[Peace] Are you going to the NATO protests in Chicago / Do you know someone who is going?

[Karen Medina]

Are you going to the NATO protests in Chicago / Do you know someone
who is going?
You might want to help support the 24/7 legal support efforts for
defending the protesters. http://nlgchicago.org/nato/

NATO Legal Support Project
As persistent advocates of movements for social change, the National
Lawyers Guild of Chicago (NLG Chicago) understands that movements must
have legal support to advance their cause. Thus, NLG Chicago’s Mass
Defense Committee (MDC) has launched the NATO Legal Support Project, a
program of public education, legal assistance, and support for persons
seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights of speech,
expression, and assembly surrounding the NATO summit.

>From Adbusters’ call for 50,000 protestors to descend on Chicago, to
the actions surrounding the  NATO Summit, to the ongoing activities of
the Occupy Chicago movement, this Spring will see Chicago become the
virtual epicenter of mass political demonstration and protest in North
America.  And, the National Lawyers Guild of Chicago will be on the
streets and in the courts to protect the rights of protestors.

While the G8 summit was relocated to Camp David, there remains every
indication that the NATO summit is going to involve mass
demonstrations . . . and mass arrests.  Numerous local organizations
are continuing with plans for counter-summits and mass protests, and
reportedly thousands of protestors are still planning to come to
Chicago this May.  At the forefront of anticipated mass demonstrations
are issues surrounding economic equality, social justice, and
advancing the cause of peace.

Despite this, a message of fear and danger has been created
surrounding summit protests, producing a chilling effect on people
wishing to engage in First Amendment protected activity.  In Chicago
we’ve seen this with anticipated patrols downtown by the Federal
Protective Service in full “battle dress,” with tenants and workers
are being told to stay away from downtown during protests, and with
arrest-focused preparation plans.

This climate is further complicated by the designation of the NATO
summit as a National Special Security Event (NSSE).  Over the past
decade, hallmarks of NSSEs have been widespread police actions aimed
at diffusing or stopping dissent including preemptive raids,
utilization of aggressive crowd-controlling tactics, confiscation of
journalists’ materials, unlawful containment of crowds, and mass
arrests without probable cause.

The Mass Defense Committee of the NLG Chicago stands in solidarity
with all peoples’ movements and supports a vibrant sphere of free
speech and discussion.  The MDC’s work is undertaken in the spirit of
the National Lawyers Guild’s 75-year history of dedication to
fundamental social change, equal justice, and belief that human rights
are more sacred than property interests.

In this vein, the Mass Defense Committee seeks to provide a range of
legal support in defense of NATO protestors:

* conducting specialized “know-your-rights” workshops;
* organizing and training volunteer Legal Observers™ to assist the
public to exercise their rights to freedom of speech, expression, and
assembly;
* monitoring law enforcement activity for possible misconduct;
* staffing a dedicated legal office with a 24/7 emergency hotline; and
* providing legal representation to people arrested in the exercise of
their First Amendment rights.
If you are a law student, legal worker, or lawyer who would like to
volunteer to help, please contact us at chicago at nlg.org.

We need your support to keep our legal support office running, keep
the lights on, and keep the hotlines open.  No amount is too small.
Please help us today!
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=NPj-pgP2fCZgNx-XQh9VIfqWRAbCLSg3xifxssnUcF18M8VbUVUpBEAKPCq&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d195a86f1d217942f7415cf1b2a661693