Advocates gather on the steps of City Hall to protest for more funding for the NYC Commision on Human Right
Photo courtesy of Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit
Advocates and elected officials rallied at City Hall last Friday, demanding more funding for the NYC Commission on Human Rights (CCHR).
Rally organizers urged Mayor Adams to increase the annual budget to at least $18 million per year, and exempt the organization from the ongoing city-wide hiring freeze, to get back to a minimum level of operation.
Advocacy groups at the rally included members of the Human Rights Law Working Group, Unlock NYC, Neighbors Together, the Legal Aid Society, Make the Road New York, and other organizations.
Participants said that the commission is in crisis, noting a drop in staff attorneys and a lack of overall funding for the CCHR. Currently the commission has only 17 attorneys on staff, compared to the 50 that were working prior to the pandemic. The scarcity in staffing and funding means the CCHR, according to rallygoers, is unable to provide the full extent of services to New Yorkers that are facing a wide range of discrimination.
Christine Clarke, the chief of litigation and advocacy at Legal Services NYC, works closely with the organization on discrimination cases. Clarke said currently the commission is underperforming.
“Sadly, due to aggressive budget reductions and staff cuts, the Commission is now unable to perform its mission, leaving vulnerable New Yorkers without recourse,” Clarke said. “NYC must rebuild the Commission in order to protect the rights of all New Yorkers and to realize the vision of a just and fair society embodied by our Human Rights Law.”
Advocates said the catastrophic loss of funding means an uptick of unchecked discrimination cases across the city. The CCHR is tasked with protecting the rights of some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers including housing voucher holders, undocumented migrants, the LGBTQ+ community,…
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