Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility, CUNY School of Law

The Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) project is housed at Main Street Legal Services, Inc., the City University of New York School of Law’s clinical arm.

In the years since the events of September 11, 2001, federal and local law enforcement agencies have engaged in aggressive practices under the banner of counterterrorism: monitoring Americans’ daily lawful activities, launching campaigns to question law-abiding individuals, watchlisting people without fair process, and aggressively recruiting informants using various forms of pressure, including financial incentives, watch-listing and threats of deportation.

CLEAR aims to challenge these practices, providing a unique combination of direct legal services, strategic litigation, community organizing support, rights-awareness programming, and capacity building in support of Muslim, Arab, South Asian (MASA), and any other targeted communities. 

Since its inception in 2009, CLEAR has grown into a recognized and respected organization in affected communities as well as in the police reform and national security sectors. CLEAR’s holistic, community-driven model has consistently led it to tackle new issues in response to community concerns, developing innovative and effective solutions to seemingly intractable problems in the process.

CLEAR’s professional staff is composed of a Director who is a full-time faculty member at CUNY School of Law and a Staff Attorney. During the academic year, up to 15 CUNY School of Law students also staff CLEAR.