RSS TCRP Texas Headquarters
TCRP’s current projects address a range of human rights issues, including: Disability Rights TCRP has been a pioneer in legal education and work under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), greatly improving access to public and private facilities and programs, as well as criminal justice matters. For instance, TCRP has used the ADA to remedy problems of suicide in county jails and prisons, police mishandling of mental health calls, HIV medication in county jails, and to establish a special program for parolees with mental disabilities that dramatically reduced the rate of recidivism. TCRP also set the national model in ballot accessibility for blind voters and has led 19 regional compliance campaigns in Texas. Rural Economic Justice TCRP helps farm laborers and other low-income workers rectify injustice in the workplace and improve working conditions. Efforts have addressed wage claims, sexual harassment by crew leaders and managers of housing projects, field sanitation, and protecting the right to organize to improve labor conditions and life in the colonias. Racial Discrimination TCRP has helped correct incidents of race and ethnic discrimination. Through the “Equity under the Law” campaign, TCRP took on the cause of African Americans and Hispanic Americans subjected to discrimination in banks, restaurants, motels and other places of public accommodation. The organization worked with MALDEF and LMLAC to create single-member school districts and assisted in redistricting the Texas legislature and Texas congressional districts so as to protect the voting and representational rights of minority citizens. After September 11, 2001, TCRP helped South Asian, Muslim, and Arab citizens, permanent residents, and university students who fell victim to discrimination. The Criminal Justice System TCRP has assisted victims of police misconduct in every corner of Texas, taking on cases of excessive force, false arrest, and warrantless searches of homes. It assisted the NAACP in asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and withhold federal funds from the Austin Police Department until it changes its use of force practices in the city’s minority communities. TCRP’s work also has ensured that county jails around the state do much more to prevent inmate suicide, provide interpreters for deaf prisoners seeking medical attention, protect vulnerable inmates from sexual assault, administer HIV medications, and make medications accessible for inmates with mental disabilities and improve their care. Protecting Free Speech TCRP has long been a vigorous protector of people’s First Amendment rights. For example, in the wake of the protests across the state for immigrant rights, TCRP has taken on the cause of participants who were subjected to excessive force, abuse and false arrest. TCRP also successfully mediated re-training of all El Paso police officers on First Amendment rights and use of appropriate force as part of the settlement of a case in which the police assaulted students conducting a peaceful rally at their high school. If you you have a case you would like us to consider, please click here for details on our intake procedure. If you would like to volunteer with TCRP, please click here for more information.
The mission of the Texas Civil Rights Project is to promote racial, social, and economic justice through community education and litigation. The organization strives to foster equality, secure justice, ensure diversity, and strengthen communities. Services include direct legal representation, community education, public awareness campaigns, education and advocacy on behalf of those who have historically been underserved or excluded from the justice system.
