Federal Court Certifies Class Action by Oscar Grant Protesters
With Spring Protests Against Police Brutality and Economic Inequality On the Rise, NLG Warns OPD and ACSO to Respect Constitutional Rights.
In a March 23, 2012 decision, United State District Court Judge Thelton Henderson granted the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in a lawsuit brought by the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) against the Oakland Police (OPD) on behalf of 150 people arrested at a November 5, 2010, demonstration. “This action raises questions about the County (and City) Defendants’ common treatment of members of the proposed class,” Judge Henderson stated in an eight-page order.
Ordinance to Prevent SFPD-FBI Abuse Passes Board of Supervisors
Community disappointed by “No” votes from Progressive Supervisors Cohen and Wiener, and look to Mayor Lee for future support
Yesterday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to pass an Ordinance introduced by Supervisor Jane Kim titled the Safe San Francisco Civil Rights Ordinance. The Ordinance seeks to codify pre-existing San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) protocol and Department General Orders (DGO) with respect to the SFPD’s collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Hundreds Attend Our 2012 Testimonial Dinner
Over 400 members, supporters and friends celebrated Champions of Justice Alan Schlosser and Bobbie Stein, Unsung Hero Rachel Lederman, and Partners in Liberation the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Defense Committee, this past weekend in Oakland.
Police Violence Targets Occupy Oakland Demonstration
NLGSF Demands Action From The Monitor On Police Misconduct
The National Lawyers Guild San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (NLGSF) condemns Oakland Police (OPD) and Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) violence, mass arrests and abuses against Occupy demonstrators at Saturday’s demonstration. Police violently attacked activists with chemical weapons, so called Less-Lethal munitions, and physical assaults. Hundreds were arrested unlawfully, without opportunity to disperse, and then detained for many hours on the street and then in buses, in stress positions, and without bathrooms, food or water. Once in jail, protesters faced inhumanely crowded conditions, abusive treatment and were denied access to legal counsel. Many remain unaccounted for, though certainly arrested and awaiting booking two days after being detained.
NLGSF Asks Federal Court to Certify Class Action by Oscar Grant Protesters
As OPD comes under increasing scrutiny, the NLG seeks an end to ongoing baseless arrests and incarceration of demonstrators.
In a filing today, a team of National Lawyers Guild attorneys asks the federal court to allow a law enforcement misconduct lawsuit against the Oakland Police and Alameda County Sheriff to proceed as a class action. The four named plaintiffs, including one NLG Legal Observer, seek to represent a class of 150 people who were arrested en masse on November 5, 2010, the day that former police officer Johannes Mehserle was sentenced.