A Fair Race for Wheelchair Athletes

The New York City Marathon is one of the largest road races in the world, with tens of thousands of racers each year. However, for much of its history, wheelchair athletes were unable to participate equally. Organizers gave them no official times, no separate division, and little to no support. Even worse, these athletes were often forced to wait at bridges so elite runners could pass.

Bill and the Storefront took action.  Representing nine wheelchair athletes, including the marathon’s first wheelchair athlete Bob Hall, Bill filed a federal lawsuit that aimed to end the unfair treatment of the race’s disabled competitors. Alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the suit sought an injunction barring the marathon from denying equal access and requiring it to provide the same support afforded to every athlete.

Ultimately, Bill and the Storefront secured a settlement on behalf of the disabled athletes. Its terms created an official male and female wheelchair division with an independent start, official results, and trophies and cash prizes for the top finishers.  That division endures today as one of the most competitive wheelchair races in the world.

Voting Rights Litigation

Nowhere is Bill’s work through the Storefront more visible than at the ballot box. Since 2009, he has reshaped local democracy across the state of Texas by challenging election systems that dilute minority voting strength and limit fair representation. The results of the advocacy speak for themselves:

• The First Latina City Council member elected in Farmers Branch following the Storefront’s advocacy in Fabela v. City of Farmers Branch.
• A redrawn Grand Prairie City Council district, continuously represented by a Hispanic council member since 2015, following the Storefront’s advocacy in Rodriguez v. City of Grand Prairie.
• A cumulative voting system adopted in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD that gives minority voters a greater voice, achieved through the Storefront’s advocacy in Ramos v. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD.
• Several at-large voting systems dismantled across Texas, including in Irving, Texas,  in favor of single-member and hybrid districts, giving a voice to underrepresented residents and protecting their vote from being drowned out.

Educational Access

Bill’s commitment extends to institutions that uplift those communities through education. When Texas’ oldest historically Black college, Paul Quinn College, faced the loss of its accreditation, Bill stepped in. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools removed the school from its membership, a decision that stripped more than 100 students of access to federal financial aid and jeopardized, for many, the prospect of being the first in their families to graduate college.

Bill secured a preliminary injunction, allowing the school to remain accredited during the litigation. This enabled the school to continue to award degrees, distribute financial aid, and enroll students without disruption. The injunction also created the window the school needed to coordinate lasting accreditation from another recognized agency, safeguarding its future.

A Fight to Save a New York Family Business

On 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan, Jim’s Shoe Repair has been shining shoes and mending soles since 1940. A family business now in its fourth generation, Jim’s is the last of its kind in a neighborhood quickly giving way to chain stores and tall office towers.

When the pharmacy next door sought to expand, Jim’s was in danger of losing its 1,000-square-foot lease and turned to Bill, a longtime customer, for help. Bill defended Jim’s against eviction and rallied thousands through a grassroots petition drive that drew national media coverage. Under mounting public pressure, the campaign succeeded. In 2015, Jim’s settled with its landlord, signed a new lease, and still shines shoes to this day.