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Legal Defense Klamath Forest Activists
Three forest activists arrested during civil disobedience protests in the Klamath region of Northern California will be represented by attorneys from the Civil Liberties Defense Center in federal court this fall. The case comes after an effective and peaceful “barrel blockade” halted logging operations and elevated an ongoing campaign to expose the Westside “Salvage” Logging […]
Activist Locks to Barrels and Halts Klamath Logging
Seiad Valley, Calif –Early this morning logging operations were halted on the Westside post-fire logging project after a daring activist chained himself between two 55 gallon drums filled with concrete at a gate leading into the project area. The non-violent direct action protest was the latest in campaign events triggered by continued logging despite a […]
CLDC: Providing legal support for Break Free
Please support CLDC in coordinating legal support for those arrested at Break Free, as well as our continued work to have the backs of those who are fighting back against the corporations that are fueling climate change.
ShellNo Cases Update: Violations dismissed, fine reduced
The Civil Liberties Defense Center represented four ShellNo protesters who were charged with civil penalty violations before U.S. Coast Guard Hearing Officers in military tribunals instead of civilian courts. We are happy to report good news about two of those cases so far.
Hypocrisy and Human Rights
Consistently, media covering President Obama’s historic 2-day visit to Cuba has focused on the need for Cuba to clean up its human rights record if it truly wants to normalize relations with the U.S. While Cuba may have some shortcomings when it comes to its human rights record, the U.S. should be hesitant in its […]
Victory in Shell No! Bridge Protest Case
Last week, in Shell Offshore v. Greenpeace, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order vacating a civil contempt order that was issued against Greenpeace last summer during the Shell No! banner hang off the St. John’s Bridge. In July, a number of activists had suspended themselves from the bridge over the Willamette […]
The Necessity of the Necessity Defense
Last May, I watched the news reports about the girl who attached herself to the anchor chain of Shell’s Arctic Challenger as it sat in the Bellingham Bay—preparing to head to the Arctic to be part of Shell’s plan to drill for oil there, and to surely cause horrific destruction to the fragile ecosystem of […]
2016 Next Generation Climate Justice Action Camp
This summer, the Civil Liberties Defense Center is hosting the third annual action camp for young people ages 14-18 to gain knowledge and skills to organize for climate justice! The camp will include a youth led public “event” focused on a climate justice campaign! July 12th-19th, 2016 at Apserkaha Park at Howard Prairie Lake!
Using open government laws to reveal the government’s secrets—and to inspire action
Just within this small sampling of recent news, we can see the impact of making a public records request: from having the FBI scramble to keep information hidden to being the seed that grew into a dynamic global campaign. As cliché as it may sound, knowledge is power—whether that’s the power to expose what’s behind […]
Homelessness and the reserve army of labor
At the end of last year, the mayors of Eugene, Portland, Los Angeles, and San Francisco gathered to discuss homelessness and climate change.… I heard a recording of the mayors discussing the meeting.… As I was listening to the mayoral musings, I wondered how genuine the interest really is in understanding the causes of homelessness.… […]
Know Your Rights resources available in Arabic
With the increasingly abusive Islamophobic response that has been coming from ignorant individuals within the United States, the CLDC will continue to stand strongly with our Muslim and/or Middle Eastern community members.
Resisting the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
It was in 2006 that the AETA was passed into law. The AETA was crafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group of corporate power players who write pieces of model legislation that suit their interests, and then ALEC passes off the legislation to members of Congress.
Federal court affirms constitutional right to criticize police
Last week, a federal court in New York affirmed the First Amendment right to criticize police using profane language. In the case, Barboza v. D’Agata, the federal court in the Southern District of New York addressed a case in which an individual received a speeding ticket in the town of Liberty, New York. He agreed […]
Youth rise up to address climate change
Last week, at the Next Generation Climate Justice Action Camp (NGCJAC), a diverse group of youth and adult organizers met in Southern Oregon to share tools and stories and prepare the next generation of climate justice organizers for the work that is to come.
City Dismisses Charges Against SLEEPS Activist
EUGENE, OR: On Friday July 24, 2015, the Assistant City Attorney of Eugene dismissed a criminal case that he filed and prosecuted against Hedin Brugh, a long-time SLEEPS activist who advocated for unhoused people.
Another win for CLDC
Last week, a federal court in Montana dismissed a charge against a citizen journalist attempting to observe and document the government roundup of wild buffalo outside Yellowstone National Park.
Human rights victory in Montana:
In a significant defeat for the multinational corporate privatization agenda, this week the town of Missoula, Montana seized its water supply and distribution system from the Carlyle Group via eminent domain.
Affirming the right to record police
Last week, federal courts issued two decisions affirming the right of citizens to record police under the First Amendment.
Policing the Police: Your Right to Record Law Enforcement
In light of the shortcomings of the legal system and growing police violence against people, there are many ways that communities can help each other to defend their rights to be free from unlawful searches, seizures, and cruel and inhumane treatment by law enforcement officers.
Filming the Police on your cell phone
In light of the recent Supreme Court case that came out a couple weeks ago that found that GPS tracking constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment, and therefore requires a warrant we wanted to go over your rights to protect your data if you end up in a situation where you record police misconduct […]
Ferguson: The Evils of the Grand Jury System
CLDC Executive Director and Staff Attorney, Lauren Regan, weighs in on how the Grand Jury System allowed a cop to get away with murder in Ferguson.
Electronic Communications Surveillance
The government is collecting information on millions of citizens. Phone, Internet, and email habits, credit card and bank records—virtually all information that is communicated electronically is subject to the watchful eye of the state. The government is even building a nifty, 1.5 million square foot facility in Utah to house all of this data. With […]
Know Your Rights Training Videos from CLDC
Now people can access Civil Liberties Defense Center training videos online! This week CLDC launched two, one hour Know-Your-Rights training videos. The first is our most well-known, offering basic legal information for activists so they might be informed when interacting with law enforcement officials during protests. The second explains basic rights for immigrant communities and […]
Courts across the nation reject voter suppression laws
Over the past few weeks, courts across the nation have rejected a number of state laws that were recently passed with the intent to restrict access to vote. Although the sponsors of the various state laws claim that the laws are intended to “prevent voter fraud,” in truth they are aimed at preventing poor and […]
Youth Protest Pollution from Klamath Strait Drain
A group of youth including inter-tribal teens, orchestrated three dynamic protests to demand a thorough clean up of the polluting Klamath Strait Drain, which pumps polluted water into the Klamath River, harming down river communities and Klamath salmon.
What has the Supreme Court done with your civil rights lately?
Last week, the Supreme Court issued a number of opinions that will affect the civil rights of millions of Americans. First, the court ruled that during DUI arrests, police can take warrantless breathalyzer tests, but not warrantless blood-draws. Second, the court ruled that universities may implement “race-conscious” affirmative action admission policies. Third, the court deadlocked […]
Federal appeals court rejects police use of taser against man recovering from diabetic seizure
Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which sets legal precedent for the states of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, ruled that a jury could find that police used unconstitutional excessive force when they tasered a man recovering from a diabetic seizure.
Don’t call the police: the disturbing trend of police killing mentally ill individuals
Two especially disturbing trends emerge from The Post’s data – (1) many of the victims who were killed by police were military veterans killed during PTSD episodes, and (2) in many cases, witnesses or victims call 911 seeking medical assistance from the police but, instead of providing aid ,the police end up killing the mentally […]
Federal appeals court blazes trail in transgender student case
Last month, in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark ruling holding that the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination prohibits discrimination against transgender students. The U.S. Department of Education had issued its formal interpretation of Title IX and its regulations and held that “when a school […]
