Community Engagement Expert

Position: Community Engagement Expert

Terms of Employment: Independent Contractor (Consultant) Will terminate at the conclusion of Phase II of the Oversight Period. It will generally require at least 25 hours per week.

Location: New York City

Salary: Compensation of up to $75,000 to $90,000 per year depending on experience. The position is Funded entirely by fees from the Settlement Agreement.

Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and will be considered until hiring is complete. Proposals must be submitted electronically no later than November 24, 2024.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is one of the nation's leading advocates on behalf of constitutional rights and liberties. Founded in 1951, as the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, the NYCLU is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization with more than 90,000 members and supporters, and eight offices statewide. We work in the courts, in the legislatures and on the streets to advocate for racial and economic justice, free speech, freedom of religion, privacy and equality before the law for all New Yorkers. For more information, please visit our website: www.nyclu.org.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

The plaintiffs’ representatives on the oversight committee are issuing a request for proposals for an experienced consultant to fill the role of the Community Engagement Expert. The Community Engagement Expert will be responsible for engaging affected communities including grassroots organizations, legal organizations, press organizations and legal observers, and ensuring that community input is incorporating into the Oversight Phase of this Agreement. The Community Engagement Expert will be a critical part of the oversight process by engaging with the community to help determine if the NYPD is actually complying with the Settlement Agreement.

After the murder of George Floyd, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) engaged in countless acts of violence against protestors calling for racial justice and police accountability as well as members of the press and legal observers attending those protests. NYPD officers pepper sprayed demonstrators indiscriminately, beat them with batons, struck pedestrians with bicycles, and trapped and arrested them in enclosed spaces by using a tactic known as “kettling.” On October 26, 2020, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society initiated a federal civil rights lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of 11 individuals who had been brutalized by the NYPD during the protests. Subsequently, the People of the State of New York represented the Office of the New York Attorney General, several members of the press represented by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Wylie Stecklow PLLC, and individual protestors represented by the Aboushi Law Firm and Cohen & Green PLLC, and other private counsel also filed suit. The lawsuits were joined together by the District Court. After years of litigation, the City of New York and the collective Plaintiffs entered a Settlement Agreement requiring sustained compliance with reforms to the NYPD’s policies and procedures concerning the policing of First Amendment activities (FAAs) to ensure that the Department responds to FAAs in a manner that complies with the U.S. Constitution and federal and state laws. The District Court approved the Settlement Agreement on February 7, 2024. 1

Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the NYPD will utilize a tiered response system at FAAs where deployed officers have an obligation to use de-escalation techniques with the goal of facilitating the First Amendment rights of protesters. The tiers progress from the presumptive Tier One, where police presence is minimal and limited, to the last resort of Tier Four where officers may order people at FAAs to disperse. Additionally, the Settlement Agreement addresses the obligations of the NYPD concerning use of force at FAAs and declares that NYPD officers cannot engage in “kettling” and other prohibited acts.2 The Settlement Agreement also includes added protections for members of the press and legal observers.

The Settlement Agreement provides for a period of oversight for NYPD’s compliance. In phase one, NYPD must begin changing its trainings and policies to comply with the terms of the agreement, including the four-tiered response system, arrest policies, use of force at public demonstrations, and treatment of members of the press. In phase two, the oversight committee composed of the Office of the Attorney General, the Commissioner of DOI, New York City Office of Corporation Counsel, the new NYPD FAA Senior Executive, and two representatives from LAS, NYCLU, Aboushi Law Firm PLLC, Cohen and Green PLLC, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Wylie Stecklow PLLC will oversee and monitor NYPD’s implementation and compliance with the new reforms over a multi-year period. The Community Engagement Expert will primarily do their work during this period.

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1 The complete terms of the Settlement Agreement are available here.

2 Plaintiffs have defined “kettling” as the enclosing of individuals with an intent to take police action against them without having individualized probable cause.

DEI VISION STATEMENT

The NYCLU affirmatively values the humanity and contributions of those we work with, inside and outside of the organization; and will take action to build and sustain an equitable, anti-racist culture that centers the voices and experiences of marginalized and directly impacted people and communities, and an organizational environment where all people feel valued, trusted, and respected. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and having a workforce that reflects the population that we serve and actively recruit people of color, women, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated people, and LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Community Engagement Expert will:

• Develop a community engagement plan that is shared with the plaintiffs’ counsel.
• Identify individuals, grassroots organizations, members of the press, and legal observers that regularly organize and participate in FAAs in New York City.
• Regularly meet with grassroots organizations, members of the press, and legal observers that regularly organize and participate in FAAs in New York City to solicit feedback, input, and concerns about policing at such FAAs with the goal of understanding stakeholders’ experiences regarding the NYPD’s compliance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement. These efforts shall utilize various formats to promote inclusivity, including traditional gatherings, such as community meetings and roundtables, as well as individualized outreach.
• Implement online strategies, including by the use of surveys and social media, to collect feedback, experiences, recommendations, and input from individuals, grassroots organizations, members of the press, and legal observers that regularly participate in FAAs in New York City to conduct outreach to stakeholders concerning their experiences with policing at such activities.
• Meet with the Collaborative Review Committee at biannual meetings and communicate the perspectives, experiences, and insights gathered from community members and other stakeholders as well as their own analysis, experiences, and ideas gained in the process of gathering this information.
• Review all reports issued during the Oversight Phase and any case developments. Draft reports or letters to the court concerning compliance when necessary.
• Participate in public education on civil liberties and civil rights issues in the form of speaking engagements and published writings.
• Collaborate with leaders and staff across the NYCLU— including the Education Policy Center, Racial Justice Center, Policy, Communications, and Field Departments —to ensure that the NYCLU has an integrated approach to address injustice.
• Supervise and mentor law students as part of the NYCLU summer-intern program and contribute to the professional development of other members of the legal department and for senior staff attorneys, mentor NYCLU staff attorneys.
• Regularly communicate with the Plaintiffs and share the feedback received from community members as well as their own perspectives to the Oversight counsel.
• Arrange meetings for the Oversight counsel with community members to hear their experiences and perspectives.
• Regularly attend FAAs in New York City, with a particular focus on protests or demonstrations concerning social justice, racial justice, or policing to assess compliance and implementation of provisions of the Settlement Agreement.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, or at least six years of comparable professional experience working as a community organizer with an exhibited commitment to Racial Justice.
• Strong Oral and Written communication skills, especially the ability to prepare reports that synthesize information from diverse sources.
• Demonstrated ability of completing projects within anticipated deadlines and budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively organize, communicate and collaborate with diverse constituencies interested in policing issues, including English Language Learners or limited English-proficient persons and communities.
• Experience organizing town halls, know your rights trainings, or other kinds of community outreach events as well as organizing or attending demonstrations or protests.
• Existing relationships with organizations or communities that regularly engage in First Amendment activities.
• Familiarity and understanding of issues concerning policing in New York City.

Ideal Candidate Will Also Possess:

• Spanish and/or other language skills.
• The ability to use social media tools.
• Experience or familiarity with best practices in conducting surveys and/or other forms of data collection.
• Working knowledge of the NYPD and comfort with communicating with law enforcement.
• Experience working and communicating with attorneys.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a complete proposal to include a resume, cover letter, writing sample (preferable one that includes examples of organizing skills listed above), proposal narrative and project budget via Ideaist.org or https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/2737968/New-York-Civil-Liberties-Union-Foundation/Community-Engagement-Expert

If feasible, please submit these materials as a single PDF.

Proposals must be submitted electronically no later than November 24, 2024. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Details are below.

Proposal Narrative

Please prepare a narrative of three to five pages describing your plan for fulfilling the obligations for this role. Please:

1. In detail, describe your plan to conduct outreach to groups that regularly engage in FAAs in New York City.
2. Describe what grassroots organizations you already have connections to and how you plan to leverage those connections to fulfill your role as the Community Engagement Expert.
3. Describe how you plan to use roundtables, surveys, social media, and the internet to collect the experiences of the community members with policing at FAAs.
4. Describe how often and regularly you plan to attend FAAs in your capacity as the Community Engagement Expert.
5. Identify references and contacts that can speak connections with existing grassroots organizations.

Program budget

This project will have a program budget of $40,000 per year. Technology such as a computer and email account and flexible office space will be provided. Include an itemized project budget that reflects the full expenses to carry out the project.

City residents, people of color, women, persons with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and gender non-conforming persons are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Plaintiffs are committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all applicants and, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and city laws, does not discriminate on the basis of: sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions); sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; race; creed; color; religion; political affiliation; national origin; alienage or citizenship status; ancestry; age; marital status or partnership status; caregiver status; family responsibilities; disability; medical condition; personal appearance; genetic information; predisposing genetic characteristics; military or veteran status; status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking, and sex offenses; arrest or conviction record; pending cases; cannabis use; consumer credit history; salary or pay history; unemployment status; or on any other basis prohibited by law.

Plaintiffs are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e-mail Tatianna Sosa tsosa@nyclu.org . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The NYCLU is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, sex, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.