Our latest accomplishments

The Case Against Lifting the Charter Cap →

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_LjICpsxa4[/embed]

Lawyers’ Committee Moves to Intervene in Charter Cap Case on Behalf of Students of Color, Students with Disabilities, and English Language Learners →

Boston, MA – Students of color, students with disabilities, and English language learners, together with the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, moved today to intervene in the pending litigation over the cap on charter schools, arguing that the cap is necessary to preserve educational opportunities for students in...

A Call for Action on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day →

“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is a time to make justice a reality for all…” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, we are reminded...

BNN News Interviews LCCR’s Litigation Director On Finding Of Discrimination By Boston Police Department Against Black Recruits →

Statement on the Failure to Indict the Police Officers Involved in the Shooting of Tamir Rice →

Statement on the Failure to Indict the Police Officers Involved in the Shooting of Tamir Rice The announcement that a grand jury failed to indict the police officers who gunned down Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy playing with a toy gun in a playground in Cleveland, Ohio, is the...

Federal Appeals Court to Hear Police Diversity Case →

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN POLICE DIVERSITY CASE Boston, MA – A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments tomorrow in a case of far-reaching importance concerning diversity in police forces throughout Massachusetts.  In Lopez v. Lawrence, Black and Latino police officers are challenging an examination used by...

Black Cops Sue BPD Over Racially Discriminatory Hair Test →

Diversity in police ranks is a key component of community representation and accountability.  Yet, the Boston Police Department (“BPD”) continues to use a drug testing modality that is scientifically unreliable and racially discriminatory.  The Banner featured LCCR's ongoing work on behalf of African American officers challenging BPD's policies.  In connection with this...

Coalition Says Hair Testing for Drugs Not Ready for Prime Time →

The coalition of 17 organizations, including the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, sent a letter to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urging them to follow established protocols for developing drug testing procedures and to exclude any provisions for hair specimen testing from any...

Combating Racial Harassment through Restorative Justice in Schools →

Throughout the last school year, our client, a bi-racial student in a coastal Massachusetts school district, experienced significant racial harassment and alienation at the hands of his white high school peers, and felt little support from school leaders in addressing it.  The Lawyers' Committee represented the student and his family...

Community Forum on Policing & Diversity →

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice (LCCR), the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO), the Boston Branch NAACP, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and the Blackstonian invite individuals and organizations committed to ensuring police accountability and community representation in policing to participate in a Community Forum on Wednesday, July...

Rahsaan Hall Testifies to End Mandatory Minimum Sentences →

On June 9, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing to solicit testimony on the impact and potential elimination of mandatory minimum drug sentences. Deputy Director, Rahsaan Hall, who worked for 8 years as a Prosecutor in Suffolk County, provided testimony at the hearing. Hall stated that, "Despite the spirit behind these...

Community Conversations Highlight Policing Problems →

Tension between black communities and police departments was the focus of several community meetings in Boston this past week. Topics from police misconduct to diversifying police departments resonated with attendees. When discussing misconduct Deputy Director Rahsaan Hall stated, “It’s good to have diversity within the department, but let us not...