Our Neighbors

MMPCIA sorrowfully joins the Harlem community in mourning the Monday, July 22, 2024 passing of one of our most accomplished civil rights activists, Michael A. Hardy, Esq.  Michael was a native New Yorker, born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and ultimately became our neighbor on 122nd street.

Michael graduated from New York Law School and was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York; the Supreme Court of the United States, and each of the Federal District Courts within the State of New York.  He was a founding member of the National Action Network, Inc (NAN) and served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel to NAN and Rev. Al Sharpton for over 25 years.  He was at the forefront of key civil rights and police misconduct cases including the matters of Eric Garner, Noel Polanco, Sean Bell, Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo, Fermin Arzu, Ousmane Zongo, and many others.

 

In April 2014, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo appointed Michael as a member of the Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice, which resulted in raising the age of criminal liability in New York from 16 to 18 years old.  Michael participated in the U.S. Department of Justice’s creation of the Clemency Project, where the Obama administration began an effort to release low-level drug offenders sentenced to life or near-life prison sentences under mandatory sentencing guidelines that would not be applicable today.

 

Michael had a passion for the theater that included pursuing a career in drama prior to his decision to go to law school, and used that talent during trials.  His latest accomplishment was publishing “Constitutional Policing: Striving for a More Perfect Union” in 2023.  The book examines the issues of policing in America and the pathways to achieve a level of constitutional policing that begins to address how our diverse nation and the communities we live in can become safer, more equitable, more respectful of our differences.

 

Michael shared his time and legal expertise with representatives of MMPCIA and the Greater Harlem Coalition to innovate and implement strategies to reverse red-lining governmental policies that plague Harlem and the Mount Morris Park historic district.  His involvement resulted in the first community meeting in over 50 years with the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), the government agency responsible for licensing substance abuse clinics, and a first ever acknowledgement that current government policies have a quantitative negative impact on Harlem..

 

Justice Warrior, actor, author, and volunteer.  Michael will be missed.