By Jamie Munro
The 74th annual Law for the People convention brought over 700 law students, lawyers and legal workers to Philadelphia this October. The convention, which was our largest in years, featured two plenaries, 30 workshops, panels and trainings, and dozens of caucus, committee and regional meetings.
After CLE events by the National Police Accountability Project, the National Immigration Project and the International Committee, the convention was officially kicked off with a keynote address from Bhairavi Desai, the co-founder and director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Desai detailed the struggles of organizing atomized workers, and the feeling of victory at the end of a long campaign.
As in years past, the local chapter planned activities that allowed convention Guild members to engage with the host city. This year included a tour of local murals, many of which were painted by former inmates and families of crime victims. There was also a well-attended anarchist walking tour, which brought attendees to the homes, workplaces and gathering spaces of Philadelphia anarchists throughout history.
This year also saw the first presentation of the Debra Evenson Venceremos International Award. The award, named for the former Guild president and leading expert on Cuba’s legal system, was presented posthumously to Leonard Weinglass, who passed away in March. Tributes to both Debra and Len were read by friends and colleagues in a moving award ceremony.
At the banquet, awards were presented to multiple generations of Guild members for their tremendous achievements. The program included a powerful recorded speech by Mumia Abu-Jamal, who received the Arthur Kinoy Award.
The energy of the nascent Occupy movement was palpable throughout the weekend, with many convention attendees taking a few spare minutes to visit Occupy Philadelphia, and other late arrivals sharing stories from the national Occupy day of action.
By Sunday, as NLGers were saying their goodbyes and dispersing, it was clear that the Guild would have a tremendous year of legal activism in 2012.