Local cities, towns and villages throughout NYS have increasingly looked to nuisance ordinances as a tool to address their problems with neighborhood crime.  However, for years, advocates have been warning that these laws are fraught with unintended consequences and legal improprieties that fall hardest on victims of domestic violence and other victims of crime.  In June 2017, an appeals court issued the first decision in New York examining these ordinances in a landmark case called Village of Groton v. Pirro.  NYSCADV joined an amicus brief drafted by the Empire Justice Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the New York Civil Liberties Union to the Groton court explaining our grave concerns with these local laws.  The appeals court invalidated Groton’s entire nuisance ordinance after determining that its impact on victims of domestic violence and other crime victims was an unconstitutional violation of their rights.
This statewide webinar for domestic violence residential and non-residential programs will explain the Groton decision and its impact statewide, as well as provide advocates with a better understanding of:

The problem of nuisance ordinances
How to spot a nuisance ordinance in your own community
How to deal with a nuisance ordinance in your community once you find one

Presenters:  Amy Schwartz-Wallace, Esq., Empire Justice Center, Sandra Park, Esq., American Civil Liberties Union and Scout Katovich, Esq., New York Civil Liberties Union