Brooklyn Org Spark Prize

Executive Director Letter 

We're thrilled to announce that Good Call was honored with the Brooklyn Org Spark Prize in January. This prestigious award comes with $100,000 of unrestricted funding, enabling us to further our mission of providing immediate, free legal support. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Brooklyn Org and the selection committee for recognizing our commitment to racial and social justice in Brooklyn. In celebration of this achievement, this month’s letter will be replaced by a speech delivered by Danielle Krumholtz, one of our hotline attorneys, at the award breakfast highlighting the impact of our work and the importance of continued support.

"Last fall, a Spanish-speaking woman called our hotline. She hadn’t heard from her husband for two days. She was worried and was looking for any information. “He doesn’t speak English,” she said, “He only came to this country a few years ago.” “No problem,” I told her, and with his name and DOB, I was able to see that her husband was recently arrested, and that bail had been set- meaning he would be held in jail unless and until someone was able to pay his bail. I explained all this, along with the name and phone number of her husband’s attorney, and details about where he was being held, to his wife. After her initial relief at learning where her husband was, new questions emerged: when, if at all, would she get to see her husband? Was immigration going to come for him? Her anxiety was building, not decreasing as I had hoped. 

While I couldn’t tell her any details about her husband’s  case, I made sure she knew when his next court date was, so she could see and support him there, and provided her information about bail so she could begin making arrangements to get him home. The next morning, I reached out to her husband’s lawyer, who was happy to be connected to their client’s family member. And just as critically, I made sure his attorney knew that, as a noncitizen, immigration consequences needed to be analyzed with an immigration lawyer. A week later, the wife texted me that she was finally able to get her husband out of jail and thanked Good Call for helping her find her husband.

This caller is similar to so many of the callers we receive on GoodCall’s hotline. They are parents, siblings, spouses, and friends, many of whom don’t know where to turn when their loved one hasn’t come home and they have no idea where they are

Imagine if you were in that situation without a clue as to who to call or how to find your child or spouse or sibling. Your mind starts to spiral thinking of the endless possibilities of where they could be, and under what circumstances.

Or imagine you were arrested for the first time yourself, had your phone and belongings taken away from you, and have no idea what is happening or how to navigate what’s to come.

In New York, these situations are all too commonplace. In 2023, almost 110,000 people were arrested and prosecuted across the five boroughs, with almost 2,500 of arrestees under 18 years old. Although shockingly almost half of arrests don’t actually result in a criminal conviction, the arrest itself—and subsequent time spent in jail, attending court, away from loved ones, jobs, andhome—have huge consequences on each individual’s life.  

Almost half of GoodCall’s callers—48% to be exact—are in police custody at the time they reach out. Connecting with a volunteer attorney facilitates three important outcomes: (1) the caller can be connected with a public defender early—increasing their chances of being released the first time they see a judge; (2) the caller’s loved ones can be contacted, relieving stress and increasing the likelihood the caller will be released at their arraignment due to the presence of family members; and (3) the caller’s right to remain silent and not be questioned without an attorney can be invoked, protecting the caller from often-abused power. These moments are critical, and having access to legal representation results in better outcomes, not simply for the person being arrested, but for that person’s child who depends on them, who they need on a daily basis. 

It means that the person’s elderly mother no longer spends sleepless nights thinking about whether her son is in harm’s way. And having good legal representation means that the person simply stands a better chance of resolving their case in a way more favorable than had they remained detained and often alone.

I’ve been a GoodCall volunteer for almost five years, since the summer of 2020. I’ve connected with almost 2,000 callers, and continue to receive calls almost every day. As a lawyer with a background in immigration and criminal law, I could volunteer with a lot of organizations, but I’ve stayed with GoodCall because of the immediate impact we have on individuals’ lives every single day. No one call I’ve received is the same as the next; every caller’s situation is unique but every one needs this critical service.

And that’s why with this amazing support from Spark Prize, we can ensure that calls like these keep getting answered, helping individuals when they need it most.

Thank you for your support and trust in GoodCall. Your belief in our mission means everything to the people we serve."