Springfield Police Lacks Accountability, Transparency & Diversity →

SPRINGFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT LACKS ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY AND DIVERSITY Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) sent a letter to Justice Roderick L. Ireland, special advisor to the City of Springfield, identifying alarming trends we have observed surrounding deep-rooted injustices in the Springfield Police Department (SPD). The 11-page letter highlights three critical areas where reform...

Settlement Reached In Landmark COVID-19 Class Action Case Against Bristol County House of Correction →

Please scroll below for the settlement agreement in Savino v Souza, the landmark class action lawsuit challenging unsafe conditions at the Bristol County House of Correction (BCHOC) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Settlement Reached In Landmark COVID-19 Class Action Case Against Bristol County House of Correction The parties in Savino v...

State Must Provide More Vaccine Access →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) commends the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ commitment to increase trust, vaccine acceptance and administration rates through the Vaccine Equity Initiative. LCR particularly applauds the state’s efforts to accelerate the vaccination of essential workers. However, troubling statistics reveal persistent racial inequities in the state's current vaccination programs and the disproportionately...

Statement on the American Rescue Plan’s Disparities →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) is deeply concerned to see that, under the much-lauded American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP), low-income communities of color like Chelsea, Massachusetts, will receive far less federal funding than whiter, wealthier communities. As the Boston Globe recently reported, Chelsea, "with a reported population of just under 40,000"...

Welcome Letter to Mayor Janey with Racial Justice Blueprint →

AFTER DECADES OF INSUFFICIENT MUNICIPAL ACTION, LAWYERS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS GIVES MAYOR JANEY BLUEPRINT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE AND IMMIGRATION REFORMLawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) congratulates and applauds Mayor Kim Janey for her historic leadership as Boston's first Black woman Mayor. For many years, LCR has tirelessly advocated for the City...

Black Nurse Files Discrimination Complaint Against Lowell Transit Authority →

Black Bus Rider Files Discrimination Complaint Against Lowell Transit Authority Following Racial Harassment Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a complaint under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on behalf of Lucia Appia, a Black immigrant woman, who has repeatedly endured racial harassment and discrimination by employees of...

Condemning Anti-Asian Violence →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) stands with the Asian-Pacific Islander community — in Georgia and across the country — as we mourn the murder of six Asian-American women. For months, law enforcement has ignored waves of anti-Asian violence, hate crimes, and vitriol sweeping the nation. In our own backyard, LCR...

Black Father Racially Profiled by Police in Needham, MA →

Statement on Independent Investigation into Racial Profiling of Marvin Henry in Needham, MA The Town of Needham released a report by Attorney Natashia Tidwell examining the racial profiling and handcuffing of Marvin Henry, a Black father of four, by the Needham Police Department (NPD) in January 2020, as well as the subsequent...

Intervention to Protect Diversity in Boston’s Exam Schools →

COALITION OF BLACK, LATINX & ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND FAMILIES OF COLOR INTERVENE TO DEFEND EQUITY IN BOSTON’S HIGHLY SELECTIVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS The NAACP Boston Branch, the Greater Boston Latino Network (GBLN), the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network (APIs CAN), the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW), and three...

Response to Boston’s Executive Order on Minority Contractors →

On the heels of the federal civil rights complaint filed with the Department of Justice, Mayor Walsh released yet another vague executive order that is insufficient to address the racial crisis surrounding the City of Boston’s public contracting.  In light of the disparity study and the civil rights complaint, the...

Racial Disparities in Boston’s Municipal Contracts →

Lawyers for Civil Rights calls on the City of Boston to implement immediate corrective action to address the gross racial disparities in municipal contracts confirmed by the City’s recently released Disparity Study. LCR stands ready to take legal action against the City if race-conscious measures are not implemented to diversify municipal...

Voting Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Worcester, MA →

Voting Rights Lawsuit Filed Against Worcester, MA A coalition of Black and Hispanic/Latino/a residents of Worcester today filed a federal voting rights lawsuit alleging that the City’s at-large system for electing School Committee members discriminates against communities of color. The plaintiffs also include community organizations Worcester Interfaith and the National...

Boston’s New Fire Cadet Program →

Boston’s New “Fire Cadet” Program: Will It Actually Help Diversify The Boston Fire Department? Firefighters Of Color And Civil Rights Advocates Say Program Holds Promise – But Only If Implemented Correctly Today, firefighters of color and their allies are announcing an action plan essential to ensuring that the City of...

White Supremacist and Insurrectionist Officers →

"Boston must become a testing ground for the ideals of freedom."— Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, on MLK Day 2021, we call on law enforcement agencies to root out officers with white supremacist and insurrectionist tendencies. For our safety -- and the safety of our children, families and communities...

Urging the Justice Department to Convene Prosecutors →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) urges Attorney General-Designate Merrick Garland, Associate Attorney General-Designate Vanita Gupta, and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights-Designate Kristen Clarke to set a deliberate and intentional racial equity and racial justice agenda at the Justice Department.  The Justice Department must take immediate action to address the police misconduct...

Civil Rights Implications of U.S. Attorney Search →

Lawyers for Civil Rights urges the Search Committee leading the process of identifying viable candidates to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts to take into consideration racial justice, immigrants' rights, and civil rights issues. In an open letter sent to Judge Nancy Gertner, who is leading this important...

Response to the White Supremacist Coup →

Statement in Response to the White Supremacist Coup Lawyers for Civil Rights Calls for Independent Investigation and Charges Against Lynch Mob January 7, 2020 At Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), we want everyone to sit with the discomfort of the deadly white supremacist insurrection at the Capitol. We cannot let...

Expanding Our Police Accountability Work →

Lawyers for Civil Rights Deepens and Expands Police Accountability Work Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) was founded to marshal the legal resources of the private bar to address ongoing civil rights challenges. More than five decades later, there is still a critical need for legal advocacy coupled with community-based activism to address...