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September 22, 2017 by Admin

NLG Mobilizes Legal Support as St. Louis Police Make Brutal Mass Arrests Following Stockley Acquittal

September 21, 2017

Contact: King Downing, Mass Defense Director
massdef@nlg.org

Tasha Moro, Communications Director
communications@nlg.org | 212-679-5100, ext. 15

ST. LOUIS—The NLG is on the ground in St. Louis, MO coordinating legal support following thousands-strong protests that have emerged since the Friday acquittal of former St. Louis Metropolitan Police (STLMPD) Officer Jason Stockley, in the 2011 murder of Anthony Lamar Smith. Using tactics reminiscent of Ferguson, STLMPD have arrested at least 170 people— including protesters, three Legal Observers, journalists, and bystanders—since demonstrations began Friday. A few have been released on their own recognizance, and a number are being charged with felonies. The St. Louis NLG Chapter has been leading legal support efforts, operating a legal support hotline and St. Louis Legal Fund, and providing Legal Observers and defense attorneys with the help of ArchCity Defenders and ACLU of Missouri.

The community is charging that STLMPD violated protesters’ rights—arresting people en masse without probable cause—and used excessive force during arrests, with indiscriminate and inappropriate use of tear gas and chemical projectiles.

“These arrests were more like a general ‘sweep the streets’ action than arrests for criminal violations,” said Steven Hoffmann, member of the St. Louis NLG Chapter. “Law enforcement is being carried out in a way that doesn’t protect public safety, but endangers it.”

“The police took people trying to get into their houses, tourists, people out with their children, knocking people off their bicycles, reporters, Legal Observers,” said Kat “Mama Kat” Daniels, a classically trained chef who has been cooking for and feeding protesters. “Thank you, Metropolitan Police Department—what you did was gain us more support. The people are now seeing what we’ve been saying for a long time.”

Disturbing footage of STLMPD tactics immediately circulated on social media. On Friday, police trampled an elderly woman who had been attempting to disperse before arresting her for “interference.” Sundaynight, STLMPD “kettled”—a tactic in which law enforcement encircles a large group before arresting them for failure to disperse—about 100 people, while attacking them with chemical weapons. Shortly thereafter, a group of police chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” in a chilling display of intimidation.

This brutal treatment of anti-racist protesters by law enforcement in St. Louis stands in stark contrast to the laissez-faire attitude of Charlottesville PD toward armed, white supremacist demonstrators during the deadly “Unite the Right” rally last month. Such hypocrisy that casts doubt over the violent intentions of the white supremacist far right, while criminalizing and demonizing the anti-racists who resist them, fuels the toxic “many sides” myth championed by President Trump and his following. Even evidence as blatant as Stockley’s declaration that he was “going to kill this mother****r” before the shooting was not enough to convince Judge Timothy Wilson of the officer’s intent to kill. It is this systemic racism that permeates our institutions and routinely fails people of color like Anthony Lamar Smith.

The National Lawyers Guild was formed in 1937 as the nation’s first racially integrated bar association to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.

Photo: Anthony Lamar Smith with his daughter in a family photo.

Filed Under: Blog, Events, Featured Articles, Legal Observers

August 15, 2017 by Admin

Continuing the Fight Against White Supremacy After Charlottesville

August 14, 2017

Contact: Pooja Gehi, Executive Director
212-679-5100,ext. 11 | director@nlg.org

or Tasha Moro, Communications Director
212-679-5100, ext. 15 | communications@nlg.org

NEW YORK—The National Lawyers Guild (NLG), founded in 1937 as the first racially-integrated, human rights bar association, is committed to ending white supremacy in all its forms.  Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Heather Heyer, who was murdered was while standing up to racism and fascism, as well as the 19 additional counter-protesters injured at the “Unite the Right Free Speech Rally” in Charlottesville, VA this weekend.

Primarily through local NLG chapters, the NLG provides mass defense legal support for anti-racist community organizers participating in protest actions and other demonstrations.  In Charlottesville, this support included:

  • Know Your Rights trainings
  • NLG Legal Observers
  • Legal representation and jail support for arrestees
  • Legal support hotline (see full list of local hotline numbers)

As an organization committed to human rights, the NLG categorically refuses to provide legal support to white supremacists or other hate groups.

“The Charlottesville community experienced multiple waves of horror this weekend. NLG trained Legal Observers were on the ground watching as those who terrorized our community by fulfilling their promises to enact violence. Our hearts our broken but our chapter is united and resolute in our determination to provide legal support to organizers who will continue to protect Charlottesville,” said Andrew Mahler, NLG Central VA Chapter Chair.

While the hateful rhetoric and policies of President Donald Trump and his administration have emboldened racists to assert their “right” to hate speech and violence, the United States was founded in white supremacy—it is nothing new. It is in the spirit of dismantling this oppression that we move forward in the struggle to liberate our institutions, society, and culture.

Photo: NLG Legal Observers in Charlottesville, VA, August 12, 2017.

Filed Under: Blog, Events, Featured Articles, Legal Observers, Media

June 29, 2017 by Admin

Chi NLG Welcomes Skye Allen as our LO Coordinator & Matt McLoughlin as our MDC Coordinator

We are excited to announce that Skye Allen is our new Legal Observers Coordinator and Matt McLoughlin is our new local NLG Mass Defense Coordinator in Chicago! Matt will be responsible for responding to requests for criminal representation for activists who are arrested at political actions and pairing them with attorneys. Skye will be making sure that activists get the LO’s they request for their actions and help train new LO’s.

People facing criminal charges as a result of their political activity, including participating in demonstrations or direct actions, should call the NLG Mass Defense Coordinator at 773-309-1198 and leave a message with their name, phone number, charge(s), and date of next court appearance, or email nlg.chi.crimdefense@gmail.com. Matt will follow up with you to explain the next steps for representation. To request a Legal Observer for your next action, or to inquire how you can help the LO Program, contact Skye at chicago.lo.program@gmail.com

Matt is an activist and legal worker who was a main organizer with Occupy Chicago. A former mass defense client of NLG, he also worked in conjunction with NLG attorneys on the NATO 3 support committee. As a co-founder of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Matt is currently one of the main volunteer coordinators and he plays a significant role within each of the organization’s four committees. Matt has extensive social media, volunteer management, and organizing skills, and he already possesses strong foundational knowledge about Chicago’s court system which are all skills that will make mass defense committee (MDC) work more effective. For the last few years, Matt has often coordinated with MDC’s legal observer teams to track arrestees and organize jail support.

Skye Allen moved to Chicago in 2002 to attend grad school. She was very active in the anti-war movement at the time. She started Law school in 2011 and immediately joined the NLG and became a Legal Observer. She was very active in the Mental Health Movement and protecting the Woodlawn Encampment. She helped professionalize the LO program in anticipation of NATO and became a coordinator of the program. When not LO-ing, she runs a solo practice defending parents against DCFS.

We wouldn’t be able to hire Matt and Skye to do this important work without your support. We also want to thank all of those who came to our May Day Party this year, all of the proceeds went to fund our Mass Defense Committee and Legal Observers Program. Since May 2015, NLG mass defense attorneys have represented over 500 activists facing city ordinance, misdemeanor, and felony charges. Be sure to keep your eye out for next years party, you see us on the streets and in the courts, we want you to join us on the dance floor!

Welcome Skye and Matt! We are grateful to have you!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Articles, Legal Observers

April 27, 2017 by Admin

Chi NLG Lawyers Representing New Era Chicago Arrestees

We are proud to have our volunteers representing all nine of the New Era Chicago and New Era Detroit members arrested during the #Hood2Hood community clean-up program two weekends ago.

Below is the full story republished from a statement from the Chicago Community Bond Fund:

On April 4th, CCBF posted bond to free Cody and Ron from Cook County Jail. They were both arrested on Saturday, April 1st at a Hood2Hood community engagement program and neighborhood cleanup in Englewood organized by New Era Detroit (NED) and New Era Chicago (NEC). Both New Era chapters organize for Black unity and empowerment. During the event, organizers knocked on neighborhood doors to inform Englewood residents of local resources in their community and picked up trash to help clean up the neighborhood.

As the program was drawing to a close, Chicago police physically attacked the organizers and arrested nine people, including two minors. Four people, including Cody and Ron, were charged with felony aggravated battery to police officers and misdemeanor resisting arrest. All four were given significant bonds at bond court on Monday, April 3rd. The New Era Detroit and Chicago chapters were able to post $6,000 in bond for two of their members charged with felonies, but Ron’s bond was set at $50,000 and Cody’s was set at $30,000. On Tuesday, CCBF posted the ten percent of their bonds required to free both from Cook County Jail. Below you can read NED’s press release about the arrests prior to the posting of bond. Everyone arrested at the Hood2Hood program is now out of custody!

CCBF proudly stands in support of liberation movements facing police repression for organizing against community disinvestment and white supremacy.
—–
“CHICAGO, IL – Several members of New Era Detroit (NED) and New Era Chicago (NEC)–the flagship chapters of the New Era Nation–were violently attacked & arrested by officers of the Chicago Police Department during their first #Hood2Hood community engagement program this past weekend.

The planned event was going well. NED and NEC members had spent the day cleaning and removing blight from several Chicago neighborhoods. They spoke to several residents & delivered a message of unity, hope, and empowerment. They also denounced the self-destructive violence impacting Chicagoans and other communities of color around the country. ‘Love of self’ was the message of the day; it was black, it was beautiful, and it was peaceful.

That’s when the Chicago police arrived and everything changed.

Witnesses reported that between 30-45 police officers, without provocation or warning, began beating members with their clubs, taking and destroying all Pan-African flags, screaming profanities, racial slurs, and shoving anyone in the area not wearing a police uniform. Some officers deployed their department issued Tasers. Others pointed their guns at anyone who wasn’t law enforcement. A Chicago fireman heard an officer issue a warning to the group: ‘This ends today. You guys and your fucking flags. Expect this every time we see you!’ Nine individuals were arrested & charged with felony counts of Aggravated Battery of a Peace Officer. Five were released the same day.

However, four members of the Detroit chapter–Zeek, Momma K, Cody, and Ron–remain in Chicago police custody. Each arrestee’s ten percent bonds have been set for $30,000 to $50,000.

The Detroit chapter’s legal team was able to secure legal assistance through attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago who have committed to providing on-going legal support for those charged with felonies. ‘This is why we exist,’ Attorney Max Suchan, National Lawyers Guild of Chicago Mass Defense Coordinator, said. ‘We are dedicated to helping groups who are doing movement work whenever we can.'”

For more on the story, see the WGNTV article here.

Filed Under: Blog, Events, Featured Articles, Legal Observers

March 22, 2017 by Admin

New Anti-Protesting Legislation: A Deeper Look

By Traci Yoder, NLG Director of Research and Education

In recent weeks, multiple articles have pointed to the wave of new anti-protesting bills introduced in state legislatures since the end of 2016. The Intercept, Washington Post, AlterNet, Democracy Now!, and other news outlets have provided overviews of the types of bills under consideration, the potential chilling effect on protests, and the unconstitutional nature of these measures. Because NLG has a long history of protecting the right to dissent, we offer the following summary and observations based on decades of experience providing legal support to social movements and monitoring the policing of protests.

The current round of legislation—introduced by Republican lawmakers in 19 states—attempts to criminalize and penalize protesting in various ways. Many states are drafting bills to increase fines and jail sentences for protesters obstructing traffic (Minnesota, Washington, South Dakota, Indiana, Florida, Mississippi, Iowa), tampering with or trespassing on infrastructure such as railways and pipelines (Colorado, Oklahoma), picketing (Michigan, Arkansas), wearing masks (Missouri), or refusing to leave an “unlawful protest” (Virginia). Particularly alarming are bills removing liability from drivers who “accidentally” hit and kill protesters (North Dakota, Tennessee, Florida). A bill in Indiana initially instructed police to clear protesters from highways by “any means necessary.” Other legislation has proposed labeling protests as “economic terrorism” (Washington, North Carolina), charging costs of policing to protesters and organizers (Minnesota), allowing businesses to sue individuals protesting them (Michigan, Colorado), and using anti-racketeering laws to seize assets of protesters (Arizona). A bill in Oregon would require public community colleges to expel students convicted of participating in a “violent riot.”

Some articles portray the recent increase in legislation targeting protesting as a result of the large and almost daily demonstrations since the inauguration of Donald Trump; however, others are careful to note that this trend began before Trump took office. Bills in Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, and North Dakota (some of the earliest) were clearly introduced as a direct response to the labor movement to raise the minimum wage, the resistance by Indigenous water protectors at Standing Rock, and demonstrations that erupted in relation to police killings as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While this trend of targeting protesters began before Trump, the current conditions are favorable to repression of First Amendment activity. Taken together, Trump’s three executive orders on policing, the large number of state legislatures dominated by Republicans, the pro-policing and pro-business attitude of the current administration, and the constant and growing spontaneous demonstrations protesting Trump all combine to produce an atmosphere in which many powerful interests have a stake in suppressing mass dissent.

Journalists, lawyers, civil liberties experts, and Democratic lawmakers have addressed the problems with these bills: the criminalization of peaceful protests, the chilling of dissent, the fact that penalties for these actions already exist, and the decidedly unconstitutional nature of the proposals. As a result, several bills have already been rejected, including those in Michigan, Virginia, and Arizona. However, many still remain under consideration, and those with an interest in protecting the right to dissent must be vigilant about tracking and vigorously opposing the remainder.

Disturbing Trends

Some disturbing trends are emerging which are related to false assumptions about protesters upon which the legislation is premised. Arizona’s SB1142, for example, was explicitly based on the claim that protesters are paid to be in the streets. The myth of the “paid protester,” which has been codified in police training manuals and the rhetoric of Trump, has long existed. To seasoned activists the idea of paid/professional protesters is mostly seen as a joke, but the politicians introducing these bills are deadly serious.

The myth of paid protesters is almost always tied to the figure of billionaire George Soros, who is regularly accused of being the one issuing these fictive paychecks. While Soros’ Open Society Foundation does offer grants to individuals and organizations to work on specific projects related to civil liberties and criminal justice reform, there is no evidence that he has ever paid protesters to be in the streets. Yet while introducing SB5009, Washington Senator Doug Eriksen specifically named Soros, as well as the Sierra Club, as intended targets of the legislation. Another protest myth is clearly behind one measure in Georgia’s package of pro-policing laws—SB160 creates a new felony offense for protesters who throw “human or animal excreta” at police during demonstrations (a claimed occurrence that has often been cited in policing manuals and yet has no evidence to back it up).

In addition to the alarming trend of legislation punishing people with significant imprisonment and fines based on claims with no supporting evidence, these bills are also attempting to redefine the meaning of “riot” to allow more actions to fall under this category and to link protesting to terrorism. Arizona’s proposed bill would have expanded the state’s racketeering laws to include rioting under organized crime, and redefined rioting to include any acts of property destruction. Washington’s bill re-conceptualizing protests as acts of “economic terrorism” is another example of how non-violent protests are being re-classified as serious threats that deserves severe punishment.

Historical Precedents

The recent surge of legislation targeting protesters and protest organizers is not the first time state legislators have attempted to neutralize and punish effective protests. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) was proposed in 2003 and passed by Congress in 2006. The initial proposal was followed by a series of similar but far more extreme bills at the state level. AETA ostensibly protects animal enterprises by creating the concept of “eco-terrorists”—animal and environmental activists who successfully cause a financial threat to businesses profiting from animals. This legislation explicitly tied protesting to “terrorism”, and led to the imprisonment of animal rights activists who had done nothing more than administer a website.

After AETA was introduced, the conservative organization known as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) produced model legislation for the state level, expanding on AETA to further erode Constitutional rights and heavily punish animal rights and environmental protesters. ALEC’s structure and purpose is designed to help corporate representatives craft model bills that are then introduced by conservative lawmakers in multiple state legislatures simultaneously. The organization came to the public’s attention most noticeably five years ago when it was discovered that they were behind the “Stand Your Ground” legislation used to justify the murder of Trayvon Martin.

The NLG analyzed and described valuable lessons learned through the examples of AETA and ALEC. First, it is important to note that none of the proposed legislation was ever passed at the state level. However, it is just as crucial to keep in mind that Republican lawmakers did not stop there. Instead, they moved to an incremental approach that inserted key provisions of the failed bills into other legislation, for example by using specific language in other bills (like ecological terrorism) or including the same penalties for a more limited number of offenses than the original bills. As we watch this new round of anti-protesting bills, we must keep this lesson in mind and consistently fight all attempts to pass unconstitutional and punitive legislation.

Moving Forward

Many of these bills are so obviously unconstitutional, or based on such false premises, that they are unlikely to pass. Indeed, many have already failed. Others have been sent back to committees for revisions to make the bills more palatable to lawmakers and the general public. As we saw from the AETA/ALEC example, we should expect to see parts of these bills introduced elsewhere should they fail in their current form.

The fact that so many similar bills have been introduced—combined with the spate of news articles that do not always highlight that these are proposed bills that have not yet passed—creates an atmosphere of confusion and fear. The knowledge that these bills are being considered in many state legislatures, regardless of their status, is likely to have a chilling effect on dissent. Few people would be as willing to protest if they thought they could easily be arrested, fined, imprisoned, or even killed. The lack of clarity over where bills stand in the legislative process, the likelihood they will pass in their current forms, and the actual consequences if they do is already enough to cast doubts among those who intend to protest.

Civil liberties advocates are clearly questioning which individuals or interest groups are behind this wave of legislation all targeting mass protests and the right to dissent at the same moment. Given its past experience in pushing conservative model legislation, ALEC would be an obvious suspect. While there is no indication that anti-protest legislation is on ALEC’s current agenda, it is worth noting that the kinds of protests being targeted are all in conflict with ALEC’s anti- worker and anti-environmental platform. However, the model legislation strategy introduced and perfected by ALEC is at this point a commonplace and well-absorbed pattern that does not necessarily need formal organization from above. It could be enough for lawmakers to simply copy or adapt legislation already introduced in other states. Another possible organizing force behind such legislation are police unions, and the coordinated efforts of law enforcement as exemplified in the Police Executive Research Forum. Given the pro-policing approach of the Trump administration, it would be unsurprising if law enforcement organizations prioritized criminalizing protest activity.

As civil and human rights advocates face the challenges of the new administration, it is imperative to not be demoralized or frightened into ceding the streets in the face of legislative attempts to curb mass protest. We must instead continue to organize and to keep a close watch on these bills as they emerge in state and federal legislatures, and to push back at every level. Public outcry and widespread criticism against the Arizona bill, for example, led the Republican speaker of the house to drop the legislation. Together we have the power to challenge and stop these bills before they are passed into law. Now more than ever, we must protect our right to dissent publicly and to disrupt business as usual. At very least, these bills indicate that protesting has certainly become a threat again.

Related:

  • Policing in Trump’s America: Notes for J20 and Beyond
  • Report: An Analysis of the 2012 RNC and DNC

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Articles, Legal Observers

March 22, 2017 by Admin

Strengthening Movements After Arrests

Members of NLG Chicago, Chicago Action Medical, and Tilted Scales Collective discussed ways of strengthening radical/revolutionary struggle and improving community self-defense when faced with criminal charges and the ravages of the prison-industrial complex. This event held on February 26, 2017 was inspired by the newly published book “A Tilted Guide to Being a Defendant,” written by Tilted Scales Collective to help radicals figure out how to handle serious criminal charges in ways that strengthen movements rather than allowing the state to use them to disrupt and destroy our movements.

Tilted Scales Collective wrote “A Tilted Guide to Being a Defendant” after noticing that the state is highly skilled in using criminal charges to neutralize, disrupt, and destroy radical/revolutionary social movements–-and that most defendants are ill-equipped to handle those charges in ways that advance their struggles. They reached out to around 100 people across the country, including current and former political prisoners/prisoners of war, to provide radicals with the best tools and insights for fighting criminal charges while continuing their struggles. You can download a free e-book of the Tilted Guide to Being a Defendant at the link here!


Participants:
Jude has been involved in anarchist legal support organizing and prisoner support since he joined a legal collective in Minneapolis prior to the 2008 RNC. Since then, he has been part of many legal support efforts ranging from local one-off direct actions to summits such as the RNC/DNC, NATO, and G20. He has also been involved in defense committees for numerous prisoners across the country. Jude helped form Tilted Scales Collective after an Anarchist Black Cross conference in 2012. In 2016, he took on the position of chair of the Mass Defense Committee with the National Lawyers Guild, through which he helps with legal support efforts at protests and uprisings across the country.

Brent Betterly was arrested and charged in connection with an elaborate conspiracy authored by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office during the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago. The case was later revealed to be a part of a larger effort by CPD to infiltrate and criminalize the anarchist community in Chicago. He was acquitted of several state-level terrorism charges and served three years of a six year prison sentence for possesion of incendiary devices, which were also revealed to have been manufactured and planted by CPD. Brent is an activist involved in organizing around antifascism and prisoner support work.

Members of Chicago Action Medical (CAM) were present to discuss their work locally and at other actions and uprisings around the country. CAM is a group of volunteers who are trained in basic first aid and has been working in Chicago since 2002, providing medical support at direct actions for social change. Free grassrooots medical care at protests is a tradition going back centuries worldwide. CAM also frequently holds down jail support in Chicago. Read more about CAM’s work: https://chicagoactionmedical.org/.

Volunteers with NLG Chicago and Chicago Community Bond Fund also shared information about and reflections on our existing infrastructure for supporting movements in Chicago.

Also, please consider writing to, sending books to, or supporting with commissary funds Jay Chase, the NATO 3 prisoner still inside. Updates are at Free the NATO 3, and you can write to Jay here:
Jared Chase M44710
Pontiac Correctional Center
PO Box 99
Pontiac, Illinois 61764

More resources from Tilted Scales: Free access to the zine and book are available at titledscalescollective.org and you can request a copy of the Prison Activist Resource Center resource list be sent to prisoners via prisonactivist.org.

Follow Chicago Action Medical‘s Facebook page to learn about their upcoming street medic trainings. CAM is also available to do health and safety trainings for organizations that request them!

For more information on our work, and follow the NLG Chicago Legal Observer Program page and our twitter account.

You can also connect with Chicago Community Bond Fund, Chicago Anarchist Black Cross, and Chicago General Defense Committee via their pages.

Filed Under: Blog, Events, Featured Articles, Legal Observers

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