BROOKLYN, NY— Thousands of Brooklyn residents with outstanding warrants tied to low-level summonses will have a chance to resolve them for free Saturday, when the Brooklyn district attorney's office revived a program paused nearly a decade ago.
The Begin Again event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, 277 Stuyvesant Avenue.
Free attorneys will review eligible cases before participants appear before a judge in a temporary courtroom inside the church.
The event also will offer health screenings, job-readiness assistance and other community resources.
"The number of low-level summonses issued by the NYPD has ballooned in recent years," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
The New York Police Department issued more than 117,000 criminal summonses last year, up from more than 45,000 in 2021 and more than 95,000 in 2024, according to city data.
An unresolved summons warrant can lead to an arrest if police discover it during an encounter, including a traffic stop.
Outstanding warrants also can create problems when someone applies for employment, public housing or citizenship.
Gonzalez said the event provides a way to resolve outstanding summons matters without entering a traditional courthouse.
"It's a safe environment inside a local church," Gonzalez said.
He added people without legal immigration status can attend the event without facing immigration consequences related to the summons warrants.
The program focuses on warrants stemming from unanswered criminal summonses for minor offenses, including walking a dog without a leash, riding a bicycle on a sidewalk or remaining in a park after closing.
Residents who attend will first meet with attorneys from the Brooklyn district attorney's office and the Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit organization providing free legal services.
Attorneys will determine which summons warrants qualify for the event.
Eligible participants will then appear before a judge, who can address the outstanding summonses and related warrants.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office launched Begin Again in 2015. The program helped dismiss thousands of warrants in Brooklyn before other boroughs adopted similar efforts.
The City later automatically dismissed warrants at least 10 years old in 2017.
The program stopped in 2018 as new warrants continued to accumulate.
Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church will also host a health and resource fair during the event.
Services will include:
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