Class Dismissed: Zicklin School Hosts Panel on Civil Litigation Reform
Did you know that if you found out your drinking water was contaminated with carcinogens and you joined a class action lawsuit against the polluter, you’d be very unlikely to win damages unless you could prove you had cancer that was caused by the water? That’s the implication of a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court case, TransUnion LLC […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Mental illness: a great leveler
As the executive director of the Greenburger Center, I have listened while parents describe the terror and heartbreak of watching a child experience and respond to hallucinations, delusions or visual distortions. I understand not only their heartbreak, but the terror of their children. My children and I have Todd’s Syndrome, more commonly known as Alice in Wonderland […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Sex offender rules need reform
The Jacob Wetterling Act of 1994 mandated creation of “sex offender registries” for use by law enforcement. (Shutterstock) By CHERYL ROBERTS When it comes to criminal justice reform, people with serious mental illness are sometimes called the “third rail.” Those assumed too hot to handle and least deserving of reforms. They’re the people The Greenburger Center aims to […]
Senator Sepúlveda, Roberts NYDN Op Ed: A Tale About Mental Health, Not Bail
Tiffany Harris, a woman living with what appears to be a serious mental illness, has become a poster child for the push to roll back new bail reform laws in New York. Harris was charged with slapping three Orthodox Jewish women in Brooklyn. Rather than ordering mental-health counseling as a condition of release, something provided […]
DAs Hold Key to Diverting Defendants & Closing Rikers
The New York Daily News featured an Op Ed by Len Elmore, retired basketball player, lawyer, sports commentator and Greenburger Center Board of Advisor. Elmore’s Op Ed follows: It was a striking sight: Four of New York City’s five district attorneys gathered earlier this month at a forum sponsored by the Daily News, Greenburger […]
We’re Teaming Up for Sane Change with NY Giants Isaac Yiadom
On Sunday, December 13th, NY Giants cornerback Isaac Yiadom will bring attention to criminal justice and mental health reform during this year’s My Cause, My Cleats Game by highlighting the Greenburger Center’s work. We are honored that he has made the Greenburger Center his cause for 2020. We are also honored that Isaac’s cleats were […]
Greenburger, Roberts AMNY Op Ed: Is There Any Justice Left in America?
As riots rage across the nation, it may be tempting for some, or expedient for the President, to rail against the rioters and to view these events as a failure of the rule of law. We don’t agree. The riots in Minneapolis are fueled by the desperation of African-Americans and their allies in response to […]
In Memory of Mental Health Advocate DJ Jaffe
Sometimes, there really is not enough time. About a month ago, DJ and I began working on an Op Ed about why defunding the police and spending money on “feel good wellness social services rather than long term treatment for SMI” was not going to reduce police shootings, help the SMI (seriously mentally ill) population, […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Hard lessons from Daniel Prude’s death
Daniel Prude represents the most at-risk group of Americans to be killed in an encounter with police: a Black male living with a serious mental illness. When police are summoned to so-called Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) calls, the results are often deadly. Nationwide, at least a quarter and maybe as high as half of those killed by police had mental illness. But […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: The evil twins harming our mental health
In 1965, Medicaid was enacted to ensure that at least some low-income people had access to health care. From the start, incarcerated low-income people were flatly excluded from coverage. A bipartisan bill re-introduced by Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and co-sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), could change that. The Humane Correction […]
The Greenburger Center is at Work in Upstate NY!
In July 2020, Hudson City Mayor Kamal Johnson asked the Greenburger Center to facilitate a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping Task Force in Columbia County to identify the County’s mental health and substance use disorder service gaps. The request was the result of an Executive Order issued by the Mayor in response to the murder […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Aaron Garcia has serious mental illness, not a mental health challenge NYDN
Mayor de Blasio’s recent characterization of Aaron Garcia as having a “mental health challenge” downplays the realities of the disease and is unfortunately emblematic of his approach to people living with serious, untreated mental illness. The next mayor must make a change. Garcia is of course the man who attacked Miguel Solorzano at an ATM […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Governor, free him in time for Christmas
It’s that time of the year, when governors grant clemency petitions as a gesture of goodwill and compassion. Traditionally, a prisoner’s sentence is commuted when the prisoner has “earned” the right to early release through good work, improvement or treatment, and right thinking. In short, clemency is granted to those who have been “redeemed.” Explaining […]
Diaz Op-Ed: The weight we carry: A black woman’s lament on the state of the nation
The name Ahmaud Arbery was still clear in my mind. It was becoming more challenging to catalog all of the names; there are just too many. It has turned into an active memory exercise to remember all of them, to honor them by refusing to forget. Then a friend texted me the video of Amy […]
Herb Sturz: Come Hell or High Water
The Greenburger Center was proud to call Herb Sturz a Board of Advisor since its founding in 2014. Without hesitation, Herb said “yes,” when asked if he would serve. He seemed not only interested in the mission but actually energized by the difficultly of our task; to divert some of the most difficult cases off […]
Francis Greenburger on Naomi Osaka
Would French Open Officials fine Naomi Osaka if she had a physical injury rather than a mental health one? Tennis rules allow for mid-match delays for physical injuries. Osaka’s delay was not even a mid-match delay but an after-match delay until the end of the tournament when Osaka said she would be happy to give […]
An Important Message from the late John Dunne, from his Grandson Sam
On July 24, 2021, John Dunne’s family held a memorial service in Spencertown, New York, at the home he shared with his wife Denise. I had the privilege of attending the gathering and was deeply moved and inspired by many of the tributes spoken about John that day, especially from Sam Ferrone, one of his […]
GC in the NY Daily News: Close Rikers, rethink mental health
Manhattan: As New York City grapples with the design of four new borough-based jails to replace Rikers, officials should follow Los Angeles’ lead and say no to any new jail with a specialized unit to treat those with serious mental illness. Smaller treatment facilities run by mental health rather than correction officials would make society […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Help Can’t Wait for Those Imprisoned With Mental Illness
Joel Porter, incarcerated on Rikers Island, and five unnamed plaintiffs sitting in state prison have no good place to go. All six have serious mental illness and all are caught up in the criminal justice system, instead of receiving treatment in the mental health system. There’s a better way — if New York has the […]
Emma Gonzalez is Right
Emma Gonzalez is right. Anyone still suggesting that mental illness is at the root of the Parkland school shooting, or of any mass shooting in the United States, should be called out on their “BS.” Mental illness is not the root cause of mass murder in the United States. Guns are. If people with mental […]
In Memory of John R. Dunne
John Dunne’s death would have been difficult to absorb at any time, but his loss is particularly hard now, at a time when we need more people, more politicians, and more public servants like John on both sides of the aisle, and on every side of an issue. John Dunne stood up for what he […]
Roberts, Aquila: NYDN Op Ed: Kendra’s Law
This time, three people died. NYPD Detectives Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were murdered by Lashawn McNeil — who, according to his mother, lived with mental illness and believed he was “God.” McNeil also lost his life during what may have been a mental health crisis. These deaths come only weeks after the killing of […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: We need to talk about sexual health and justice
Twenty-five years after passage of the first federal Mental Health Parity Act, a recent Harris poll found most Americans view mental and physical health as equally important and fundamental to their overall well-being. It’s past time to treat sexual health on par with both. The consequences of the current disconnect are wide-ranging, from the inability to fully experience pleasure to […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: The Jail Rethink We Really Need
Dear Members and Friends, Not long ago, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple changed the name of the county jail from the Albany County Correctional Facility to the Albany County Corrections and Rehabilitative Services Center to reflect its broader mission to provide housing and services to homeless people. Most importantly, staff from nonprofit organizations and civilians […]
NYDN Editoral: A jail is not a hospital
Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and retired Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, architects of the plan to close Rikers Island within 10 years, got a crash course on how to move one of the mountains in their way — lessons that need to sink in fast, whether or not the jail complex stays open. Roughly 1 in […]
The Crime Report Features Hope House on Crotona Park
The Crime Report ran a story entitled “Cops and the Mentally Ill: Finding A New Approach.” The story focused on the importance of Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) and promising new Alternatives to Incarceration for people with serious mental illness. Hope House was featured prominently and we wanted to be sure you didn’t miss the story. […]
Greenburger Center Helps with Hurricane Relief to Anguilla
As many of you know, Hurricane Irma hit Anguilla and the surrounding islands in the Caribbean on Wednesday, September 6. The devastation to the island, and to its neighboring island St. Maarten, was tremendous. Many buildings on the island were blown apart, roofs ripped off, fewer structures flattened. Sustained winds of 117 mph were measured […]
Basketball Star and Attorney Len Elmore Joins Board of Advisors and Calls for Change in the NYDN
Len Elmore joined forces with the Greenburger Center because he knows firsthand about mental illness, substance use disorders and the criminal justice system. His two older brothers died from drug use and his father was murdered by Marvin Penick, a man with mental illness and a co-occuring drug addiction who was released from prison on […]
Francis Greenburger, A Man On Many A Mission: A Profile (A profile by Lloyd I. Sederer, MD)
Two sons, each with their agonizing story, and an eccentric, bibliophile of a father help explain the life course of Francis J. Greenburger. As one of the most successful real estate developers in the U.S., Greenburger could not be more unlike Donald Trump, our headline seizing real estate mogul president, than day is to night, […]
Assemblyman Joe Lentol: We Are Failing People Suffering with Serious Mental Illness
Dear Members and Friends, The Greenburger Center is honored to feature Assemblyman Joe Lentol’s article about the failure of deinstitutionalization and the criminalization and homelessness of thousands of New Yorkers suffering from serious mental illness. We are proud that Assemblyman Lentol stands with the Greenburger Center and its efforts to provide a safe and secure […]
