Victory for NLG NYC Members in Civil Rights Case Challenging NYPD Use of LRAD Sound Cannons Against Protesters

US District Court: NYPD Long Range Acoustic Device (“LRAD”) Uses Against Black Lives Matter Protesters, Journalists, and Bystanders May Have Been Excessive Force, NYC LRAD Training May Be Deficient WHAT: Press conference with several Plaintiffs and Counsel WHEN: 6/1/2017 at 12:30pm WHERE: US District Court – SDNY – 500 Pearl St., NY, NY 10007 – […]

NLG Denounces Politically Motivated Superseding Indictment in DC Inauguration Felony Cases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2017 NEW YORK—The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) decries US Attorney Channing Phillips’ recently filed superseding indictment against hundreds of people indiscriminately rounded up and arrested on President Trump’s inauguration date, January 20. After the Washington, DC police “kettled” protesters, journalists, bystanders and legal observers, leaving them on the streets for […]

Legal Observers’ testimony opposing confirmation of Peter Newsham as DC Police Chief

Three individuals who were arrested while serving as NLG Legal Observers during the #J20 protests on Inauguration Day submitted this testimony to the DC City Council in opposition to Peter Newsham (currently Interim Police Chief) being confirmed as the permanent Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief of Police, citing: “His disrespect for First Amendment rights as […]

Anti-Boycott Bills Are Part of Wider Crackdown on Protest

By Chip Gibbons, Policy and Legislative Counsel at Bill of Rights Defense Committee/Defending Dissent Foundation A number of commentators have noted two different trends. First, across the nation Republican lawmakers are pushing for bills criminalizing protests. Second, a number of state legislatures have passed or considered, often at the impetus of Democratic lawmakers, bills aimed at […]

New Anti-Protesting Legislation: A Deeper Look

By Traci Yoder, NLG Director of Research and Education In recent weeks, multiple articles have pointed to the wave of new anti-protesting bills introduced in state legislatures since the end of 2016. The Intercept, Washington Post, AlterNet, Democracy Now!, and other news outlets have provided overviews of the types of bills under consideration, the potential […]

NLG Calls on DC Prosecutors to Drop All Charges against J20 Demonstrators, Legal Observers and Journalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2, 2017 Contact: Tasha Moro, NLG Communications Director (212) 679-5100, ext. 15 | communications@nlg.org NEW YORK—The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) calls on prosecutors to drop all remaining charges against the 200+ demonstrators, Legal Observers (LOs) and members of the press who were arrested on Friday, January 20, after thousands of demonstrators […]

FAQ for J20 Arrestees

ATTN: #J20/#DisruptJ20/Inauguration arrestees: Please see these important FAQ page by the DC-NLG Demonstration Support Committee with important contacts, info about next steps in the legal process, and more: dcnlg.wordpress.com/faq-for-jan-20-arrestees

Lawsuit Challenges DC Police Dept’s Unlawful Use of Chemical & “Less Lethal” Weapons, Felony Riot Charges on J20

Above: DC Metro Police kettling protesters at 12th and L St. NW. (Photo: Cynthia Tarana) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2017 Contact: Tasha Moro, NLG Communications Director (212) 679-5100, ext. 15 | communications@nlg.org WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Friday, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) unlawfully detained and arrested 222 protesters, bystanders, journalists, and NLG Legal Observers while […]

Protest Policing in Trump’s America: Notes for J20 and Beyond

By Traci Yoder, NLG Director of Research and Education When independent media collective Unicorn Riot filed a records request to the North Dakota Department of Corrections related to the indigenous movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline, they received the updated Field Force Operations Manual produced by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s Center for […]

Extralegal Observations of a Protest Arrest

By Andy Izenson, NLG-NYC The criminal complaint associated with my arrest dated 4/29/2015, lists the following charges: PL 195.05 Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree PL 205.30 Resisting Arrest PL 240.20(5) Disorderly Conduct PL 240.20(6) Disorderly Conduct It says that I attempted to grab two officers who were making an arrest, and that when […]