NLG Students Organize to End Mass Incarceration

During the first week of March 2020, NLG law student members organized events and activities for the annual NLG Week Against Mass Incarceration (WAMI). This year, the NLG partnered with the Guild’s National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) to analyze the connections between the role of policing institutions and practices and the exponential increase of incarcerated people over the last four decades.

NLG law school chapters organized multiple events throughout the week, including tabling, letter writing, panels and workshops, trainings, art receptions, phone banking, and much more! See below for a list of events and pics of our NLG students in action!

#WAM2020 activities:

NLG Chicago area schools teamed up for an all-day event exploring the Role of Policing in Mass Incarceration! Workshops and panels included Abolishing the Police, ICE in Chicago, and Policing in Schools
Arizona State NLG Chapter joined with Death Penalty Alternative to hold a Prison Abolition Seminar
University of North Carolina NLG held a week of events focused on policing as well as voter suppression, along with a “Say Her Name” week-long photo project of personal stories of women of color affected by the criminal justice system
American University NLG Chapter organized events on policing and surveillance, a letter writing campaign, and a selfie stand for students and faculty
University of St. Thomas tabled all week, invited a speaker from Black Visions Collective, and welcomed NLG members FLint Taylor to discuss his book, The Torture Machine
NLG members from Northeastern Law and Chicago NLG have produced a report on private campus police forces using the Northeastern University Police Department as a case study
CUNY NLG organized letter writing and held events exploring disability and mass incarceration, the criminalization of parents, and activism to fight the prison system
Seattle University NLG have planned a screening of The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution, a panel discussion with Prison Voice Washington, and a talk by Seattle’s Nikkita “KO” Oliver, community organizer, abolitionist, educator, and attorney.
Duke Law NLG hosted a panel on bail reform and letter writing to incarcerated prisoners
Case Western NLG hosted an event called ” Crisis at the Cuyahoga County Jail”
Northeastern NLG held an entire week of workshops and panels, and tabled to raise over $800 for the Massachusetts Bail Fund
University of Montana NLG WAMI activities included events on school to prison pipeline panel, bail funds, immigration as well as trivia and letter writing
University of Colorado NLG WAMi highlighted police accountability, feminism and mass incarceration through workshops and panels. CU NLG also coordinated a week-long prison book drive
University of Connecticut NLG organized events on the rise of mass crimigration and policing and prison conditions
Miami Law NLG schedule of events for #WAMI2020 included a film screening, art reception, legal observer training and more!
University of Richmond NLG teamed up with UR BLSA to screen “Visions of Abolition” and collected money for the Richmond City Bail Fun
Wayne State University NLG presented a discussion on mass incarceration and the role of policing with criminal defense attorney, lifelong NLG member, and candidate for Wayne County Prosecutor Victoria Burton-Harris.
University of Denver NLG organized a week of events focused on prison abolition, surveillance, and the broken criminal justice system
Ohio State NLG Chapter and the OSU Student Bar Association for Diversity & Inclusion Week hosted a Mama’s Day Bailout Bakesale, a workshop with Amna Akbar about criminal law, and “weigh in” conversation about mass incarceration
Notre Dame NLG joined with numerous student groups to hold teach-ins with Black Lives Matter, table all week to support prisoners, and organize an event on the private prison industry
Cardozo NLG WAMI included panels on immigration, phone banking for criminal justice reform bills, documentary screenings, and a workshop on the NY “Right To Know” Act
Drake NLG organized a week of documentary screenings, tabling, and events on community and campus policing
John Marshall NLG Chapter hosted an event with long-time NLG and People’s Law Office member Flint Taylor on his new book, The Torture Machine
University of Oregon NLG worked on the campaign to release of Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald, a former member of the Black Panther Party who has served 50 years in the California State prison system
Fordham NLG joined with Advocates for the Incarcerated, and Fordham Law Defenders to organize book talks, letter writing, an event on bail reform, and a conversation with formerly incarcerated advocates and leaders
University of Idaho NLG tabled throughout the week and collected signatures for a letter in support of a bill that would ban criminal history from being inquired about on job applications. They will deliver the letter to the chair and members may testify.
Santa Clara NLG hosted a talk with esteemed advocate Jennifer Orthwein on pipelines to prison, advocating for transgender folks in jails and prisons, recent developments in California law in these issues and self care as a practicing attorney
Lewis and Clark NLG held a discussion with Don’t Shoot PDX (Portland’s BLM group) about the role of policing in black communities and the role of art as a form of protest as well as an event about policing and civil rights litigation. Two NLG members, Juan Chavez and Ashlee Albies, discussed radical civil rights litigation used to fight back against policing in Portland