Sitting beside attorney Patria Frias-Colón in Rustik Tavern, 471 Dekalb Avenue, her daughter Lida Nia Colón recalls asking her parents while she was growing up why they had chosen to stay in Bushwick, where her mother had grown up after immigrating from the Dominican Republic as a child.
She then recalls their rhetorical answer, ‘If everyone leaves, how are people going to know that lawyers come out of Bushwick?”
Today her mother, Frias-Colón, is a candidate for one of the five Countywide Civil Court judge seat in the upcoming Sept. 12 Democratic Primary.
In running for a seat on the bench, Frias-Colón says that one of the biggest challenges in Brooklyn’s legal system is making sure cases move along quickly.
For example, she says that she’s seen success in reducing the lifespans of cases within the juvenile delinquency world, but that areas like inter-state child support are more difficult. Whether in civil court or the supreme court, Frias Colón argues that focus in Brooklyn must be on reducing case lifespans.
Frias-Colón sees diversity in the Brooklyn judicial system as especially crucial. She recalls being mistaken for the defendant in several situations early on in her career. She says that representatives, advocates, and judges should be of all races, sexual orientations, abilities and genders, to more accurately reflect the community they represent.
“That that was an issue, the lack of diversity,” said Frias-Colón, adding that she’s seen remarkable improvement since she began over 20 years ago. “Experiences that reflect the populations that end up having to navigate the court system.”
Frias-Colón says she’s appeared before judges who she felt lacked the proper judicial temperament. But as Civil Court Judge, she plans to draw on memories of the judges she once looked up to.
“They are no-nonsense. They handle a calendar extremely well. They allow people who come before them to be heard, and they move the cases along efficiently and effectively,” said Frias-Colón. “That’s really the type of judge I’d like to be.”
Growing up in Bushwick, Patria Frias-Colón attended P.S. 274 elementary school and Phyllippa Schulyer Middle School, graduating from Bushwick High School. She says she will always remember her early education and the teachers and counselors who helped her. She credits one particular counselor, Ms. Romano, who guided her through her college applications, and says she hopes educators understand the huge impact they have on children.
“She had faith in me, that woman helped me moved forward,” said Frias-Colón. “She helped me get the trajectory that landed me where I am.”
Frias-Colón herself worked in the world of education for 11 years, beginning as Agency Counsel for the NYC Department of Education and later as Assistant Deputy Counsel to the Chancellor.
Prior to that position, she worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, under former district attorney Charles Joseph Hynes. She recalls her work with the Abused Women’s Active Response Emergency (AWARE) Program. Frias-Colón says the program took a holistic approach to managing historically disregarded domestic violence cases.
“I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the social component of what happens,” said Frias-Colón. “And what is going on with families that find themselves in the system as a result of these kinds of allegations.”
Since 2009, she has served as the Brooklyn Borough Chief for the New York City Law Department’s Family Court Division. She has also worked with the Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM), an effort to prevent young members of the child welfare system from graduating into the juvenile justice system.
Frias-Colón argues that she has the personal and professional perspective to bring unique temperament to the bench. She says that her experiences in a wide range of court systems have taught her to be fair-minded and compassionate.
Above all, she says that as a Dominican immigrant and longtime resident of Bushwick, she will remember the community she represents.
“Regardless of where you come from or what you look like, you are owed respect, you are owed compassion, and you are owed an opportunity to move on with your life,” said Frias-Colón. “I was raised in Bushwick, during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I could very easily be speaking to you as a defendant.”
