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hello, welcome to my primer on What Legal Observers Can Do For You, A Badass Protester https://twitter.com/KatFarrington/status/1273006349597790209
the first thing you should know is that if you're at a protest, and Legal Observers (LOs) are there, they have been requested by the organisers. we DO NOT just show up and put these hideous green hats on at our own discretion.
[actually, the first thing you should know is that my experience is limited to work through the National Lawyers Guild, specifically in NYC. NLG=lime green hats.]
next: please understand that we are not there WITH you. we are there FOR you. this is an important distinction. maintaining our neutrality is important. our job is different from yours as a protester.
neutrality DOES NOT mean that we view protesters and law enforcement equally. our whole job is to watch law enforcement and document their actions. they view us as antagonists. our neutrality is for YOUR benefit in court proceedings after the fact.
our job is not to surveil protesters. we are not documenting your actions. the notes we take are privileged materials that, if necessary, will be used in court on your behalf.
when we ask for your name, it is because you're being arrested. we will call that in, so that jail support and lawyers can be arranged for you. we are arranging for your legal protection.
HOWEVER, we are not at a protest in our legal capacity. we cannot give you legal advice. please don't ask. it's not because we don't want to help you, but we are not there as counsel. (and some of us are still law students.)
we cannot interfere with your actions. if we see you're about to do something that will get you arrested, we cannot intervene.
similarly, we are NOT police negotiators. we do not pass messages from cops to protesters, or vice versa.
we do not take photos or videos, so please don't rely on us for that evidence.
if you do, God forbid, get arrested, start shouting your name to the nearest green hat you see. if you have friends in the crowd, have a plan for them to find an LO and give them your name.
I understand you might have reasons you don't want to give your name. if, e.g., you are undocumented, know that we are there to observe ALL law enforcement. that includes ICE.
it can be frustrating to see people who can't get between you and a cop. they know that we're there because we know the law better than they do, and we'll document it. that's why we're here.
lol so this thread was pointless anyway I gotta go die of fever and whatever stay safe out there wear a mask
