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Lawsuit – Victory
2002
O
n July 20, 2002, the Federal Court in Central Islip decided in Círculo’s favor against the City of Long Beach.
Justice was served! It was a very long road to victory that was fraught with challenges. There were tensions in the
City of Long Beach with its residents, those that supported Círculo and those that supported the City. When Círculo
won its case, many residents were angry that the City had to pay Círculo for the damage it caused. Others blamed
Círculo. Nobody complained however when the City Council approved funding to pay for an expensive law firm
from Garden City. Círculo wanted to settle and met with the federal judge in Brooklyn to do so. Representatives from
the City however, who also attended the meeting, refused to settled at any cost. Residents asked why a settlement was
not reached that would avoid tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. In the end the City lost and Círculo’s claim
was vindicated. The City repaid Círculo for all the funds loss due to the illegal cancellation of the festival.
We learned a great lesson from Mr. Moore, Círculo’ attorney. We learned the lesson of commitment to truth and the
principles of a Constitution which protects everyone’s rights. We saw a hero in action; a fighter for the underdog, for
social justice and for the law of our land. We felt that we all won that day. This was a landmark case that will leave an
indelible mark for the Hispanic community in the United States as it relates to our civil rights. In protecting the rights
of Hispanics, the rights of all US Citizens are protected. Círculo is forever grateful to Jonathan Moore who taught us
to not be afraid to challenge a giant. He taught us to fight and keep the giant in check so we don’t end up in chains.
N
ew
O
ffice
- 26 W
est
P
ark
A
venue
Círculo was expanding in 2002, especially with the continued growth of our Education Department thanks to Barbara
Dubow Bernardino. We needed more space than our office at 62 West Park Avenue in Long Beach could provide.
The office at 62 West Park consisted of a small multipurpose room, our food pantry and six offices, most which had
no windows. Space was cramped. We found space at 26 West Park Avenue that had been recently vacated by Long
Beach Reach, just down that block. Part of the office moved to the new location at 26 West Park Avenue. For a year
we operated the two Long Beach offices. We moved into 26 West Park Avenue in September. For the first time,
Círculo installed a large awning with the name of the organization, announcing our services. One city official asked
Gil to reduce the size of its awning. Gil, of course, refused. It seemed apparent, once again, that racism was rampant.
Círculo’s sign had large Spanish lettering and was directly in front of the Long Railroad, the most centrally located area
in Long Beach. This sign remained until a few years ago when the ownership of the building Círculo leased changed
and tenant downstairs wanted additional space for their signage to which Círculo agreed.
E
xpanding
O
ffices
in
H
empstead
We also expanded our offices in Hempstead. There was space available downstairs at 91 North Franklin and we rented
this space for some of our education programs. We also rented a third suite in the building in the back on the second
floor where we began our Career Center Services Program. We continued to operate programs to instruct English and
Civics as well.
C
areer
S
ervices
C
omputer
T
echnology
C
enter
Círculo modified a model that was in use at Columbia University to create an intensive training program to provide
participants skills to be successful on the job. The program modification was that the program was implemented in
Spanish and English. Topics included computer classes, resume preparation and review, mock interviews, and access
to a database of available jobs.
Círculo staff developed relationships with employers while building the database of jobs, which facilitated the hiring
process. Internships provided invaluable real life experience for participants to practice and improve their job skills.
The Computer Technology Center (CTC) was funded in 2002. The CTC offerings provided beginner through
advanced coursework in Microsoft Word, Excel and Access, file management and using the Internet. Services were
offered in English and Spanish to the community in both Long Beach and Hempstead.
2003
L
ow
I
ncome
T
ax
C
linic
C
losing
the
O
ffice
at
62 W
est
P
ark
A
venue
D
ance
S
tudio
Círculo was awarded a program in 2003 to provide free tax preparation services to Low Income Tax Payers.
Barbara Dubow Bernardino helped Círculo obtain funding for this important program. Grant funding provided
tax preparation services and helped undocumented immigrants apply for individual identification tax payer
numbers (ITIN) to be able to pay taxes. Círculo worked in collaboration with tax accountants to provide free
bilingual tax preparation services to low income individuals. Funding was also provided to the agency to conduct
tax seminars throughout Long Island to educate immigrants on how to obtain an ITIN number. These forms were
free on the internet and Círculo had heard many cases of abuse where immigrants were charged hundreds of dollars
to process these forms.
Círculo closed its office at 62 West Park and moved the rest of its staff to 26 West Park Avenue in 2003. Additional
space was also rented in Hempstead to accommodate new programs. The organization had worked out of 62 West
Park Avenue for over ten years.
Círculo installed a wood floor at its 26 West Park Avenue space in a large multipurpose room and open this for