Inner City Law Center

ICLC’s very own Jazmine Smalley was recently interviewed by the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (of which she is a board member) as they celebrate Black History Month.

Your gift to Inner City Law Center will help keep people in their homes this winter. We cannot stand by and let our neighbors be evicted into homelessness. Donate here: https://bit.ly/341GHy6.

Today’s Los Angeles Times article calls attention to the serious risks of holding in-person court hearings and trials: Every single day the courts are going through procedures without precautions to keep people safe and holding proceedings that result in people getting kicked out onto the street. It’s a public health disaster, said Adam Murray, the executive director of Inner City Law Center. If you walk into eviction or traffic courtrooms, you are not seeing wealthy or middle-income people. It’s poor people who have to go in and adjudicate their cases in person.

More people died homeless in Orange County in 2020 than in any other year.

Eddie has a severely weakened immune system, and it hasn’t been safe for him to go out to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eddie exhausted his savings to pay the rent he owed, but when he fell behind, his landlord tried to illegally force him out. Just a few days before Christmas, a new tenant showed up and tried to move into Eddie’s unit. Then the landlord brought in a locksmith to change the lock -- while Eddie was inside! When Eddie tried to call 911 for help, another ma...n entered his home, assaulted him and threw his belongings into the hallway. Our attorney arrived on Eddie’s doorstep minutes after he called, and called the police to file a report for battery and an illegal lockout. We paid for a second locksmith to install yet another lock, and police officers stood by until Eddie was safe inside his home once again. By midnight, ICLC had filed restraining orders against both the landlord and the man who had assaulted Eddie. Now we are connecting Eddie to social service providers and are working to secure him new housing away from his abusive landlord. State law protects individuals like Eddie from eviction during the COVID pandemic, but too many tenants don’t have a lawyer to make sure landlords abide by those rights.

With the state’s eviction limitations set to expire at the end of January, California lawmakers passed two bills extending it through June.

We need more housing. Now is the time to repeal the 22-year-old Faircloth Amendment that prohibits any net increase in social housing.

Help Inner City Law Center end homelessness through legal advocacy. Are you a current 3L or recent law school graduate? Apply for our full-time, two-year Housing Justice Post-Graduate Fellowship that will start in Fall 2021. Send a cover letter, resume, transcript, three references, and writing sample to Vidhya Ragunathan, Director of Pro Bono at ICLC ([email protected]) using the subject line: Housing Justice Fellowship. Click here for more information: https://bit.ly/3nnUaqN.

"A study of eviction cases in Baltimore last year found that 96 percent of landlords were represented in court by a lawyer or agent; by contrast, just 1 percent of tenants had legal representation when faced with the loss of their homes...The Biden administration could advance the cause of justice through a concerted, high-profile push to make legal advice and aid more widely available to those who cannot secure it on their own."

Success in Bakersfield!

Thank you to everyone who joined our 2020 Awards today and thank you to those who donated! We reached our goal of $800,000 and we had 1093 individuals stream the eventThat means 5,465 meals will be donated to residents of Skid Row! We would not be able to serve our clients and work towards ending homelessness without supporters like you. If you missed the live stream, the video is available now on our event page here: https://innercitylawcenter.brand.live/c/2020-awards.

ICLC is excited to share our newly redesigned website! Launched in conjunction with our 40th anniversary, the updated site reflects the work we began four decades ago and continue today: fighting for justice and ensuring that everyone has a safe place to call home. Check it out here: https://innercitylaw.org/.

Thank you from everyone at Inner City Law Center for your support and partnership in the fight against homelessness. If you missed our 2020 Awards celebration yesterday, you’re in luck! You can watch the full recording now on YouTube. We’ve heard great feedback from those who watched already. People were especially inspired by Vijay Gupta's performance, stories from our clients, and Myrlie Evers’ words about what we can all do to help those experiencing homelessness. Watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/35cCnMu.

Last week ICLC Pro Bono Coordinator Jazmine Smalley, Paralegal Jessica Hernandez, Public Policy Advocate Sasha Blue Harnden, and Pro Bono Director Vidhya Ragunathan led a presentation on Housing Rights & Cultural Sensitivity During the Age of COVID for more than 120 people as part of a program by JAMS, the Karsh Family Social Service Center, and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

Join us at 12:30! https://innercitylawcenter.brand.live/c/2020-awards

We’re starting soon and there is no charge to attend! Join us today from 12:30-1:30 to see Executive Director Adam Murray live! We will hear a beautiful performance by violinist Vijay Gupta and an inspiring conversation with civil rights icon Myrlie Evers-Williams. We will also get to hear directly from our clients - a family who took on a landlord trying to illegally evict them, a woman who is on her way to permanent housing after experiencing homelessness, and a veteran who finally got the benefits he deserves after being denied service for years. Remember, for every person who attends, 5 meals will be donated to residents of Skid Row! Join us here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV.

Sneak peek! Join Inner City Law Center on October 15 to hear an inspiring conversation with civil rights icon Myrlie Evers-Williams. For decades, Evers-Williams has broken barriers of racial and gender inequality. She was elected the first woman to chair the NAACP in 1995 and was the first black woman to serve on the Los Angeles Board of Public Works. Evers-Williams is the widow of Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1963. Her legacy evokes leadership in activism, journalism, politics, and public service. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to hear her speak! RSVP here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV

Just two more days! Katharine Krause's sisters invite you to ICLC’s 2020 Awards on October 15. This year, we will honor QueensCare with the Katharine Krause Award for their dedication to providing quality, compassionate primary healthcare to patients in need, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV.

RSVP now! Join us on October 15 as we honor Latham & Watkins LLP with the Humanitarian Award for their extensive pro bono support of Inner City Law Center over the past two decades. Latham has successfully represented low-income families living in slum housing conditions, helped tenants fight back against unlawful evictions, and improved the lives of veterans experiencing homelessness by advocating for discharge status upgrades. The incredible Latham team has also supported ICLC’s public policy efforts through research on key issues impacting the housing crisis in Los Angeles County. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV.

Join the A & D Museum conversation at noon today to hear Inner City Law Center Executive Director Adam Murray discussing the solutions to our homeless crisis.

RSVP now! Join us on October 15 as we honor QueensCare with the Katherine Krause Award for its notable contributions to the same communities served by Inner City Law Center. QueensCare provides quality, compassionate primary healthcare to patients in need, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. QueensCare’s commitment to the well-being of at-risk and underserved people, especially during the pandemic, not only improves individual lives, it strengthens our community as a whole. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV.

ICLC’s 2020 Awards is nearly upon us and there is no charge to attend! RSVP now to hear a conversation with civil rights icon Myrlie Evers-Williams and a special performance from violinist Vijay Gupta. We will also hear inspiring stories directly from our clients a family who took on a landlord trying to illegally evict them and a woman who is on her way to permanent housing after experiencing homelessness. Please join us on October 15. For every person who attends, five meals will be donated to residents of Skid Row! RSVP here: https://bit.ly/33kb7eV.

Reminder! Join us on October 14! Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, JAMS and Inner City Law Center will present a training on law and procedure of eviction cases, policy aimed at addressing housing instability during COVID-19, and how to practice cultural sensitivity when working with low-income clients. Register here: https://bit.ly/3j41pTx

Thank you to our pro bono partners Mark Kadzielski and Nilou Massachi, and their firm BakerHostetler for their amazing work with a veteran client suffering from post-traumatic stress. Kadzielski and Massachi zealously advocated for the client and worked tirelessly to get him $20,000 in back pay and more than $3,000 per month in benefits from the VA for the rest of his life! Click here to read the full story: https://bit.ly/3jf0CiS.