Since its inception in 2018, PolicyLink Legal has provided legal representation, analysis, and strategic support to community-based coalitions working toward equitable economic development or justice in the criminal-legal system. Directed by inaugural James O. Gibson Innovation Fellow Julian Gross and PolicyLink Managing Director Anand Subramanian, the PolicyLink Legal team includes Coordinator Kasandra Kachakji and attorneys Lewis Brown, Ursula Lindsey, and Novella Coleman — who joined us earlier this year from the ACLU of Northern California to initiate and develop our litigation practice.
The PolicyLink Legal team has achieved several impressive victories this year, including:
Winning federal court rulings against the City and County of San Francisco and individual San Francisco Police Department officers in their efforts to avoid responsibility for targeting Black people exclusively in an undercover drug law enforcement operation.
Negotiating a jobs-centered community benefits agreement for our client, the Good Jobs 4 All coalition, regarding a hotel development in the Central SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco.
Promoting transparency, public accountability, and democratic control over local law enforcement by winning a formal order against the San Francisco Police Department to make public a key document related to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Advancing the Families Over Fees Act (SB 144) that would eliminate criminal justice fees in California and waive millions of dollars of debt incurred as a result of the fees, providing significant relief to some of California's most disinvested communities.
These victories follow other recent wins, including legally-binding commitments of over $20 million towards affordable housing in South Los Angeles as part of the Reef project and a $20 million fund from Facebook — and an additional $55 million in leveraged capital — for local affordable housing needs. Additionally, PolicyLink Legal partnered with community advocates in San Francisco by providing legal, technical, and advocacy support as part of the No Justice, No Deal campaign to highlight problematic police union tactics and make police contract negotiations more transparent and democratic.
PolicyLink Legal has also provided targeted trainings and consultation to local equity allies in communities around the country. To learn more about PolicyLink Legal, please visit our website.
