Fwd: [occupy-buffalo-legal] Legal Observer Training

[Robert Galbraith]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: jenna piasecki <jennap...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 9:13 PM
Subject: [occupy-buffalo-legal] Legal Observer Training
To: occupy-buf...@lists.riseup.net, heidi....@gmail.com, jenna.x....@us.hsbc.com, mpa...@plsny.org, Elena Steigman <elena...@gmail.com>, Andrew Stimson <andys...@gmail.com>, Colin O´Malley <takepos...@gmail.com>, Ethan Kraybill <ethank...@gmail.com>

Local attorneys Charles Cobb and Jenna Piasecki will be providing a Legal Observer training this coming Wednesday, November 9 from 6-8.  The training will be held at the Ellicott Sq Building in the Bear Room.

Legal Observers are legal workers (secretaries, paralegals, employees of community organizations that address legal issues, etc), attorneys, law students, and other qualified individuals (previous legal observation experience, or an understanding of legal issues and the importance of confidentiality).  Legal Observers attend actions, demonstrations, and other instances where the constitutional rights of individuals are likely to be interfered with by police.  They enable people to express their political views as fully as possible, without unconstitutional disruption or interference by the government and with the least possible consequences from the criminal justice system.

This will be a formal National Lawyers Guild training and will prepare Legal Observers for a variety of actions, marches, protests, etc at small local actions and larger national protests.  In addition this training will focus on specific issues that may come up with the police at Occupy protests and will cover how to best observe actions that Occupy Buffalo is considering.  You do not need to have an interest in volunteering as a Legal Observer at Occupy Buffalo, but if you do we would appreciate it and will have a sign up and armbands available for this at the training.

Please read through the Legal Observer Manual before the training.  http://awesome.nlg.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/LO_Manual.pdf  *Note: Reading the manual alone is NOT sufficient training to volunteer as a Legal Observer.

Please distribute widely.  Email any questions to Jennap...@gmail.com 716 866 0313.

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Rob Galbraith
3L, University at Buffalo Law School
rcgal...@gmail.com
716.440.6335