Legal Support
*REQUEST LEGAL SUPPORT FROM THE DC NLG*
We encourage you to contact us as soon as possible before any event for which you will be requesting our support. The DC NLG Mass Defense Committee attempts to satisfy every request we receive. Please note that we are a network of volunteers with limited resources, so we are not able to fulfill every request we receive.
To inquire about legal trainings, legal observers, jail support, our legal hotline, or any other support you think you may need, please contact the DC NLG Mass Defense Committee at dcmassdefense@gmail.com.
The DC NLG does not charge for our services. However, we encourage those who have the resources to consider donating to the DC NLG. The donations we receive allow us to serve individuals and small organizations that would not otherwise have access to legal services.
Legal Support Overview
Before the Action:
- Provide information about when permits are required and, if organizers choose to seek permits, explain the process for getting them.
- Prepare activists to understand the dynamics of and exercise their rights during police encounters, arrest, incarceration, and in the court system.
- Give an overview of legal support roles during a demonstration, including legal observers and jail support workers.
- Explore the need for other types of support (marshals, de-escalators, etc.)
During the Action:
- Provide legal observers to monitor the police, document arrests and police misconduct, and help communicate with offsite jail support regarding arrests.
- Provide and staff a legal hotline number for arrestee and jail support.
- Assist with locating persons who have been arrested and ensuring their release from jail.
After the Action:
- (Whenever possible) connect anyone who was detained or arrested at a demonstration to a defense attorney.
- In the event of mass arrest of several demonstrators, help coordinate legal support between the defense attorneys and provide them information about the dynamics of a political defense and defendant solidarity.
- Follow up on any police misconduct observed during the action and explore the various options for filing a complaint.
