listeners on a radio show, but as I am a lawyer obligated to enforce the laws of my state, it does not work for me.

I cannot overemphasize how abhorrent and stupid I find the placing of the nooses on the schoolyard tree in late August 2006. If those who committed that act considered it a prank, their sense of humor is seriously distorted. It was mean-spirited and deserves the condemnation of all decent people.

But it broke no law. I searched the Louisiana criminal code for a crime that I could prosecute. There is none.

Similarly, the United States attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, who is African-American, found no federal law against what was done.

A district attorney cannot take people to trial for acts not covered in the statutes. Imagine the trampling of individual rights that would occur if prosecutors were allowed to pursue every person whose behavior they disapproved of.

The “hate crime” the protesters wish me to prosecute does not exist as a stand-alone offense in Louisiana law. It’s not that our Legislature has turned a blind eye to crimes motivated by race or other personal characteristics, but it has addressed the problem in a way that does not cover what happened in Jena. The hate crime statute is used to enhance the sentences of defendants found guilty of specific crimes, like murder or rape, who chose their victims based on race, religion, sexual orientation or other factors.

Last week, a reporter asked me whether, if I had it to do over, I would do anything differently. I didn’t think of it at the time, but the answer is yes. I would have done a better job of explaining that the offenses of Dec. 4, 2006, did not stem from a “schoolyard fight” as it has been commonly described in the news media and by critics.

Conjure the image of schoolboys fighting: they exchange words, clench fists, throw punches, wrestle in the dirt until classmates or teachers pull them apart. Of course that would not be aggravated second-degree battery, which is what the attackers are now charged with. (Five of the defendants were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder.) But that’s not what happened at Jena High School.

The victim in this crime, who has been all but forgotten amid the focus on the defendants, was a young man named Justin Barker, who was not involved in the nooses incident three months earlier. According to all the credible evidence I am aware of, after lunch, he walked to his next class. As he passed through the gymnasium door to the outside, he was blindsided and knocked unconscious by a vicious blow to the head thrown by Mychal Bell. While lying on the ground unaware of what was happening to him, he was brutally kicked by at least six people.

Imagine you were walking down a city street, and someone leapt from behind a tree and hit you so hard that you fell to the sidewalk unconscious. Would you later describe that as a fight?

Only the intervention of an uninvolved student protected Mr. Barker from severe injury or death. There was serious bodily harm inflicted with a dangerous weapon — the definition of aggravated second-degree battery. Mr. Bell’s conviction on that charge as an adult has been overturned, but I considered adult status appropriate because of his role as the instigator of the attack, the seriousness of the charge and his prior criminal record.

I can understand the emotions generated by the juxtaposition of the noose incident with the attack on Mr. Barker and the outcomes for the perpetrators of each. In the final analysis, though, I am bound to enforce the laws of Louisiana as they exist today, not as they might in someone’s vision of a perfect world.

That is what I have done. And that is what I must continue to do.

Reed Walters is the district attorney of LaSalle Parish.

the paterson ymca supports the jena 6 on 9/20/07

here's an article from today's herald news about my co-workers' support for the jena 6. i'm so proud that we are all standing up against this injustice. keep fighting and make your voices heard...


Friday, September 21, 2007
By HEATHER HADDON, HERALD NEWS

Across North Jersey, people dressed in all black Thursday to show support for six black Louisiana teenagers facing attempted murder charges after a schoolyard fight with strong racial overtones.

Joann Hill, of Paterson, picked black workwear to express her outrage. For Hill and many others, the incident stirred personal and painful experiences of racism, and a deep sense of grief that blacks still have to deal with the possibility of injustice.

"It is scary," said Hill, 47, dressed in a flowing black blouse at her job at the Paterson YMCA. "I have a 17-year-old son. How's he going to feel when he hears about this?"

In Jena, La., a pair of altercations between black and white high school students last year led to dramatically different punishments for each. Last September, a black student sat underneath a tree that white teenagers congregate by, prompting three white students to suspend nooses in the tree.

RELATED LINKS

Video: Thousands Rally to Support 6 Jena Teens
Video: Jackson: 'There's a Jena in Every State'

Then, in December, six black students badly beat a white student on school grounds. The victim was well enough to attend a school function later in the evening.

The three white students received a temporary suspension. But the black teenagers were charged with attempted murder. News about the incident gained widespread media attention in recent weeks as some of the cases came to trial.

On Thursday, thousands of people from across the country converged on the small town to demand justice for the "Jena Six." The chanting crowd, drawn by heavy promotion from black radio stations and including the Rev. Al Sharpton, flooded the streets of the predominantly white town of 3,000.

In the last few weeks, North Jersey residents have responded publicly and privately with shock and sadness. For some, the case smacks of a pre-Civil Rights era injustice. Yvonne Smith's son attended Thursday's rally, driving 1,200 miles from his college, Howard University in Washington, D.C.

"He couldn't believe we were still in that stage of our history," said Smith, 53, a Paterson transplant from Jamaica.

Chante Bobbitt, 27, sent off an angry letter to the governor of Louisiana. The incident strikes her as modern-day slavery.

"Those boys' lives have already been destroyed," said Bobbitt, an East Orange resident who works in Paterson.

Even as throngs descended on Louisiana, several other protests occurred across the country, including in North Jersey. On Thursday afternoon, more than 100 protesters rallied in front of Newark City Hall. Those attending ranged from Mayor Cory Booker to local schoolchildren.
Shelia Green-Barnhill, a Newark resident who attended the rally, felt that all people should be treated humanely.

"If you see someone injured in the street, you help them," Green-Barnhill said in a phone interview. "That person should be someone you talk to and eat next to, because they are a person, not just a color."

In solidarity, North Jersey residents agreed to wear all black to work on Thursday.

Dark attire appeared across the hallways of the Passaic County Board of Social Services, within the Paterson YMCA and in classrooms at the Passaic County Technical Institute. Black shirts popped up on employees in Paramus, throughout the East Orange school system, and at the Millburn Municipal Golf Course.

"This issue is everybody's child," said Thelma Stevens, 56.

For some, the issue presented an opportunity to talk to their children about ongoing racism -- even in subtle ways like preferences for white dolls. Others prayed in their churches. And for older folks, it brought back the past.

Joann Hill recalled her mother's experiences as one of only four black students in Passaic High School's graduating class of 1944. From her, Hill heard stories of finding burning cardboard on her yard, or having students rip up her books.

Since the Jena incident, Hill's 81-year-old mother has fallen quiet. "This has been hard on her," said Hill, of Paterson.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

9 questions for author saira rao

in between her book tour stops, saira rao addressed some of my burning questions about chambermaid. the subversive garden will soon be hosting a book party for saira in manhattan. for more info, please leave a comment on this post.



1. would you ever consider editing a book of all the clerkship stories? you have so many -- it could be a really fun project.

I think I am going to take a little breather from all things clerkship-related.


2. worst clerk story you've been told?

There are your run-of-the-mill sexual harassment stories. Tales involving judges who forbid their clerks from leaving chambers, even to attend funerals of family members. And then there's the one about molesting chickens.

3. was there one major reason or event that pushed you to write this book?

While clerking, I was struck by how little we, as Americans, know about our federal judges--the revered third branch of our federal government. Why do we know every detail about the President and our congressional representatives -- down to what they eat for breakfast--- yet we know nothing, nothing AT ALL about our judges? This is particularly strange considering that the judiciary is the only countermajoritarian branch of our government. We don't elect judges, cannot remove them, they hide under big black robes, are bestowed with "Your Honors" and earn six-figure salaries for life. Aren't we entitled to know just a little about them?

4. this kind of story -- clerkship truths -- is the first of its kind, right?

There have been other books—Closed Chambers comes to mind—written by former clerks about lessons learned during their clerkship. Chambermaid, however, is the first book of its kind – one written by a former clerk that spotlights the human/personal/bizarre side of judges and the eclectic cast of characters surrounding them.

5. what broad themes does this book represent for you?

Broadly, Chambermaid illustrates how unchecked power can lead to a total loss of respect for other people and a failure of basic human decency. On another level, it highlights some of the issues that are common to women and minorities in the workplace.

6. as your book continues to get more popular, is it reaching new audiences?

It is reaching new audiences, namely lots of book clubs have started to read it. This is wonderful for a host of reasons – best of all ---it means that many non-lawyers are reading Chambermaid and those outside of the legal profession don't take the book so personally!

7. what was your best book reading so far and why?

I am not sure there has been a best…or a worst for that matter. Each reading/signing has been unique and interesting and it's been spectacular fun to meet so many new people – in different cities, jobs, age groups, ethnicities. I have enjoyed every second of it. Well, maybe every other second.

8. tell us about your next book project...

It's in flux right now, so I'll plead the Fifth for the moment.

9. last question, what are you reading right now?

A lovely collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, by Miranda July. I LOVED "Me and You and Everyone We Know".

read more Q and A with the author on the WSJ's law blog.

thanks saira!

Sit-Lie-Roll Over

Dispatches From Cascadia Vol. 5

One thing that often strikes people from out of town who come to visit Portland is that everyone here seems to be in such good shape. Walk down the street here in the Rose City and it is hard to find an obese local. Most folks living here are generally pretty slim, some to the point of looking like a heroin addicted rock star (a popular look in my neighborhood of Hawthorne). Lately however, Portlanders have been putting on a few collective pounds. Maybe it is all the good desert places that have been opening up lately, or all of those whole milk cappuccinos that we love so much, but whatever the reason, were starting to bulge our hip-huggers. Fortunately for us, City Hall is taking notice. So, after much debate, our esteemed and fitness conscious City Council has decided to begin enforcement of an existing law that makes it illegal to sit or stand on the sidewalks of downtown Portland. As a result, anyone working, visiting or living in downtown will have to walk continuously whenever they are outside in downtown. And as most fitness experts and City Councilmen will tell you, the best way to shed those excess pounds is light aerobic exercise like walking (particularly walking to the Galleria Mall from the Abercrombie and Fitch on Broadway). How thoughtful of the Mayor’s Street Access For Everyone (SAFE) Committee which came up with the new enforcement guidelines as part of the existing "Obstructions as Nuisances" law. Whoa, wait a minute! Obstructions as Nuisances Law? Street Access for Everyone Committee (didn’t even know we had one of those)? This doesn’t sound like a fitness ordinance to me! This actually sounds like an attempt to justify ticketing homeless people in the nice, clean, white, downtown shopping district! Could it be that the driving force behind the law is none other than the Portland Business Alliance (PBA), whose representative, Mike Kuykendall, has co-chaired the SAFE oversight committee since January? OK, so no one here really thinks this about fitness, I made that part up, but the truth is that right now in Downtown Portland, supposedly one of the most liberal and progressive cities in North America, the police can ticket you if by lying, sitting or standing on the side walk you leave less than 6 to 8 feet of passable space (pretty easy when most of the sidewalks are barely eight feet wide). Any two people standing and talking to each other on the sidewalk will likely be in violation of the new guidelines. It also allows people to be ticketed if they are sitting and posing a "trip hazard," whatever that means. The new enforcement guidelines have already gone into effect, and word on the street is that the police have begun handing tickets out to "offenders."

photo above: "I don't care what you say, Buddy, you can't sit there!"

--submitted by cousin marc from portland, oregon

11 NJ officials arrested for bribery

the big news this morning: more bribery scandals for nj politicians, including the mayor of passaic (pictured above), samuel rivera (sources tell me he had domestic violence cases in the recent past) and assemblyman reverend alfred steele of paterson. according to an article just posted on nj.com, the FBI rounded up 11 nj officials this morning on bribery charges related to roofing and insurance contracts. hmm, business as usual...

"The 11 officials are accused of accepting a total of $150,500 in bribes in exchange for agreeing to steer public contracts to companies that offered insurance brokerage or roofing services to school districts and municipalities, according to criminal complaints unsealed with the arrests.
They range from $5,000 to $32,000, according to sources close to the investigation who asked not to be identified."

update: more news on the arrests here.

Mychal Bell: the Jena 6

The more you hear about the Jena 6 the worse it gets. Mychal Bell charged with attempted murder for a school yard fight. His attorney never called a witness or challenged an all white jury. The incident started with a racial incident where three black students asked if they could sit under a tree that white students "always" sat under. The next day three nooses were hanging from the tree which set off the chain of events. See below Amy Goodman talk about the recent events in the case.

I received this email that I am posting here for people to help support Mychal Bell who has been convicted and faces up to 22 years in prison. He sits in jail as we speak, his football career and teenage years being ruined. We plan on sending him something in the next few days. This case shows how far we have not come or are we still going backwards?

"You and more than 84,000 other ColorOfChange members have helped send a strong message that it's time for the injustice being perpetrated in Jena to come to a halt. We know it's going to be a long struggle, and we're proud that ColorOfChange members will be in this fight until all 6 young men are free. We'll be sending you information about more actions you can take over the next few weeks, but today, we wanted to let you know of a special way you can help.

While five of the students have yet to go to trial, Mychal Bell has already been convicted and sits in prison awaiting sentencing. We talked a few days ago with a lawyer who has visited Mychal several times. He says that it would help Mychal to hear from those of us who support him.

Can you take a moment to write Mychal a postcard or letter? It can be short. The key is simply that it's hearfelt. You can send your cards and letters to:

Mychal Bell
Inmate, A-Dorm
LaSalle Correctional Center
15976 Highway 165
Olla, LA 71465-4801

A few moments of your time could really brighten this young man's spirit. If you send a card or letter, please let us know by emailing mychal_letters@colorofchange.org."

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Clarissa, Gabriel, Mervyn and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
August 24th, 2007

chambermaid a k a saira rao visits n y c

UPDATE! saira rao's reading last thursday in nyc was fabulous. she spoke (to a large, loving crowd) about her journey in writing the book, the extreme negative reactions, & her next project. then she read an excerpt about the judge careening into a sinkhole. great stuff. she signed my book (along with a friend's who joined me), so i was on cloud nine. saira was just in philly so check out her website (see below) for more appearances near you!

also, more recent press & gossip about the "real judge"! -- finally some positive media support for saira...


since my last post on chambermaid, i ran out to my favorite bookstore (three lives & company in the west village), bought it & started reading. well 2 days later, it was all over. i just couldn't get enough of sheila raj's judicial (mis)adventures. the whole time i was reading, i thought-- yeah, this would make a perfect series (it's slated for lifetime)! i felt physically exhausted by sheila's endless ordeals with her wacko judge (and the greasy, dancing bun on the top of her head), her efforts to stay sane and find a trustworthy soul in the system while navigating the illogical rules of the "torture chamber" and enduring the constant attacks on her ethnicity with biting wit. i feel a special bond with sheila (and brilliant writer saira rao) who validated much of what i felt during my painful clerkship year and i especially cheered at sheila's attempts to outsmart janet, the bible-thumping, ass-kissing, do-nothing secretary to the judge.

i don't want to reveal much of the plot or whether the ornery (to put it mildly) honorable friedman ever shows a heart... but whether you suffered as a law clerk in your own "torture chamber" or just to laugh at the intensity of over-intellectualized young lawyer go-getters, pick up chambermaid... you won't be disappointed & you'll find a fresh, real heroine in sheila.

meet "shelia" in person-- check out saira rao's upcoming appearances. i'll be there, ready to cheer for aggrieved clerks everywhere...

in nyc: 7pm on thursday, july 19 at barnes and noble at sixth avenue and 21st street.