Police Targeting NLG Legal Observers at Black Lives Matter Protests
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2020
Contact: communications@nlg.org
Contact: communications@nlg.org
Since protests have spread to all 50 states in response to the
police murders of George Floyd and countless other Black people, law
enforcement has responded with a violent show of force against
protestors as well as journalists, street medics, and legal support. Multiple National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Legal Observers (LOs)
have been arrested or injured while monitoring
demonstrations against racialized police brutality. The NLG strongly
condemns this attack on Legal Observers, who attend protests to document
police activity and ensure demonstrators’ legal rights. Guild LO’s wear
neon green hats and other paraphernalia with the label “NLG Legal
Observer” to identify their role, but this visibility has also made them
a target for police.
In the past week, police have arrested, attacked, and tear gassed LOs in a least a dozen cities. In Sacramento,
LO Danny Garza was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while covering
local demonstrations, and hospitalized due to a concussion. A Bay Area
LO was shot with high speed impact munition by police in Oakland, and a
San Jose LO suffered multiple contusions from rubber bullets. While
legal observing in Chicago, Guild member Michael Drake was knocked to
the ground and beaten with batons by at least five officers
simultaneously before being arrested. Several LOs in Detroit were beaten
with batons, punched,
tear gassed and then arrested while trying to take names from arrested
protesters. Multiple LOs in various cities have been detained or
arrested for monitoring protests after the start of arguably illegal
curfews, including Washington D.C. and New York City. Most charges against LOs include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and breaking curfew.
Reports from NLG chapters in multiple cities lead us to conclude that police are intentionally targeting LOs. In Atlanta,
LOs Megan Harrison and Asia Parks were arrested and held for 17 hours
before being released. According to Harrison, she was walking down a
line of protesters linking arms, taking names and dates of birth in case
of arrest. When police attacked the crowd, she heard “get the girl in
the green hat,” before being grabbed from behind and forcibly arrested.
In Des
Moines, LO Ryan Krause was physically detained by a group of police who
tried to take his notes and called legal observation “suspicious
activity” and “harassment.” In Kansas City, several LOs were physically
shoved and pepper sprayed by police, while being told their “credentials
would not protect them.”
“The targeting of NLG LOs goes right to the heart of why we do this
work. While the police enforce the law on protesters, who is there to
monitor the police? The intentional targeting of NLG Legal Observers by
the police is a showing of confidence and hubris that they expect to
remain unaccountable,” said Garza.
NLG Legal Observers are a core part of the NLG Mass Defense program,
which began in 1968. For the past 50+ years the Guild has provided
legal support designed to enable people to express their political views
as fully as possible without unconstitutional disruption or
interference by the police. The NLG will be putting the full support of
our network of thousands of legal professionals into assisting
protesters, including our LOs and the many journalists and street medics
who have also been
arrested or injured during these police riots.
We are deeply grateful to our LOs on the ground, and Guild members
and staff are following up with LOs arrested or injured to assist with
possible legal, physical, and mental health needs. We affirm our ongoing
support for Black organizers and activists who continue to face the
greatest amount of violence, harassment and intimidation by law
enforcement.
NLG Resources:
NLG Mass Defense Program
NLG Know Your Rights Materials
Bail and Legal Defense Fund Best Practices Guide
Recent NLG Statements and Press Releases
Find your local NLG Chapter
NLG Know Your Rights Materials
Bail and Legal Defense Fund Best Practices Guide
Recent NLG Statements and Press Releases
Find your local NLG Chapter
Image: NLG Legal Observer arrested by Atlanta Police, June 1 (John Bazemore/AP).
The National Lawyers Guild, whose membership includes lawyers,
legal workers, jailhouse lawyers, and law students, was formed in 1937
as the United States’ first racially-integrated bar association to
advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.
NLG National Office
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