NLG Defends Ferguson, MO Residents

Credit: Sarah Ji

National Lawyers Guild Strongly Objects to Oppressive and Discriminatory Law Enforcement Tactics in Ferguson, MO

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG), a close partner of PSLS, is on the ground providing legal support to Ferguson, Missouri residents. We join in their strong objection to discriminatory law enforcement, and the racially biased system that underlies it. Many NLG members also work with PSLS to defend the rights of activists to speak up for Palestinian rights. Indeed, the forces that aim to silence the outrage in Ferguson are the same forces that are trying to silence dissent about US foreign policy, and to shield Israeli and US officials from accountability for their international law violations.  Their statement reads:

Interim NLG Executive Director Dan Gregor, currently in Ferguson helping with legal support, said:

Nobody should have assault weapons leveled at their chests by police or tear gas rounds fired at them for exercising free speech and petitioning government for a redress of serious grievances. This is a community expressing legitimate anger at not just the murder of one unarmed black teen a week ago, but also the countless young men of color brutalized every day across the country by the police, and now, the military. The Guild recognizes that the ongoing events in Ferguson reflect a dynamic and complex struggle around issues including race, class, state repression, and free speech. The NLG urges Gov. Nixon and law enforcement to respect the protesters’ right to free speech and assembly, while treating them with the dignity they deserve.

Read the full statement here.