National Lawyers Guild Statement on Events in Ferguson, Missouri

[Earth_First]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 19, 2014
Tasha Moro
Communications Coordinator
[e-mail]
212-679-5100, ext. 15

NLG Strongly Objects to Oppressive and Discriminatory Law Enforcement Tactics in Ferguson, Mo.
NLG Members Offering Legal Support to Ferguson Protesters

NEW YORK -- The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is on the ground providing legal support to Ferguson, Missouri residents protesting in the wake of last week’s fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson. Since then, community protests and neighborhood demonstrations have been violently confronted by the Ferguson Police Department, armed with military-grade weaponry. Yesterday morning, Governor Jay Nixon deployed the Missouri National Guard to supplement St. Louis County police, while the state of emergency he announced on Saturday remains in effect. In light of the police brutality aimed at protesters thus far, the NLG is deeply concerned about the use of the National Guard for civilian police duties, normally reserved for natural disasters or insurrection.

In response to needs of local demonstrators and organizers, the NLG is mobilizing a range of legal support such as criminal defense, jail support, injunctive relief, and Legal Observers –NLG-trained volunteers who protect the rights of protesters by monitoring and documenting police activity at demonstrations. The NLG’s presence in Ferguson includes legal workers and lawyers from the St. Louis area, as well as others from Chicago, Detroit, and New York in collaboration with local St. Louis and Ferguson organizers.

Interim NLG Executive Director Dan Gregor, currently in Ferguson helping with legal support, said, “Nobody should have assault weapons leveled at their chests by police or tear gas rounds fired at them for exercising free speech and petitioning government for a redress of serious grievances. This is a community expressing legitimate anger at not just the murder of one unarmed black teen a week ago, but also the countless young men of color brutalized every day across the country by the police, and now, the military.”

The Guild recognizes that the ongoing events in Ferguson reflect a dynamic and complex struggle around issues including race, class, state repression, and free speech. The NLG urges Gov. Nixon and law enforcement to respect the protesters’ right to free speech and assembly, while treating them with the dignity they deserve.

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.

###

To support the NLG's efforts in Missouri, please visit nlg.org/ferguson.

[Lindsay]

1. Thanks for posting.

I was just wondering if they were involved, since I hadn't heard anything and they were so active with Occupy.

[Earth_First]

2. Just released within the hour... n/t

[G_j]

3. K&R!

Thanks again NLG!

[99th_Monkey]

4. Big Fat K&R

Nice to see this group weigh in for our constitutional rights.

[brer cat]

5. Glad to know NLG is on the ground in Ferguson. K&R

[truedelphi]

6. Thank goodness for organziations like this. n/t

[SamKnause]

7. Good news !!!

[VanGoghRocks]

8. Buncha Commies and gutless reds! (Shout out to fans

of Joseph Welch and the Army-McCarthy hearings).

Hope I don't need to add

[Cha]

19. Ya didn't.

[Tribalceltic]

9. Glad to see someone has a peek at the big picture

This is not a black and white issue it is a Blue (Law enforcement) and Green (Money) issue

[Enthusiast]

10. Kicked and recommended!

[proReality]

11. K&R n/t

[ReRe]

12. K&R

Thank you for linking this!

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Earth_First.

[jimmycck9]

14. Where were they

when the Occupy people were getting beaten, tear gassed and pepper sprayed?

[juxtaposed]

15. they were always there

[Earth_First]

16. They were there...

They will *always* be there.

For you.
For me.
For US!

Be well...

[BrotherIvan]

17. K & R!

I hope they help any and all members of the community sue for stripping them of their Constitutional rights!

[ThoughtCriminal]

18. NLG History

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lawyers_Guild

"On June 9, 1954, on the 30th day of the Army-McCarthy Hearings, McCarthy launched an attack against Fred Fisher (a junior attorney working at the same law firm as the Army's attorney, Joseph Welch) for having associated with the NLG while in law school. The attack provoked an impassioned response on the part of Welch, who angrily rebuked McCarthy with his famous plea, "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?" Welch's speech was widely viewed as having undermined McCarthy's credibility and, coupled with an earlier March 1954 exposé by Edward R. Murrow, led to a major shift in public opinion against McCarthy."