By Lindsey Schromen-Warwin, NLG Member Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s keynote speech at the Guild convention in November 2018 highlighted the importance of community organizing for local policy changes. It’s not enough to just organize and demonstrate, and it is not enough to just get “the right people” elected to public office. Sawant emphasized the […]
Issues: Guild Notes Vol. 43, No. 2/3 (Summer/Fall 2018)
Rest in Power: Leon “Lee” Goldin
Leon “Lee” Goldin, teacher, plumber, lawyer, life-long fighter for justice and equality, died Friday, June 8, 2018. He was just shy of his 91st birthday. Lee came to his activism naturally and directly, his legal career not so much. Lee was born in the Bronx, NY. There he “burned Hitler’s house” (boxes he and his […]
2018 #Law4thePeople Convention: Sneak Peek
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President’s Column: Bidding Farewell as NLG President
By Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, Outgoing NLG President As my time as President of the National Lawyers Guild comes to an end, I reflect on the many Guild stories I’ve heard from you, our members, and many others across the world. Whether in Havana, Palestine, Atlanta or the Bronx, the stories of how the NLG […]
BEYOND BARS: Woe Please! (Poem)
By Damion Wilson-El Cumberland, MD My jumpsuit fit snugly For the thousands of people who’ve worn it Trying to figure out five years was a warning To teach my drug addiction and possession A lesson Two million people Counting on a blessing Hundreds of thousands Waiting on a suggestion Of right Mass souls Incarcerated tight […]
BEYOND BARS: Education Key to Lower Recidivism
By Jeff Isabell-Taylor New Haven, MI Education reduces crime and lowers recidivism, it’s that simple. So why has there been so much resistance to educating prisoners? Money? The view education is a reward? Let me be blunt, this isn’t some bleeding heart, let’s be nice to prisoners kind of article. I completely understand prison is […]
BEYOND BARS: Suggested Reading for Pro Se Representation
By Jeffrey Vincent McGee Buford, GA Dear Fellow Jailhouse Lawyer Members, The purpose of this letter is to confer information about legitimate resource materials and their use. Many incarcerated individuals who have decided to challenge their cases pro se face common obstacles: finding, understanding, and applying legit legal research and reference textbooks (and not just […]
BEYOND BARS: This is Not Legal Advice, in Honor of René Magritte
By Eric Pepke Petersburg, VA I am not an attorney so this cannot be legal advice. I have just learned a few things in the federal penal system. Here are some. 1. Always appeal: I had a gut feeling I should appeal. I used a free jail phone call to leave a message on my […]
BEYOND BARS: A Flicker Becomes a Flame
By Kinetik Justice Amun Bessemer, AL With strength and optimism, I greet the Comrades and salute the Freedom Fighters! It has been a long ride. We have come a long way, yet there is so much work we still must do. I pen this expression with those in mind, who have committed themselves to the […]
NLG Delegation to South Korea and Japan
By Daniel McGee, NLG Foundation Managing Director In this historic time of building peace in Northeast Asia, the NLG Foundation traveled to South Korea and Japan this May in a delegation sponsored by the International Committee and the Lawyers for Demilitarization and Peace in Korea. Continuing the Guild’s long history of providing support and solidarity […]