Our Statements

This past Friday, the city of Memphis released bodycam footage of the fatal police beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop, inciting protests and dialogue throughout the country. The Center for Family Representation (CFR) stands in support of the Black community and against the systemic racism and violence that too often cost Black people their lives. Read our full statement here.

Yesterday, November 20, marked the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which was established 23 years ago by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil honoring the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman whose 1998 murder remains unsolved. TDOR is now commemorated throughout the country to mourn and honor transgender people taken from us by acts of violence. Read our full statement here.

The Center for Family Representation (CFR) is deeply troubled by the rise in anti-Semitism in New York and across the United States. In 2021, New York State saw over 400 reports of hatred toward Jewish people, including physical attacks, anti-Semitic graffiti on Jewish-owned businesses, and attempts to desecrate synagogues. Anti-Semitic incidents also reached a record high nationwide, with over 2,700 acts of hatred reported. Read our full statement here.

On June 27, 2022, 25-year-old Jayland Walker was gunned down by eight police officers after fleeing an attempted stop for a minor traffic violation. Walker, who was Black, was unarmed when police fired 90 shots at him over the course of seven seconds. He was hit between 60 and 80 times and died at the scene. According to the Walker family’s lawyers, officers cuffed Jayland before attempting to provide first aid. Read our full statement here.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) handed down a decision striking down Roe v. Wade, leaving access to legal and safe abortion up to the states – about half of which plan to ban the medical procedure. The Center for Family Representation (CFR) condemns this harmful decision and stands in solidarity with all those whose access to abortion will be restricted or eliminated entirely. Read our full statement here.

May marks Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich histories and cultures of Asian Americans, South Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and to reflect on their resilience. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, AANHPI communities across America experienced sharp increases in violence and harassment. In New York City, reports of hate crimes against AANHPI communities rose by 361 percent from 2020 to 2021.

In March, GuiYing Ma died ten weeks after a man attacked her and struck her head with a rock while she was sweeping the sidewalk outside of her Jackson Heights, Queens home. In February, seven Asian American women were assaulted by one man during a three-hour period in Manhattan. In January, Michelle Go, who had just celebrated her 40th birthday, was pushed onto the subway tracks from behind. The Sikh community of Richmond Hill, Queens, continues to be on edge after a series of assaults targeting community members. Whether they are riding the subway, attending church services, working at their place of business, or simply crossing the street, AANHPI individuals and communities are being targeted. Read our full statement here.

On May 14th, 2022, 13 people were killed or injured by an 18-year-old gunman espousing white supremacist ideology. The mass shooting occurred at Tops Supermarket in a primarily Black and Brown neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. Eleven of the victims were Black. No words can soothe the pain and loss that this act of racist terrorism has brought.

As we continue to process this tragic hate crime, we recognize that as an organization, CFR represents primarily Black and Brown families – the same types of families who were violently targeted last weekend. Each day, CFR’s clients routinely face extreme scrutiny by the very systems that are meant to uplift them. Read our full statement here.

Read our letter to Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie to immediately end all suspensions of Articles Three and Ten of the Family Court Act (“FCA”) that were imposed pursuant to Executive Orders issued in response to the pandemic crisis (the “EOs”).

For more than a year, the Executive Orders have been interpreted by the New York City Family Court Administration and many individual Family Court judges as eliminating constitutional and statutory rights of families threatened with separation or juvenile detention in New York State. These orders, in conjunction with Administrative Orders issued by the Chief Administrative Judge, have resulted in great harm to thousands of individuals who have been denied the due process guaranteed by New York law to challenge the separation of families and the detention of children by the government.