The History of the Human Rights Project's
New York City Human Rights Report Card
IN DEPTH-- The 2011 New York City Human Rights Report Card
We are pleased to share our 2011 New York City Human Rights Report Card.
Three new pieces of legislation intended to bring greater accountability to the NYPD were introduced by Council Member Jumaane Williams on February 29th, 2011 with the support of a group of other council members*. One bill (Int 0800-2012) would ban bias-based profiling by police based on race and gender, as well as other characteristics, the second (Int- 0799-2012) would require an officer to tell a person that they can refuse to consent to a search and require written, audio, or video evidence of that consent, and the third (Int 0801-2012) would require officers to give a business card with their information and the phone number of the Civilian Complaint Review Board to anyone they stop and frisk.
As our recent Criminal and Juvenile Justice Brief demonstrates the need for more legislation that promotes the human right to freedom from discrimination in the criminal justice system, freedom from cruel or degrading punishment, and transparent governance. We’re pleased to see new bills being introduced to promote those rights. To find out how your Council Member scored on Criminal and Juvenile Justice issues, check out the 2011 NYC Council Human Rights Report Card
*Other council members who have co-sponsored at least one of these new bills include Council Members Mark-Viverito, Mendez, Lander, Jackson, Cabrera, Comrie, Dromm, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Levin, Rose, and Wills.
Congratulations to Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito (Manhattan, District 8) for earning the highest score in the 2011 City Council Human Rights Report Card. See her report card. Council Member Mark-Viverito has made the top 5 since the report's annual publication in 2008.
Carmen Arroyo | District 17, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Arroyo
Maria del Carmen was born in Corozal and is the third child of seven children born to Pablo Juan and Carmen Elsie Arroyo. She lived in Puerto Rico until the age of seven years old. Between 1964 and 1965, her family moved to the Bronx. She attended elementary school at P.S. 154 in the South Bronx, READ MORE»
Charles Barron | District 42, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Barron
Council Member Charles Barron has been a community activist for 25 years. He has extensive experience on the local and national levels. In 1969, in need of a vehicle to express his desire for justice, Barron joined the Harlem branch of the Black Panther Party. READ MORE»
Gale A. Brewer | District 6, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Brewer
Council Member Gale A. Brewer has been representing the Upper West Side and the northern part of Clinton in the New York City Council since 2002. She was re-elected in the November 2009 general election with over 80 percent of the vote, receiving nearly 5,000 more votes than any of the other 50 Council Members who ran. READ MORE»
Fernando Cabrera | District 14, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Cabrera
Born in the Bronx on April 16, 1964, to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother, Dr. Fernando Cabrera learned early in life the value of standing up for his community and working families. While pursuing his graduate studies in Virginia, Dr. Cabrera directed one of the most successful rehabilitation programs READ MORE»
Margaret Chin | District 1, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Chin
Represents: SoHo, NoHo, TriBeCa, Washington Square area, South Village, Battery Park City, Wall Street area, South Street Seaport area, City Hall area, Little Italy, Chinatown, Lower East Side READ MORE»
Leroy Comrie | District 27, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Comrie
Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie was elected to represent the 27th Council District in 2001 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He grew up in the Southeast Queens communities that he now represents. Comrie attended P.S. 116, I.S. 8, Jamaica High School and the University of Bridgeport READ MORE»
Elizabeth Crowley | District 30, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Crowley
This year, our office has been working tirelessly to meet the needs of the taxpayers throughout the City and in the communities of Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven. Citywide we fought against a plan to close 20 fire companies and we won. READ MORE»
Inez E. Dickens | District 9, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Dickens
For 30 years, Council Member Inez E. Dickens has taken an active role in the economic development and political landscape of New York's celebrated village of Harlem. A lifelong resident of the 9th Council District that includes Central Harlem, Morningside Heights, parts of the Upper West Side and part of East Harlem, READ MORE»
Erik Martin Dilan | District 37, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Dilan
Erik Martin Dilan is a lifelong resident of the 37th Council District, which comprises the communities of Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York, Ocean-Hill Brownsville and Wyckoff Heights. He was first elected to represent the people of the 37th District in November of 2001 READ MORE»
Daniel Dromm | District 25, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Dromm
Represents: Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, LeFrak City, Corona, Rego Park, and Woodside READ MORE»
Mathieu Eugene | District 40, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Eugene
Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene made history by becoming the first Haitian-born official elected to the New York City Council. He was also the first to win his seat overwhelmingly in two special elections just a few months apart, causing some to dub him “The Haitian Sensation.” READ MORE»
Julissa Ferreras | District 21, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Ferreras
Council Member Julissa Ferreras proudly serves Corona, East Elmhurst and parts of Jackson Heights—an area of Queens that is one of the most diversely populated areas in the country, if not the world. The only child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Julissa is committed to the rights of New York’s large and growing immigrant community. READ MORE»
Lewis A. Fidler | District 46, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Fidler
In January, 2002, Lew Fidler began his first term as Councilman for the 46th District. As a Freshman Council Member, Fidler was selected by then Council Speaker Gifford Miller to serve as Chairperson of the Youth Services Committee. READ MORE»
Helen D. Foster | District 16, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Foster
Councilmember Helen Diane Foster, who was born and raised in Bronx County, was elected to the New York City Council in November 2001. She was the first African- American woman elected to a city office from Bronx County. READ MORE»
Daniel R. Garodnick | District 4, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Garodnick
Born and raised on the East Side of Manhattan, Dan Garodnick was elected to the New York City Council on November 8, 2005. In his first year on the Council, Garodnick established himself as a leader in the fight for affordable housing, spearheading the $4.5 billion tenant-backed bid for the purchase of Stuyvesant Town. READ MORE»
James F. Gennaro | District 24, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Gennaro
In November 2009, Council Member James F. Gennaro was re-elected to a third term as the representative for the 24th Council District located in Queens. Since taking office in January of 2002, Gennaro has established himself as one of the New York City Council's most thoughtful and effective legislators, READ MORE»
Vincent J. Gentile | District 43, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Gentile
I have fought successfully to get rebate checks to homeowners when Mayor Bloomberg refused to send them out; through the establishment of a Bay Ridge Greenmarket, I made sure that fresh, healthful food would be available to residents after a local supermarket closed. READ MORE»
Sara M. González | District 38, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Gonzalez
Councilwoman Sara M. González was raised and educated in Sunset Park since she was one year old. She attended community public schools including PS-1, PS-314 and Fort Hamilton High School. González is a graduate of Staten Island College and attended Columbia Graduate School of Business Management. READ MORE»
David G. Greenfield | District 44, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Greenfield
David G. Greenfield was elected to the New York City Council after a decisive victory in a Special Election on March 23, 2010. David won a majority of votes in each and every neighborhood of the 44th Council District comprising of Midwood, Boro Park and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, New York. READ MORE»
Daniel J. Halloran | District 19, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Halloran
Our District Office, located at 166-08 24th Road in Whitestone, is open each weekday and the first Saturday of each month. Residents are invited to call or drop by with any concerns you may have dealing with city government. We’re here to help. READ MORE»
Vincent Ignizio | District 51, Staten Island
Individual Report Card - CM Ignizio
Councilman Ignizio has lived on the South Shore for over 30 Years, attending PS 42 in Eltingville, IS 7 and St. Joseph by the Sea High School in Huguenot. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications and journalism from Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ. READ MORE»
Robert Jackson | District 7, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Jackson
Robert Jackson proudly represents parts of Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights, West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. A native New Yorker who was born and raised in Manhattan, Robert attended New York City public schools and later graduated from State University of New York at New Paltz. READ MORE»
Letitia James | District 35, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM James
Council Member Letitia "Tish" James was born in Brooklyn, and except for her law school education at Howard University in Washington, D.C., she has lived in Brooklyn all her life. She loves her community, in all its diversity, and has devoted her life to helping it thrive. READ MORE»
Peter Koo | District 20, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Koo
Councilman Peter Koo was elected to the New York City Council in November 2009. Peter Koo immigrated to America from Hong Kong in 1971. He worked minimum wage jobs at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin Donuts to put himself through the University of New Mexico - College of Pharmacy. READ MORE»
G. Oliver Koppell | District 11, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Koppell
As your Council Member, I work to provide you and all of the people in my district with the best city services possible, a safe, clean and healthy environment and the opportunity to maximize your quality of life. READ MORE»
Karen Koslowitz | District 29, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Koslowitz
Council Member Karen Koslowitz has been a lifelong and tireless advocate in helping seniors, women, and families improve their standard of living and quality of life. Koslowitz serves the 29th District of Queens, which includes Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens and parts of Maspeth, Richmond Hill, and Elmhurst. READ MORE»
Brad Lander | District 39, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Lander
Represents: Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Street, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Boro Park. Committees: Economic Development; Environmental Protection; General Welfare; Housing & Buildings; Land Use READ MORE»
Jessica S. Lappin | District 5, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Lappin
I’m honored to represent the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island in the City Council. I’m committed to reducing class sizes, strengthening construction site safety, improving our transportation alternatives, protecting seniors, and building a greener, more livable city. READ MORE»
Stephen Levin | District 33, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Levin
Stephen Levin grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey and came to Brooklyn to work as a community organizer after he graduated from Brown University. Stephen started his career in community organizing by simultaneously running a Lead Safe House program and an Anti-Predatory lending program, both based in Bushwick. READ MORE»
Melissa Mark-Viverito | District 8, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Mark-Viverito
Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was elected to the City Council in January 2006 to serve as Council Member for the 8th Council District. Melissa is the first Puerto Rican woman and Latina elected to represent her district. READ MORE»
Darlene Mealy | District 41, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Mealy
Council Member Mealy was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Brooklyn's 41st District, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area. She attended P.S. 28, J.H.S 271 and George W. Wingate High School. She later studied at The Borough of Manhattan Community College and Cornell for Labor Women Studies. READ MORE»
Rosie Mendez | District 2, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Mendez
Represents: Lower East Side, East Village, Gramercy Park, Rosehill, Kips Bay; southern part of Murray Hill. Chair of the Committee on Public Housing; Sits on the following Committees: Health; Housing & Buildings; Land Use; Landmarks, Public Sitting & Maritime Uses; Lower Manhattan Redevelopment. READ MORE»
Michael Nelson | District 48, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Nelson
Elected to the New York City Council in a Special Election in February of 1999, and then re-elected in landslide victories in November of 1999, November of 2001, November of 2003, November 2005 and most recently November 2009. A proud veteran of the United States Air Force, Nelson was presented the “Schiller Memorial Award for Americanism and Patriotism.” READ MORE»
James S. Oddo | District 50, Staten Island
Individual Report Card - CM Oddo
Just as I have throughout my tenure with the Council, my staff and I are here to help you with any issue of concern. We want to make it as easy and convenient as possible for you to contact us. READ MORE»
Annabel Palma | District 18, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Palma
Council Member Annabel Palma is dedicated to fighting for workers' rights and social justice and is committed to improving the community she's lived in her entire life. She was first elected in the fall of 2003 to represent the people of the 18th Council District. READ MORE»
Christine C. Quinn | District 3, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - Speaker Quinn
Since her election as City Council Speaker, Christine C. Quinn has established herself as a champion for working families, fighting for policies and services that are critical to the lives of real New Yorkers. She has worked to make the Council more responsive to the needs of all New Yorkers, and dramatically increased transparency and accountability. READ MORE»
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr | District 47, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Recchia
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. is the City Council Member for the 47th District, which comprises Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Brighton Beach and Gravesend. He is the chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Finance. READ MORE»
Diana Reyna | District 34, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Reyna
Since 2002, Council Member Diana Reyna has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to her community through government service and advocacy. She has garnered citywide attention for her tireless efforts – powerfully and successfully championing affordable housing. READ MORE»
Hon. Joel Rivera | District 15, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Rivera
Majority Leader Joel Rivera made his mark in history by becoming the youngest New York City elected official at the age of 22. Rivera succeeded his father, Assemblyman Jose Rivera, as the New York City Councilmember for District 15 in a 2001 special election. READ MORE»
Ydanis Rodriguez | District 10, Manhattan
Individual Report Card - CM Rodriguez
Ydanis Rodriguez has a long track record of fighting and winning for the community he represents. For more than 20 years he has served his community with honesty, dignity, and integrity. As Council Member he continues to fight for much-needed services for Northern Manhattan. READ MORE»
Deborah Rose | District 49, Staten Island
Individual Report Card - CM Rose
Deborah "Debi" Rose is a 2nd generation Staten Island native who has devoted the last twenty-eight years to the betterment of the North Shore community. In a wide range of elected and volunteer positions, she has proven herself an effective advocate for all of the North Shore. READ MORE»
James Sanders, Jr. | District 31, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Sanders
New York City Council Member James Sanders Jr. is in his third term representing Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, Rosedale and the Rockaway’s (Council District 31). Throughout his tenure, he has proven to be a fighter for his constituents and a tireless community organizer. READ MORE»
Larry B. Seabrook | District 12, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Seabrook
In 2001, New York City Councilman Larry B. Seabrook made history as the first African American to hold office in three legislative branches: New York State Assembly, New York State Senate, and in his current position as a member of the New York City Council. READ MORE»
Eric Ulrich | District 32, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Ulrich
Eric A. Ulrich was born and raised in Ozone Park, Queens. He attended P.S. 63 (Old South), and graduated from Nativity B.V.M catholic elementary school. After graduating from Cathedral Prep. Seminary High School, Eric became the first member of his family to earn a college degree. READ MORE»
James Vacca | District 13, Bronx
Individual Report Card - CM Vacca
A life-long resident of the Bronx, Jimmy Vacca was born here in 1955, and raised in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. Jimmy was educated in the New York City public school system, where he attended P.S. 71, J.H.S. 101, and then Christopher Columbus High School. READ MORE»
Peter F. Vallone, Jr. | District 22, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Vallone
Council Member Peter F. Vallone Jr. represents Astoria and the surrounding communities in the New York City Council and serves as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. As Chair, he has led the fight to stop cuts to the NYPD and put more officers in our local precincts. READ MORE»
Jimmy Van Bramer | District 26, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Van Bramer
A life long resident of Western Queens, Jimmy Van Bramer was elected to the New York City Council on November 3, 2009. A community organizer, Jimmy Van Bramer is the son of two active union members. While growing up Jimmy sometimes followed his stepfather, a public-school custodian, to work. READ MORE»
Albert Vann | District 36, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Vann
Born and raised in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Council Member Albert Vann has served his home community for nearly all of his adult life, both as an educator and an elected official. Vann attended New York City public schools and graduated from the Franklin K. Lane High School. READ MORE»
Mark Weprin | District 23, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Weprin
Mark S. Weprin was elected to the New York City Council on November 3, 2009. Prior to his election to the Council, Mark Weprin represented the 24th Assembly District in the New York State Assembly. He was elected to the Assembly in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of his father, Assembly Speaker Saul Weprin. READ MORE»
Jumaane D. Williams | District 45, Brooklyn
Individual Report Card - CM Williams
Jumaane D. Williams is a first-generation Brooklynite of West Indian parentage. He has been fighting for affordable housing for most of his career. Jumaane served as the Housing Director for the Flatbush Development Corporation, where he re-constituted a defunct housing program. READ MORE»
Ruben Wills | District 28, Queens
Individual Report Card - CM Wills
Council Member Ruben Wills was elected in a November 2010 special election after the passing of Council Member Thomas White, Jr. At 21, Council Member Wills became an entrepreneur and started a home contracting business which became a center of opportunity for young adults, the formerly incarcerated, and other at-risk residents of the community to acquire the job skills. READ MORE»
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