Community Justice Project Inc

COMMUNITY JUSTICE PROJECT CONSISTS OF COMMUNITY LAWYERS. IN OUR LEGAL WORK WE COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS AND GRASSROOTS GROUPS IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES OF COLOR BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT A MORE DEMOCRATIC, MORE JUST AND MORE EQUAL SOCIETY CAN ONLY TRULY COME ABOUT THROUGH GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING AND SOCIAL MOVEMENT. WE ARE A PART OF THAT SOCIAL MOVEMENT IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND STRIVE TO SUPPORT ORGANIZING THROUGH OUR VARIED AND OFTEN INNOVATIVE LEGAL WORK.

IN 2021 COMMUNITY JUSTICE PROJECT SUPPORTED MULTIPLE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO STRENGTHEN ACCESS TO DIGNIFIED, AFFORDABLE AND EQUITABLE HOUSING AND RENTERS RIGHTS IN AN INCREASINGLY UNAFFORDABLE MARKET ACROSS THE STATE OF FLORIDA. OUR ORGANIZATION SUPPORTED THE MIAMI WORKERS CENTER IN THEIR EFFORTS TO LAUNCH A CAMPAIGN ON A LOCAL TENANT BILL OF RIGHTS INFORMED BY THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF RENTERS IN MIAMI-DADE. WE ALSO CONTINUED OUR SUPPORT OF HOUSING ORGANIZERS IN LITTLE HAITI WHO ARE FIGHTING BACK AGAINST GENTRIFICATION AND CONDUCTED KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAININGS WITH ORGANIZERS ACROSS THE STATE. ADDITIONALLY, COMMUNITY JUSTICE PROJECT, ALONG WITH LEGAL SERVICES OF GREATER MIAMI AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAWS TENANTS RIGHTS CLINIC, FILED AN AMICUS BRIEF ON BEHALF OF TENANT ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTYS DECISION NOT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MOST EVICTIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC. IN OUR WORK TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO PROTEST IN FLORIDA, WE REPRESENTED BLACK-LED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND, IN A MAJOR VICTORY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND RACIAL JUSTICE, A FEDERAL JUDGE GRANTED A REQUEST TO PRELIMINARILY ENJOIN ENFORCEMENT OF A KEY PROVISION OF HB1, FLORIDAS ANTI-PROTEST LAW. LITIGATION EFFORTS TO PROTECT IMMIGRANT FAMILIES ALSO CONTINUED, RESULTING IN A FEDERAL COURT RULING THAT KEY SECTIONS OF FLORIDAS ANTI-SANCTUARY LAW VIOLATE THE EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND ENJOINING PARTS OF FLORIDAS ANTI-IMMIGRANT LAW, SB168. COMMUNITY JUSTICE PROJECT ALSO CONTINUED IN OUR EFFORTS TO AMPLIFY THE ARTS AS AN INSTRUMENTAL PART OF MOVEMENT WORK THROUGH OUR ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM AND FILM COLLABORATIVE AROUND JUSTICE IN SOUTH FLORIDA.