Stephanie Caballero

Stephanie has worked as a political organizer/activist for the past six years on various campaigns (political campaigns and issue-based campaigns). Caballero has a degree in Political Science with a double minor in Spanish and Mexican-American studies. Caballero firmly believes in freedom of movement and has a passion for immigrant rights, prison rights, juvenile justice and environmental justice. She has plans to attend graduate school in the near future but is currently working as a immigration paralegal for a law firm, is also interning with TCRP and volunteering with Catholic Charities. Caballero plans to continue her formal education in hopes to gain the expertise to empower the marginalized within more formal settings. Her goal is not to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves but instead to help create an environment that allows the silenced to develop their own voices.

Grant Patterson

Through the Civil Rights Project, Grant hopes to learn as much as he can about the issues of civil rights in our state and the most effective ways to tackle them. He has spent his whole life here in Texas; Patterson grew up in Dallas and is now studying Political Science at Rice University. Grant is trying to pair courses related to the philosophy, sociology, and politics of social justice and inequality with the real world challenges that persist in this state. As he continues to inform his conscience through coursework and the internship with the TCRP, Patterson is confident that working for the families and the communities in Texas who need assistance the most will make for a rewarding experience now, and a very fulfilling career down the road.

Austin, Texas, Stefanie Mossakowski
Stefanie Mossakowski was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida but now happily considers herself a Texas native. She graduated from Texas State University in 2006 with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Social Work. Stefanie will be graduating from Texas State University with a Master of Social Work in the Spring of 2013. After obtaining her Masters, she intends on working full-time in the area of youth and community related development and services. Her passions revolve around issues related to poverty, social inequality, at-risk and gang involved youth, and community preservation, sustainability, and wellness. Additionally, in the future the Stefanie hopes to open her own community outreach center to address issues of poverty, resource development, life skills training, and community wellness.

Austin, Texas, Gwendolyn Cubit
Gwendolyn Cubit is a native of Austin, Texas. She is currently a social work student at The University of Texas at Austin working on her Bachelor degree. Gwendolyn’s interests include community activism, working with the developmentally disabled, and policy reform. She hopes to one day work in the area of legislation to improve social services.

THANK YOU FOR A TERRIFIC GRAND OPENING!

YOU are cordially invited to join Texas Civil Rights Project-Houston for a Grand Opening Celebration to be held on April 4th, 2013, at 2006 Wheeler Ave., Houston, TX 77004 (map), from 5:30-7:30pm.

The Grand Opening Celebration marks a new era for the civil rights community in Houston, as the NAACP-Houston branch has graciously opened their arms and allowed TCRP-Houston use of an office building on their property.

We are located right next door to Houston-NAACP, which is graciously letting us locate our new offices in a house also owned by the NAACP.

TCRP-Houston Staff and Volunteers: Tom Power, Amin Alehashem, Markesha Turner, and Hani Mirza

Please invite your friends and family to join us for an after-work gathering of food, song, and celebration to mark this special occasion!.

We hope to see you there. Please stop by and see us any time.

If you would like to help us pay for some furnishings, paint, and cleaning, we would be appreciative: You can use the online donation page.

Cordially,

Amin Alehashem
Houston-TCRP Regional Director

Department: VAWA Program
Reports to: PCRP Legal Director

Job summary
The VAWA Legal Manager would work with VAWA paralegals and help supervise the VAWA work of the West Texas VAWA Program in El Paso and Odessa, conduct trainings and presentations for staff and the community, and coordinate the Social Work Intern Program in El Paso.

Summary of essential job functions

Case Management: Provide supervision regarding VAWA work, including strategy, type of relief sought, evidence collected, etc. Provide legal training on VAWA and immigration court procedures. Review all applications, packets, briefs, motions, etc. submitted to the Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Executive Office of Immigration Review. Provide representation in administrative hearings before Citizenship and Immigration Service and Executive Off-ice of Immigration Review. Work with community organizations in providing services to immigrant survivors of abuse in rural areas.

Coordination of the Social Work Intern Program: Work with the Social Services Coordinator in Austin to coordinate PCRP’s participation in the UTEP and NMSU internship Programs. Interview all applicants for social work internship positions. Work with Social Services Coordinator to manage, train, and supervise social work interns.

Trainings: Coordinate regular trainings and procedural updates for the West Texas VAWA Program. Conduct trainings and presentations for community groups and law-enforcement agencies. Coordinate Know Your Rights Presentations.

Abilities required

Ability to speak and write Spanish fluently
Ability to edit, create, and compose well-written materials
Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
Ability to plan and meet targets set out in grants
Ability to work with little supervision

Salary
$28,000- $32,000 depending on experience, plus benefits. Relaxed office setting. Dedicated staff.

Other
This description outlines the general nature and level of work for the position. It is not a complete list of responsibilities and skills required of the position. For example, the person may have to perform duties outside of normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

The Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project is part of the Texas Civil Rights Project. For more information: www.TexasCivilRightsProject; http://www.facebook.com/PDNCivilRightsProject.

Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, two professional references, and two-page minimum writing sample to Sandra Arzate, Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project, 1317 E. Rio Grande, El Paso, TX 79902. Or via fax at 915 532 8892 or email at sarzate@yahoo.com.

TCRP is looking for a paralegal in its VAWA program, who would work out of Austin, but travel sometimes to rural Central Texas.

Primary Duties: assist in administrative and paralegal capacity in helping qualified immigrant victims of domestic violence file immigration applications under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); work with witnesses to draft affidavits; develop and maintain working relationships with community agencies to better assist immigrant survivors; conduct presentations and trainings to community groups; work with the media to “get out the message;” provide referrals; conduct outreach.

Qualifications: must be bilingual in Spanish and English (read, write, and speak fluently); typing and computer skills required; some travel required; ability to plan and meet targets set six months in advance required; domestic violence and/or immigration experience helpful; paralegal with experience, shelter advocate, or person with similar background preferred;

Salary $27,000 – 29,000 depending on experience, plus benefits.

Equal opportunity employer.

Applicants must submit a cover letter, résumé, two professional references and two page minimum writing sample to Glenaan O’Neil, Texas Civil Rights Project, 1405 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741. Or via fax at 512-474-0726 or email at glenaanoneil.tcrp@gmail.com. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants will be considered on an incoming basis.

Cassandra Champion

After growing up in Northwest Arkansas, I moved from there to New York, to Austin, to the Pacific Northwest, and finally back to Austin.  Despite some of its drawbacks, Texas feels like home.  That’s why I’m proud to say I have been admitted to the Texas Bar and am planting my professional and personal roots here.  I recently graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law where I cultivated my commitment to the public interest.  From my nine months working at the Public Defender Office to my clerkships at the Civil Liberties Defense Center and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, I consistently worked with underserved populations to help increase their access to justice.  As I build a career, I hope it will include endeavors such as prison law advocacy to improve conditions for Texas inmates, education for law enforcement and the community on how to help individuals with mental health issues, and acting as a general activist clearinghouse to protect First Amendment rights.  TCRP has afforded me the opportunity to get exposure to all of these areas of law and more, as well as be surrounded by inspirational individuals on a daily basis.

I participated in cases ranging from the initial investigation to post-judgment collection efforts. As part of my investigation efforts, I requested information from government agencies pursuant to the Public Information Act. I was able to interact with clients and opposing counsel. I now feel comfortable drafting discovery requests and responses to several types of non-dispositive motions. The crowning achievement of my time at TCRP was when we were granted a motion for preliminary injunction in federal court, at least partly because of work that I had done.  I know that because of my time at TCRP, I have skills that are attractive to employers, and my chances of finding a job are higher.

Dave Mauch

I’m from a small Texas town called El Campo, but I fled to Austin the first chance I got and have been here ever since. I double-majored in Rhetoric and Philosophy at UT in undergrad, and am currently a 2L at UT Law. My interest in public interest law comes from a number of places — my experiences serving my community as an Eagle Scout, my tendency to challenge authority figures, and my love for studying theories of power. I first became involved with TCRP after handling an 8th Amendment claim for an inmate at a small firm I was working at between undergrad and law school; the case sparked an interest in inmate rights that I’ve been nurturing since. In my free time, I nerd out about music and brew my own beer.

Won’t you donate to the new office today? Please go to our donation page and select TCRP-Houston. Everything you donate will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by our generous Board member — up to $35,000.

Letter from Jim Harrington

Dear Friend of Civil Rights:

I am very pleased to let you know that we recently opened an office in Houston.

The reason I am writing you is because we need your help in making this expansion possible. In a moment, I’ll tell you how you can become an important part of our human rights effort in Houston.

But first, you won’t believe how it all got started . . . !!

Earlier this year, one of our generous Board members offered us free office space in Houston for a year, if we were to open an office there. Expanding TCRP to Houston had long been a dream because the need there is great.

I reflected on the many cases we’ve done in the Houston area. For example, we . . .

• Recently settled a federal case that helped domestic violence survivors obtain Spanish interpreters in family court hearings, resulting in a comprehensive interpreter policy for Harris County courts that has become a model for other counties in the state
• Brought a lawsuit against county jail officers who tasered a prisoner more than 20 times while he was strapped to a backboard
• Settled a federal case to make ballot machines accessible to blind voters in Harris County
• Filed suit for a teenager who was sexually assaulted in a Texas juvenile detention facility

These are just a few examples of the cases we’ve done over the years in the area. Our new office would give us the ability to expand this work greatly. But I wondered just how we would get this new project off the ground . . .

Our Board members and staff thought it over, and began to get energized with the idea. Then, something incredible happened — another Board member stepped up. She is from Houston, and said very plainly:

“Houston needs TCRP.”

So, she did something pretty unbelievable — she offered us a matching grant of $35,000 to kick-start the new office.

Suddenly, our hopes for TCRP-Houston became a reality.

A few days later, I was at our El Paso office for a regular visit with the staff. While I was talking with Amin Alehashem, one of our attorneys, he joked that one day he hoped to work in every TCRP office. Amin had worked with us for two years, both in South Texas and El Paso. And that’s when the light bulb lit up.

“Amin,” I said. “How would you feel about moving to Houston to start the new TCRP office?” He laughed . . . “You’re joking, right?”

I shook my head. “You’re a great attorney, and you’ve already worked in two TCRP offices. You understand the mission and culture of TCRP more than anyone. You’d be ideal for the job.”

Amin said he had to think about it. I knew he was just the type of person we needed to get the Houston office off the ground — smart, ambitious, and unrelenting.

Within a day, he had accepted. Amin said, although he was nervous about taking on civil rights abuses in the fourth largest city in the country, he was up for the challenge. I had no doubt he could do it.

Next, we needed a paralegal. In another twist of fate, Tom Power’s position as a Border Servant Corps volunteer in our El Paso office was ending. Tom was a go-getter, who had spent the last year doing community organizing around wage theft for low-wage workers in El Paso. He is passionate, organized, Spanish-speaking, and detail-oriented. Just the person we needed. I asked him if he would consider moving to Houston to become a paralegal. He accepted even more quickly than Amin.

Two months later, Amin moved to Houston. He lived in a motel for several weeks, and was greeted by empty offices. No desks, no chairs, no phones, no office supplies … nothing.

Thanks to the generosity of the Houston community, within two days of Amin’s arrival, we had furniture and supplies donated to us. Amin rented a moving truck and traveled around the city, picking up donations bit-by-bit, and hauling them back to the office. In a week, TCRP-Houston was up and running. A month later, Tom arrived.

Opening our Houston Office

From the beginning, volunteers began trickling in. They helped organize the office. They answer phones and conduct intake with potential clients. They quickly became an integral part of the Houston team.

We are thrilled by how smoothly everything has taken shape. Since July, Amin and Tom have already taken on a number of cases, including:

• Working to secure social security numbers for children of American citizens who want to enter the workforce, but have had their applications denied by the Social Security Administration.
• Partnering with the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice to investigate the details that led up to the death of Brian Claunch, a wheelchair-bound double amputee, who was killed by Houston police after a routine 911 call. Claunch was living in a group home and had a psychotic episode.
• Co-counseling two federal cases involving wrongful deaths caused by local police.
• Filing multiple lawsuits regarding local businesses’ non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. TCRP-Houston is currently investigating and preparing another series of lawsuits to make the greater Houston area more accessible to people with disabilities.

We are very proud that so many people have come together to make the dream of a Houston office a reality. Expanding social justice advocacy to a new city the size of Houston isn’t easy, and we can’t do it alone.

It took our Board members coming together, pooling their resources, to light the spark. It took people from the community, donating used furniture and office supplies to get us up and running. It took dedicated volunteers, willing to give their time to a cause they believe in. And most importantly, it took two staff members, who were willing to uproot themselves from friends and family, to embark on a seemingly impossible challenge, all for a meager, non-profit salary.

And now, it’s your turn . . . we hope.

Won’t you donate to the new office today? Please go to our donation page and select TCRP-Houston. Don’t forget, everything you donate will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by our generous Board member — up to $35,000.

If everyone chips in, we will raise $70,000 for the new Houston office — enough to help pay Amin’s and Tom’s salaries for an entire year. We have already raised $14,000. We need another $21,000 by the end of the year.

This struggle for justice can’t be fought alone. We need our supporters to stand up and be counted.

Please make your contribution to this very important step toward human rights in Texas today.

Sincerely,

María Palacios
TCRP Houston Regional Board Member

Meet the TCRP-Houston Staff and Volunteers

Amin Alehashem comes to the TCRP-Houston staff with experience as a Staff Attorney in both the South Texas and El Paso offices. He received his undergraduate degree from of The University of Utah in Urban Planning and his law degree from Tulane University Law School.

As the Regional Director in Houston, Amin is excited for the opportunity to develop the office and create organizational relationships with the countless non-profits that are already promoting social justice in the area. His litigation experience includes work on ADA related issues, prisoners’ rights, equal protection and LGBTQ issues, language access, and wage claims.

Tom Power comes to the TCRP-Houston staff from our El Paso office, where he recently finished his volunteer term with the Border Servant Corps, a Lutheran volunteer program that places full-time volunteers on the US/Mexico Border. Tom received his undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, in Psychology and Faith Justice Studies. He plans to pursue law school in the future to continue working for the public interest. Tom is interested in Latin American justice issues and looks forward to the opportunities the City of Houston presents to TCRP to expand its reach and grow as an organization.

Markesha Turner is originally from Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from Western New England University School of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts in May 2011. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Tennessee State University. Her desire to pursue public interest work comes from a combination of her educational, personal, and professional experiences. She is working with TCRP-Houston because she is interested in Civil Rights law and hopes to gain invaluable experience working as a law clerk in the new office.

Hani Mirza moved to Houston when he was 11 years old. He attended the University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate school, and recently graduated from Washington University School of Law. He decided he wants to spend his career working in public interest law after representing juvenile defendants as a student attorney. He joined TCRP-Houston as a law clerk because he strongly believes that Houston is falling behind in effectively protecting the rights of its large and growing minority, indigent, and disabled communities. He is excited to be a part of these efforts to fight injustice in Houston.

Won’t you donate to the new office today? Please go to our donation page and select TCRP-Houston. Don’t forget, everything you donate will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by our generous Board member — up to $35,000.