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Chicago NLG Legal Observer® Arrested in Ferguson

plussone
Aug 21st, 2014
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  1. Update: Coverage
  2.  
  3. The Dissenter - Legal Observer Arrested in Ferguson Says He Saw Police Targeting Black Men for Arrest
  4. http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/08/21/legal-observer-who-was-arrested-in-ferguson-says-he-observed-police-targeting-black-men-for-arrest/#
  5.  
  6. CBS 2 Chicago - Chicagoan Arrested In Ferguson Says Police There Are ‘Out Of Control’
  7. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/08/21/chicagoan-arrested-in-ferguson-says-police-there-are-out-of-control/
  8.  
  9. Chicago Tribune - Chicagoans make an appearance in Ferguson to join protests
  10. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-ferguson-protests-chicagoans-20140821-story.html#page=1
  11.  
  12. ABC7Chicago - MO governor orders National Guard out of Ferguson
  13. http://abc7chicago.com/news/mo-governor-orders-national-guard-out-of-ferguson/274956/
  14.  
  15. Free Speech Radio News - Police accountability in Ferguson complicated by lack of transparency
  16. http://fsrn.org/2014/08/police-accountability-in-ferguson-complicated-by-lack-of-transparency/
  17.  
  18. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  19.  
  20. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  21. August 20, 2014
  22.  
  23. Contact: Reporters, for phone/email info for Max Suchan & the NLG Communications Director, please tweet @plussone
  24.  
  25.  
  26. **** Chicago NLG Legal Observer® Arrested While Documenting Ongoing Police Violence in Ferguson ****
  27.  
  28. At approximately 12:30 AM on August 20, St. Louis County Police arrested Max Suchan, a Legal Observer® with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). Suchan, a Chicago law student, traveled to Ferguson to document police misconduct and help protect community residents' First Amendment rights in the wake of Michael Brown's murder.
  29.  
  30. Prior to Suchan's arrest, the police repeatedly charged the crowd on Florrisant Ave., appearing to target unarmed black youth for arrest. The police pushed the protesters down the street and gave dispersal orders without clear directions for how people should leave. Suchan observed several police in riot gear pointing their guns at an African-American man, forcing him roughly to the ground before placing him under arrest. While attempting to ask the arrestee for his name so he could be tracked in jail (a standard Legal Observer® procedure), Suchan was also forced to the ground and arrested. He was booked at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton and released several hours later. Suchan was released with a pending application of warrant (“PAW”), meaning that the County has 30 days to press charges if they so choose.
  31.  
  32. Following his arrest, Suchan stated: “I am shocked by the extreme level ofviolence police exhibited towards residents in their own community, as well as Legal Observers® and members of the press. I observed numerous arrests where people seemed to be singled out by police in a “snatch and grab” fashion, merely because of the color of their skin. I observed several residents arrested while trying to negotiate an exit route with police. Several of my co-arrestees were bleeding and had bumps and cuts on their faces from being thrown to the ground. The police are terrorizing Ferguson and those who support the struggle for police accountability and an end to racial inequality.”
  33.  
  34. For the last five days, the NLG has had a team of Legal Observers® on the ground in Ferguson to monitor police activity and offer legal support to protesters. The NLG has been documenting rampant police abuse at demonstrations, working with local organizations on coordinating bail and providing other legal support, and organizing criminal defense attorneys to represent arrestees. The Guild has extensive experience doing mass defense work for movements for social and political change, including Occupy Wall Street.
  35.  
  36. Even during his hours-long detention from inside the police van, Suchan continued doing mass defense work, documenting the cases of co-arrestees and monitoring police activity. He will be back on the streets as Legal Observer® tomorrow.
  37.  
  38. *The National Lawyers Guild was formed in 1937 as the nation’s first racially integrated bar association to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.*
  39.  
  40. ###
  41.  
  42. Photos of arrest:
  43.  
  44. pic.twitter.com/Af0iEexxEG
  45. pic.twitter.com/8ZP1nUScxW
  46.  
  47. Video via RT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ebQ_iiod0gU
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