Message From the Commissioner

The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most rigorous civil rights laws in the nation. Mayor Bloomberg and I are committed to the vigorous enforcement of that law. That same commitment also extends to fostering racial and ethnic harmony among our diverse communities.

As a former career prosecutor and a child raised in the South during the civil rights era, I know firsthand the deleterious effect of discrimination.

Discrimination has no place in this City. When Mayor Bloomberg appointed me to head the Commission, I was eager to serve and to make an impact.

Upon arriving at CCHR, one of my primary goals was to reduce the large inventory of cases while making sure that the complainants received a just resolution. I am pleased that after an intensive and thorough examination of these cases, we have broken that backlog cycle and can now refocus the agency’s resources on systemic human rights violations and meritorious claims. Today, with thorough intake reviews and investigations, we are able to reach determinations quickly.

The hiring of two retired NYPD officers now also allows us to conduct testing and undercover investigations – helping us resolve cases in a more timely fashion. They have conducted tests in all five boroughs and we have hundreds of locations lined up for testing in accessibility as well as racial and gender discrimination. And we intend to conduct random testing of employers.

Another top priority was to greatly enhance existing community programs under our Neighborhood Human Rights Program.

We conduct numerous outreach programs that offer a variety of services. Our Equal Access Program provides disability access assistance and education to senior citizens and the disabled community. We are conducting the Immigrant Employment Rights Education program, providing training for immigrant workers, employers and immigrant advocacy organizations advising them of their rights and responsibilities. We also conduct a Mortgage and Pre-Purchase Counseling Program to help reduce predatory lending practices and the discrimination associated with them.

We are currently developing a Community Mediation and Dispute Resolution program to provide early intervention mediation services. And we have a Training Institute that provides instruction in the Human Rights Law to advocacy groups, employers, housing and public accommodation providers, government agencies and student groups.

Under our HIV Prison Project, we work closely with HIV positive prisoners, ex-offenders and their families experiencing HIV/AIDS-related discrimination. The Project also offers: a Spanish-English hotline; crisis intervention; referrals and short-term counseling.

I am proud to live in a City where the Mayor has the integrity and compassion to believe that all New Yorkers deserve protection from discrimination. And I am proud to serve under a man who is committed to fighting discrimination wherever it may appear. Our commitment to education, advocacy, and enforcement of the City’s Human Rights Law will surely strengthen our diverse City.