About Price And Associates
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Attorney Pamela Y. Price founded Price And Associates in June 1991 with a vision to establish a minority- and woman-owned litigation Firm in Oakland, California. In the 21 years since its inception, the Firm has evolved into a premier civil rights practice with a wealth of experience in federal court litigation.
For more information, visit our website at www.pypesq.com.
To submit a Potential Client Questionnaire, go to Contact Us.
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In Memoriam
 Chairman Black Panther Party (BPP) Chicago, Illinois 8/30/48 - 12/4/69
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January 31, 2013
Lawyers' Committee for
Civil Rights (LCCR)
26th Annual
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon
11:00 a.m. Reception
12:00 p.m. Program
Keynote Speaker
Rep. Barbara Lee
The Westin St. Francis
335 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
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5th Annual
December 29, 2012
9:00 PM
The Washington Inn Hotel 495 10th Street
Oakland, CA
Dancing Fun! Complimentary Hors d'ouvres Buffet No Host Bar Donation: $15.00 - In Advance $20.00 Cash - At The Door
All proceeds go to the
Civil Rights Division of
Price And Associates
www.pypesq.com
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SAVE THE DATE!
May 31, 2013
2nd Annual
Friends Foundation International Benefit
Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison Street
Berkeley
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- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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"The time is always right to do what is right."
- Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
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Pamela and husband Vernon Crawley wish you and yours a joyous Holiday Season
and a Happy New Year!
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Welcome! This month's issue focuses on the impact of time in our lives and work. How many of us have said "I can't believe it's December already." Losing track of time seems to be the common theme of our lives. As 2012 fades into history, I tend to look back and think of all the things I did not get done. Whatever progress was made seems to get lost in the shuffle. "Justice" in America is painfully slow and hard to get. And so, I forget how many lives I touched or how many people I helped.
I just feel like time is running away from me. But as time marches on, we continue to serve, and strive for excellence, and make the world a better place. Bishop J.W. Macklin reminded us in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings that "evil flourishes when good men do nothing." Every day is a day to tell someone that you love them.
Remember, the time is always right to do what is right.
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MONTHLY FEATURE
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Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied
In 1963, in his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote prophetically that "justice delayed is justice denied." Although not a lawyer, Dr. King certainly understood better than most lawyers that when one is seeking a better life or redress for harm inflicted, every day of delay prolongs the agony. Perhaps Dr. King's letter should be required reading for all judges, some of whom think that justice is about "process" more so than protecting someone's rights or righting a wrong.
 Some say that the greatest challenge to justice today is the gutting of the courts' budget. Consumer Attorneys of California President Brian Kabateck recently announced that California courts face their own "fiscal cliff" under a new proposal that would slash more than $200 million in additional funding in the coming fiscal year. "With all the funding cuts, our justice system has been teetering at the edge of a very deep ravine," Kabateck said. "With apologies to Congress, we here in California are facing our own fiscal cliff when it comes to the future of our courts."
New York and California are among the states that have been hit hardest by budget cuts.
In the face of budget cuts, courts have been laying off workers at all levels, including the clerks who process the paper that make it possible for the judge to make a decision. As a result, it takes longer to get a hearing date of any kind, longer to get a decision, and longer to get a trial date. The delay in getting a trial date means that most people will simply decide to settle the case without a trial just to "get it done."
The impact on the criminal justice system is even more profound. Deep budget cuts to courts, public defenders, district attorney's and attorney general offices are testing the criminal justice system across the country. In the most extreme cases, public defenders are questioning whether their clients are getting a fair shake. The ripple effects have spread far beyond criminal cases to even the most mundane court tasks, such as traffic violations and child custody petitions.
The Courts are a lot like lawyers. You hate them until you need one. The reality is that most of us at some point in our lives will want and perhaps desperately need a court to resolve a dispute. The question is what will our justice system look like in 2014. The answer is up to us.
To let Governor Brown know that the continued slashing of the Court's budget is unacceptable, contact the Governor's office directly at 916-445-2841. If you have a related story the public needs to know, contact Eric Bailey, Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) Communications Director at 916-669-7122 or ebailey@caoc.org.
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EVENTS RECAP
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Charles Houston Bar Association (CHBA) Annual Gala
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Professor Cheryl E. Amana-Burris and Attorney John L. Burris with Pamela
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 | Pamela with the Hon. Brenda
Harbin-Forte |
The Charles Houston Bar Association
(CHBA) celebrated another year of "Laying the Foundation for the Future" at its Annual Gala Dinner and Dance on December 1, 2012. The Mistress of Ceremonies was Yolanda Jackson, the Diversity Director for the San Francisco Bar Association. "Distinguished Honorees" included the Hon. Brenda Harbin-Forte, who received the CHBA Hall of Fame Award. Judge Harbin-Forte has been a distinguished member of the judiciary since 1992, and at the forefront of efforts to improve diversity in the judiciary. She was the first woman to serve as the Presiding Judge of the Alameda County Juvenile Court and the first chair of the State Bar's Council on Access and Fairness. She is an excellent and well-respected trial judge who has proven that she is willing to go the "extra mile" to ensure a fair trial and that justice is properly served.
The National Bar Association's Election Protection Taskforce Co-Chair, Rozenia Cummings, Esq., received this year's Clinton W. White Advocacy Award. Dr. Raye Mitchell was recognized with the Benjamin Travis Community Service Award. Highlights included an address by State Bar President Patrick M. Kelly about the fiscal crisis in the Courts, and greetings from National Bar Association President John E. Page. President Page's remarks were particularly poignant regarding the commitment of lawyers to serving the community.
Price And Associates was pleased to once again sponsor a table at the event and bring together friends and colleagues to share in acknowledging the honorees and the legacy of Charles Hamilton Houston. For more information about the CHBA, visit www.charleshoustonbar.org.
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Scholarship recipient Derik Hilliard with Sherri and Otis Bruce (past President of the Marin County Bar Association), sponsors of the Law Student Scholarship
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5th Annual James Brown Party
Benefiting the Civil Rights Division
of Price And Associates
On Saturday night, December 29, 2012 beginning at 9:00 p.m., the Fifth Annual James Brown Party will light up the Washington Inn Hotel in downtown Oakland. Every year this popular event gets bigger and better.
The James Brown Party features prizes for the James Brown trivia contest, delicious hors-d'oeuvres, a no-host bar, non-stop music and fun and most importantly - dancing - lots of dancing.
Please join us on Saturday, December 29th to celebrate 2012 and welcome 2013 with Pamela and her husband Vernon Crawley, and Price And Associates.
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Dancing at the 2011 James Brown Party
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Music Dancing Fun!
Tickets are $15.00 in advance, or $20.00 cash at the door.
The historic Washington Inn Hotel is located at 495 10th Street, Oakland.
We look forward to seeing all
of you to send off 2012 and
Pamela celebrates with the Honorable Judge Horace Wheatley (retired) at 2011 James Brown Party
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| CASE HIGHLIGHTS |
BERNDT v. CDCR - The Oldest Case
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Berndt v. CDCR is the oldest case in our docket. It is also one of the oldest cases still active in the federal district court for the Northern District of California. In November 2003, we filed this class action lawsuit on behalf of the thousands of women who work for CDC and experience sexual harassment by the inmates on a regular basis. Martha Berndt, the lead Plaintiff, worked at Pelican Bay State Prison for more than nine (9) years. Officer Berndt was joined by nine (9) other female employees assigned to CDC institutions around the State, including Pelican Bay, Corcoran, CMF-Vacaville and CSP-Sacramento. On March 20, 2012, after five (5) months of deliberation, Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton denied our motion to certify the class, leaving over 11,000 female CDCR employees "on their own" to find lawyers and sue CDCR. In June, 2012, Judge Hamilton refused to set a trial date for the case, leaving it open until January 2014 to decide how she will process the remaining cases.
January 2014 is not a typo. When the cases go to trial, it will have been almost eleven (11) years and three judges later. Women whose lives were totally disrupted and careers lost are still waiting for "justice" to get serious. In March 2009, Plaintiff Judy Longo committed suicide. She was totally devastated by the loss of her thirteen (13) year career with CDCR. We believe that CDCR retaliated against her when she complained about sexual harassment inside the prison and fired her when she would not be quiet. Her family believes that CDCR has her blood on its hands. Plaintiff Sophia Curry was viciously attacked and almost killed by an inmate who was angry that she wrote him up for sexual harassment. CDCR does not deny that her blood is on its hands. Appeals to our first female Attorney General, Kamala Harris, to settle the case and do right by these women have gone unanswered - a disappointing silence.
The Berndt case is a heartbreaking story of loss and trauma. It is truly a story of justice delayed and justice denied. It reflects the worst aspects of our judicial system - insensitivity to the harm suffered by victims and acquiescence to the manipulation of the system to delay and thereby deny justice. We will do everything in our power to ensure that one day, these women are compensated for the harm that they have clearly suffered. For Judy Longo, that day will come too late. But her memory and her story will inspire us to keep fighting until the victory is won. |
| COMMUNITY SERVICE |
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Civil Rights Division of Price And Associates
Attorney Pamela Y. Price founded Price And Associates in June 1991 with a vision to establish a minority- and woman-owned litigation Firm in Oakland, California, specializing in civil rights, real estate and legal malpractice defense. In the 21 years since its inception, the Firm has evolved into a premier civil rights practice with a wealth of experience in federal court litigation.Price And Associates has a reputation for taking on cases that "no one else would take." As the lead plaintiff in the first sexual harassment case under Title IX, Attorney Price appreciated the vision of attorneys willing to take novel cases for no money to help those who needed it most. Whether representing African-American workers in the railroad yards, African-American students terrorized by the Decoto gang in Union City or women being sexually harassed on the job inside California's prisons, the Firm has taken on challenging cases that lasted for years. The clients did not have money to fund these cases and most foundations do not fund litigation intended to protect civil rights.On the occasion of the Firm's 20th Anniversary in 2011, with the encouragement of her client, Freddie Davis, the President of the Hayward/South County Chapter of the NAACP, Attorney Price determined to create a division of the Firm dedicated to the protection of civil rights through litigation, supported by the community it serves. It is a vision to train and develop a team of lawyers that will take on "cutting-edge" cases that challenge the status quo with a mission to both protect and expand civil rights in America. It is a vision to link the work we do more closely to the community we serve. It is a renewed call to action in the spirit of the Firm's founding principle that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."For more information and to support the Civil Rights Division of Price And Associates, please join us at the Annual James Brown Party on December 29, 2012 at the Washington Inn (RSVP at pypesq.com) or contact us at mlkfirm@pypesq.com.
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The Season of Giving
"The 'miracle' of Christmas is repeated over and over again
through the joy of caring and sharing" - The Salvation Army
Once again, it's that time of year when we share the holiday spirit to put smiles on the faces of others including Oakland's children and those in need. The Holiday Season provides many opportunities to volunteer, give of yourself and share with others. In this season of giving, more than a handful of organizations are helping those in need. Last year alone, the Mayor's Community Toy Drive provided toys to over 5,400 children from low income families with more than 11,000 dolls, trucks, books, board games, sports equipment, and gifts. The Oaklanders Assistance Center, with help from the Oakland Fire Department, has organized one of the city's largest toy collection and distribution sites. Click here to find locations in Oakland where you can donate toys during normal business hours. For a list of places where you can either donate or register to receive free food, coats and toys in time for Christmas, visit Oakland Local.
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 Price And Associates
901 Clay Street Oakland, California 94607 (510) 452-0292 (510) 452-5625 (Fax) "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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This eNewsletter is designed for general information only. The information presented in this email should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. This is Attorney Advertising. |
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