Who is this chick?? Her presentation was fire.. More of her please. I wish BGOL was the type of place people like her could frequent. The amount of knowldege/power we would be infused wit.
But it looks like we're working on it.
BIO
Ikiesha T. Al-Shabazz, Esq. earned a Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School in June 2001. She served as Vice Chair of New York Law's Moot Court Association from 2000 to 2001. While attending law school, she worked as a criminal investigator for the New York County Defender Services. Ms. Al-Shabazz also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Ms. Al-Shabazz served as an Assistant District Attorney for New York County assigned to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor from September, 2001 to June, 2006. Ms. Al-Shabazz prosecuted felony narcotics crimes and conducted investigations into narcotics organizations. As an Assistant District Attorney, Ms. Al-Shabazz, prosecuted over 500 felony narcotics cases and gained extensive trial experience. While at the New York County District Attorney's Office, Ms. Al-Shabazz worked closely with the Community Affairs Division lecturing at area high schools on subjects including gang violence, arrest to sentencing, internet safety and hate crimes.
Ms. Al-Shabazz was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School from September 2002 through May 2004 where she co-taught Applied Analysis, a required first-year course that encourages critical thinking about the process of legal reasoning. The class prepared students to incorporate into their study of law a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between rules and facts, precedent and interpretation, and the various roles of advocacy, jurisprudence and legal scholarship.
Ms. Al-Shabazz was appointed from September 2006 – May 2008 as an adjunct professor in the writing program at New York Law School where she taught legal writing and reasoning, a required first-year course.
In June 2006, after leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Ms. Al-Shabazz went into private practice as a Criminal Defense Attorney. She has had great success defending clients in matters that range from Murder, Rape and Robbery to weapons possession, assault and petit larceny. Ms. Al-Shabazz practices in New York State Courts as well as the Federal Courts in both the Southern and Eastern District of New York.
Ms. Al-Shabazz is also currently an adjunct professor at NY City Technical College (CUNY) in Brooklyn, NY.
Ms. Al-Shabazz grew up in Jamaica, New York. More specifically, South Jamaica in a housing development called South Jamaica Houses aka 40 Projects.
It was growing up in this environment where she witnessed the injustices of the criminal justice system and police brutality that fostered her decision to become an attorney.
Ms. Al-Shabazz became an attorney to give voice to the voiceless and provide vigorous and zealous representation to a segment of the community seldom protected by the legal community.
Ms. Al-Shabazz has a passion for excellence and is dedicated to providing her clients with the best advocacy possible.
Ms. Al-Shabazz has been an out-spoken critique of the criminal justice system as well as the prison industrial complex. She has participated in many panel discussions, demonstrations, lectures and the like on matters from stop and frisk, gang violence, cyber-crime, police-citizen encounters and more.
Ms. Al-Shabazz has dedicated herself to informing the general public about the perils of the criminal justice system. She believes that information is power and when people know better, they do better. Her “Am I Free to Leave” movement has sparked a nationwide following in the wake of numerous police shootings of unarmed black men.
Ms. Al-Shabazz is a mother first. She has two sons, ages 22 and 14 and they are the force behind her passion. “Every son, is MY son and every daughter is MY daughter” is what she says in response to how she views her clients.
Ms. Al-Shabazz is committed to her “snatch em back” project which seeks to inform children, parents and care givers of their rights as they relate to the legal process and the criminal justice system. She can be heard telling the masses to “Never speak to the police without an attorney, NEVER” on any given day and twice on Sunday. She says it is important that people know their rights, especially parents, as we are the front line of defense for our kids against the criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex. She would love nothing more than to never have to defend another person from the injustice that are these complex systems.
You can find Ms. Al-Shabazz on social media under Ikie Speaks, a platform dedicated to Sandra Bland, who was silenced when she was found dead in her cell under suspicious circumstances. Ms. Al-Shabazz is also a Nationally Qualified Physique competitor. She says bodybuilding is a hobby that gives her an outlet for her frustrations and helps keep her sane.
Ms. Al-Shabazz looks forward to the future and is excited about the movement that lies ahead of us! “I love you, I really do” is how she ends every video and post reminding people that she does this work from her heart. It shows!
Twitter: @IkieSpeaks
FB: IkieSpeaks
ikiespeaks.net
Office located at 244-16 Jericho Turnpike, Floral Park, NY 11001