In the noise of national news, you may have missed that Lake Charles, LA was devastated by Hurricane Laura. And the public defender office was destroyed. Records gone. Defenders now homeless. Scattered through the state. Literally looking for their clients. They need help. More:
Their plea: "In this case 'we have no office' is literally true. Something like 100,000 in furnishings, fixtures, computers, office supplies, files, & every thing you can imagine. Gone." There's a GoFundMe now set up to help impacted lawyers. gofundme.com/f/lacdl-hurric…
This public defender office was a leader. When the pandemic began to rage in Louisiana, they were one of the first to seek humanitarian release for people caged pretrial over the strenuous objection of the DA. kplctv.com/2020/04/07/pub…
From Lake Charles defenders: "But the challenge is more than the trials, the litigation for effective counsel, & the daily work in a state that is a world leader for incarceration. This challenge was Hurricane Laura, & the 150 mile per hour winds that set an all time record."
"This challenge was the public defenders finding that their office was obliterated & wind & water to such an extreme extent that nothing could be salvaged." Please help now for outreach to clients, for startup money, & other urgent needs."gofundme.com/f/lacdl-hurric…
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This may be the most important post you read today.
As ICE invades American cities & commits brutal acts of violence, below is a shareable film series written *by immigrants for immigrants* on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do to help. Read on:
Protect your neighbors from ICE. Share:
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
As a public defender in Brooklyn, I spent years in courtrooms watching lives decided in minutes—with no one watching, listening, or caring. So many voices went unheard.
Trump announced today he's ending “cashless bail” in DC & threatening cities across the country. It’s all based on fear—not facts. I was a public defender for a decade. I work with orgs across the country.
Here’s what’s really true about bail, crime, & safety. 🧵
Everywhere that’s reduced pretrial jailing—even modestly—has seen the same outcome: more safety, more freedom, and massive cost savings. That’s not spin.
We know why pretrial freedom works: when people are free, they keep jobs, care for families, get meds, access housing, go to treatment. Pretrial incarceration doesn’t solve problems—it creates them.
This may be the most important post you read today.
As we see ICE escalating violence against immigrants & citizens alike, below is a shareable film series by immigration lawyers on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do. Read on:
The Constitution protects us from ICE.
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
In 2019, Governor Cuomo hired *500 more cops* to exact violence & mayhem on the subways. Here’s just one example as maskless NYPD cops pushing a man out of the subway after asking them to wear masks at the beginning of COVID.