Back by popular demand, Chicago NLG member Dan Massoglia hosted a Crypto Party workshop.
The world-wide CryptoParty movement empowers regular people to protect their private data in an era of widespread surveillance. There are many tools available to do this – some more user friendly than others. Technical experts were there for an introduction to crypotography and hands-on help for those who were interested in learning how to keep themselves and their data safe.
On Saturday, April 16, EFF co-hosted a free workshop on surveillance self-defense with local grassroots groups based in Chicago. The workshop was particularly structured for lawyers and activists supporting social movements.
Participants did need not wield technical expertise to attend this session, which is geared towards regular smartphone and laptop users. EFF’s Shahid Buttar facilitated a teach-in and skill-share on surveillance, some immediate and practical steps you can take to protect your communications, and how to work with neighbors to inform surveillance policy at the state and local level.
The event was co-sponsored by the Chicago GNU/Linux User Group, Restore the Fourth, and the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Over the past fifteen years, people in the United States–and dissidents in particular–have witnessed a steady escalation of the National Security State, including invasive surveillance and infiltration, indiscriminate police violence, and unlawful arrests. These concerted efforts to criminalize dissidents and undermine mean ingful social change are made more repressive by the coordination of numerous local, state, and federal agencies often operating at the behest of private corporations.
On Sunday, March 13th at 4pm at In These Times the Chicago NLG chapter sponsored an event featuring activist and PM Press author Kris Hermes discussing his new book Crashing the Party: Legacies and Lessons from the RNC 2000 .
Hermes will spoke alongside Sarah Gelsomino, an NLG attorney with thePeople’s Law Office who has worked on high-profile political cases including the Free the NATO 3, Leila Taha from Arab American Action Network who talked about the campaign supporting Rasmea Odeh, and Alex Goldenberg of Southside Together Organizing for Power – STOP, who with others used an innovative legal defense after arrests linked to the demand for a level 1 adult trauma center at the University of Chicago.
Copies of Crashing the Party: Legacies and Lessons from the RNC 2000 are available for purchase here.
Thanks to your generous donations, were were able to produce a short documentary to capture the chapter’s vibrant history and struggles. Take a glimpse at seven decades of legal support for progressive and radical movements and work building community for legal workers, law students, and lawyers.
Here it is:
Please share widely. We hope it inspires many future generations of people who fight for social justice!
Dear NLG Chicago Members and Friends:
The Chicago Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is working on something special! To document our more than seven decades of legal support for progressive and radical movements and work building community for legal workers, law students, and lawyers, we are producing a short documentary to capture the chapter’s vibrant history and struggles. Check out a sneak peek here:
The documentary features interviews with longtime Guild members like Michael Deutsch, Bernadine Dohrn, Larry Kennon, and Standish Willis as they discuss their work with movements in the 1960’s, 1970’s, and more recently. Newer Guild members like Molly Armor, Iveliz Orellano, and Brian Orozco are also featured sharing their perspective as the next generation of Chicago “Guildies” ready to learn from, and build on, the work done by those before them.
We hope you will please consider making a donation to help us reach our documentary funding goal of $2,000. Any and all contributions help us reach our goal, and if you are able to donate $50 or more, we will thank you or the person of your choosing at the end of documentary. Please also share the documentary fundraising website with your friends and colleagues through email and social media.
The full video will be unveiled at our NLG Chicago May Day Party on May 1, 2015, 7pm at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2nd Floor. We look forward to celebrating with you then!
In solidarity,
The 2015 NLG Chicago Board of Directors:
(Adriana, Aneesha, Brian, Daniel, Emily, Iveliz, Jessica, Jim, Kevin, Nebula, Sandra, Sharlyn)
The Chicago NLG is hosting a viewing of the film “Fruitvale Station” to promote discussion on the ongoing events surrounding the police killing of unarmed black men and #BlackLivesMatter protests. “Fruitvale Station” is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old black man, shot and killed by a BART officer at the Fruitvale subway station in Oakland, California. Oscar Grant was unarmed and handcuffed when he was murdered on New Years Day.
Come join us at:
Grace Place 637 S Dearborn St.
Thursday, February 19 @ 5:30PM – 8PM
https://www.facebook.com/
