[Peace-discuss] legal support guidelines

[Randall Cotton]

legal support guidelinesI must say that I don't recall any expression of approval by the meeting as a whole. I do recall expressions of both approval and dissent. In any case, I was not asked if I objected. If I was, I would have said yes and others may have as well.

Now, I agree with Carl that when the rubber meets the road in future cases, the course of events will very likely outrun and circumvent the proposed guidelines, policies and procedures below. Given that, it might be suggested that I have little motivation to object. There would be some truth to that, but I'm concerned about the precedent this is setting.

This all seems to me rather arbitrary and unnecessarily restrictive bureaucracy - exactly the kind of thing AWARE has a history of successfully avoiding, to its great credit. I could now proceed to outline my objections to various individual provisions of the proposed guidelines, policies and procedures below, but instead, I would like to suggest the material below not yet be formally adopted, that it be set aside for now and that it be further discussed and debated once Lori's legal fight is resolved.

R

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Al Kagan 
  To: peace-discuss at lists.groogroo.com 
  Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 1:02 PM
  Subject: [Peace-discuss] legal support guidelines


  The AWARE meeting approved the following guidelines at the May 25th meeting.




  Draft Guidelines for Cases Arising from Arrests or Tickets During AWARE Events


  1. The Mutual Aid Pact Committee will serve as a Legal Support Committee.

  2. The Legal Support Committee will review each case, including talking with the people charged.  The Committee's recommendations will be discussed at the next AWARE meeting.  People charged should leave the room for the discussion. The AWARE meeting will make the final decisions on what is to be done.

  3. General AWARE funds should not be used for legal cases.  Aid should be given through special fundraising efforts.  General AWARE funds may be used for immediate expenses, but these should be reimbursed as soon as possible.  People charged will normally be expected to help with fundraising.

  4.  The following points will be considered in granting full or partial legal funding:
         o  Financial need
         o  The merits of the case, including:
             * Activity in accordance with AWARE event structure
               * Confrontational activity not approved by organizers
             * Illegal activity not approved by organizers
             * Unjust charges
                  


-- 


  Al Kagan
  African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
  Africana Unit, Room 328
  University of Illinois Library
  1408 W. Gregory Drive
  Urbana, IL 61801, USA

  tel. 217-333-6519
  fax. 217-333-2214
  e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu
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