Matt and Skye have accomplished a lot since they started with us a year ago. Both our MDC and LO Program are more organized than ever before. Thanks to our LOs, activists know that we are keeping an eye on the police during actions, and that we can help protect their rights. Also, when activists are arrested for their activism, they can count on the MDC to have their backs.
Here are some quick facts about the programs:
Legal Observer Program
- NLG-Chicago had Legal Observers at 50+ actions in 2017
- This work is made possible by 100’s of volunteers coordinated by 10 attorneys.
- Thanks to Skye’s efforts, more coordinating attorneys are being recruited to increase LO capacity.
- Each year the NLG-Chicago spends roughly:
- $300 on LO hats
- $350 to train new LOs
- $5200 on staff
Mass Defense Committee
- NLG-Chicago lawyers represented 36 people arrested in 2017
- Each year the NLG-Chicago spends $5200 on staff to coordinate clients and volunteer attorneys.
Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle, of the Mental Health Movement, had this to say about our LOs and MDC:
My name is Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle, and I was represented by the NLG after several arrests that took place as a result of our many actions of civil disobedience to try to stop Rahm Emanuel from closing half of Chicago’s public mental health clinics. Having an NLG lawyer, not just for me but for the 50+ others who took arrests throughout that effort, was indispensable. Knowing we could count on the NLG gave us more confidence to do what we knew had to be done to draw attention to the injustice of those clinic closures and do everything possible to stop them. More importantly, the NLG listened to us and our desire to use our own legal proceedings to put the city’s inhumane policies on trial. It is rare to find lawyers who are attuned both to the need to defend individual protesters so we can fight another day but also to help advance our organizing efforts as we defend ourselves. The NLG does both well and I will be forever grateful to them.
To help fund the MDC and the LO Program, donate here!