08 April 2003
From: Executive Director, Malcolm Rich 
To: Members/Friends of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
     & the Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice
In this e-Newsletter:
For your information...
 
The National Lawyer's Guild is holding a meeting to organize and educate attorneys who will represent the 500+ people who were arrested on March 20,2003 at an anti-war demonstration.  The National Lawyer's Guild has asked the Council to announce the need for volunteer attorneys.  The meeting will be held on April 10, 2003 at 6 p.m. at DePaul University College of Law at the Lewis Center at 25 E. Jackson Boulevard, Room 342. 
 

At this meeting, representation schedules will be discussed and those in attendance will be provided with the court dates, times, and locations; the background information for the arrestees they will represent; and information for what they can expect to happen and how they may want to respond.

By way of background, the arrestees were charged with misdemeanors, and in many cases Reckless Conduct, 720 ILCS sec.5/12-5.  Some were also charged with mob action and disorderly conduct.  The majority of the charges stem from the police officers encircling a group of approximately 1000 demonstators on Chicago Avenue east of Michigan Avenue preventing them from leaving the demonstration.  Some demonstrators were allowed to leave, others were arrested and held the at the police station but not charged,and others were charged.

The bulk of the initial court dates are in May, and the locations vary.

Please bring your calendars to the meeting.