Court Watch NYC

We are hosting our first training of 2026 on January 7th from 7:30-9pm! You can sign up at bit.ly/introcwnyc.

2025 Year In Review — Court Watch NYC As 2025 comes to a close, we at CWNYC have been reflecting on our first full year as a completely volunteer run organization. It has been a devastating yet galvanizing year, and through it, we have he...

Check out our 2025 Year In Review on our website and on Instagram! www.courtwatchnyc.org/news/2025/12...

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Intro to Court Watch NYC Virtual Training - Court Watch NYC Welcome to CWNYC! This is the first in a two-part series of CWNYC trainings, and covers a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important and how...

Join us for our Intro to CWNYC training, the first session of our two part training series, on October 14 at 7:30 pm! We will cover a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important and how you can get involved!

Register at bit.ly/introcwnyc

Can't make the in-person training? We will also be holding our virtual training series this fall! Join us for our Intro to CWNYC session, after which you can sign up for our #BailWatch training, provide court support, join our study group, and more!

Oct 14, 7:30-9PM
Register at: bit.ly/introcwnyc

TUES SEP 16 / COURT WATCH NYC: Intro and Bail Watch Training 7p to 9:30p Join us at the shop for an in-person training that combines Court Watch NYC's Intro to CWNYC and #BailWatch trainings. We will cover a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, ...

Join us for an in-person training that combines our Intro to CWNYC and #BailWatch trainings. We will cover a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important, and how to watch arraignments!
9/16, 7-9:30p
Archestratus Books
bit.ly/cwnycintro916

📣 CWNYC volunteer training tonight! 📣
Interested in using community power to combat the carceral system? Join us. The first of our 2-part training is tonight, 4/10, 7:30-9pm ET. Sign up at
bit.ly/introcwnyc

Intro to Court Watch NYC Virtual Training - Court Watch NYC Welcome to CWNYC! This is the first in a two-part series of CWNYC trainings, and covers a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important and how...

If you would like to join us, sign up for our next virtual training on 4/10 from 7:30-9pm. bit.ly/introcwnyc

If you are a trained watcher, check your email for more information on how to sign up for shifts!

On the top half of the image, bold black capitalized text on a bright yellow background reads “ALL EYES ON COURT.” To the right is the Court Watch NYC logo, where the “O” in “Court” is replaced with a black-and-white eye. On the bottom half of the image, white text on a stark black background reads: “In response to the horrific deaths of multiple people waiting for arraignment in March, we’re calling on the Court Watch community to flood the court with watchers. Our goal is to have a court watcher at every single shift in the month of April, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan.”

In response to the horrific deaths of multiple people waiting for arraignment in March, we’re calling on the Court Watch community to flood the court with watchers.

Our goal is to have a court watcher at every single shift in the month of April, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Our goal is to have a court watcher at every single shift in the month of April, especially in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Abiding by the rules of the state still leads to irreparable harm. This cannot continue.

One difference from last week’s tragedy is that the man who lost his life this week had not been kept waiting for more than the legal twenty-four hours. It is clear that waiting for arraignment for any length of time is not humane or safe.

No one should die waiting to be arraigned, for any alleged crime.

Another man died in a Manhattan holding cell waiting to be arraigned on Wednesday morning. He was arrested for allegedly holding a subway gate open.

We are watching, we are witnessing and we will continue to share what we see.

In Solidarity,
Court Watch NYC

Our thoughts are with the man who needlessly lost his life at the hands of this terrible system on Friday morning, his loved ones, and all of those who remain cruelly caged by the state.

While the amount of time they had been held was atypical, the stories of how a single arrest sets in motion events that can upend and destroy lives are devastatingly normal stories that our watchers see every single day in court.

Throughout Friday afternoon, our watchers also saw multiple people arraigned who had been held for 40+ hours, including people who had been fasting for Ramadan, someone who had been denied a phone call to ask for someone to feed his dog, and someone who missed a scheduled surgery.

The events on Friday crudely underscored the unnecessary cruelty of detention for crimes of poverty.

This shows clearly that when the system feels exposed, it starts letting everyone go. If these “offenses” are worthy of prosecutors requesting bail for one day and suddenly not the next, then clearly these categories are arbitrary and meaningless.

In a courtroom suddenly packed with people bearing witness, the prosecutors didn’t ask for bail in a single case—no matter how “serious” the charge. Instead, they consented to release or supervised release for each person.

What our watchers then saw on Friday afternoon was a highly unusual series of arraignment hearings that laid bare the grotesque absurdity of this system.

Court Watch NYC mourns this tragedy, as well as the tragedies of the 4 other people who have been killed by the actions of cops, judges, and prosecutors—shielded by the NYC carceral system—in the past month.

Our watchers were in arraignments on Friday to observe a moment of silence for him.

He allegedly stole $213 worth of goods from Home Depot — an accusation that, under the 2019 Bail Reform law, should have resulted in a ticket.

He should never have been arrested, let alone held for over 3 days.

A man died in a holding cell in Brooklyn on Friday. He had been incarcerated for more than 3 days, waiting for an arraignment. 🧵⬇️

Bold black text on a bright yellow background reads: “#BAILWATCH: Court watchers continue to show up and serve as compassionate witnesses to the harms of the carceral state. Here are a few egregious examples of dehumanization perpetrated by judges in recent months.” At the bottom of the image is the CourtWatchNYC logo: Three thick black stripes stacked vertically, with words cut out in bright yellow on each line: COURT WATCH NYC. The letter O in “court” is replaced with an illustration of an eye.

On a bright yellow background, bold black text reads: #BAILWATCH: Judge Pauley in Manhattan set bail at $25,000 for someone accused of stealing beer from a grocery store. Below the text is the CourtWatchNYC logo.

On a bright yellow background, bold black text reads: #BAILWATCH: Judge Ryan in Manhattan set bail at $15,000 for someone who had no income, had no housing, and who required medical attention. Below the text is the CourtWatchNYC logo.

On a bright yellow background, bold black text reads: #BAILWATCH: Judge Tatham in Manhattan repeatedly berated, lectured, and patronized the people who appeared before her. Below the text is the CourtWatchNYC logo.

Court watchers continue to show up & serve as compassionate witnesses to the harms of the carceral state. Here are a few egregious examples of dehumanization perpetrated by judges in recent months.
Join us: bit.ly/introcwnyc

Flyer with details of webinar that will challenge misconceptions about recidivism. Date: March 19, 2025, 1:00pm EST Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b1IP4-XPTqO17Pqr6wpxrA#/registration

🚨One week left! 🗓️

Recidivism stories & stats are often cited to derail reforms – in this webinar, we'll discuss how you can push back against these unproductive and inaccurate claims

Register here 👇
buff.ly/isy0FO6

Intro to Court Watch NYC Virtual Training - Court Watch NYC Welcome to CWNYC! This is the first in a two-part series of CWNYC trainings, and covers a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important and how...

If you would like to join us, we are hosting the first session of our training series, Intro to CWNYC, tonight from 7:30-9pm! We will cover a brief history of mass incarceration & abolition, the NYC court system, why court watching is important and how to get involved! Sign up at bit.ly/introcwnyc!

The second session goes into detail on the logistics of how to join our arraignments watching campaign, #bailwatch. After this training, you can also sign up for arraignments watching shifts and/or help with logistics!