Supporting our Communities during the Trials for Former Officers involved in the Murder of George Floyd
On March 8, 2021, the trial will begin for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Co-defendants (and former officers) J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao will stand trial for Mr. Floyd’s murder beginning on August 23, 2021. In response to community identified needs for support leading up to and during these trials, the Legal Rights Center is implementing a Community Action Plan to provide legal and restorative practice resources to our communities.
The Legal Rights Center is currently fundraising and seeking in-kind donations to support implementation of this Community Action Plan. Please consider donating to support this critical community effort.
For more information or to partner in the creation or dissemination of any of these resources,
please contact Sarah Davis, Executive Director.
The Legal Rights Center is currently fundraising and seeking in-kind donations to support implementation of this Community Action Plan. Please consider donating to support this critical community effort.
For more information or to partner in the creation or dissemination of any of these resources,
please contact Sarah Davis, Executive Director.
Upcoming Events:Know Your Rights Training - Friday, March 5th 5:00-6:30 PM CST - Register Here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0udOqprjkvGNAmxjXD5iqI9HsiwDSj3D0l
Ask An Attorney Lunch Session - Wednesday, March 10th 12:00-1:00 PM CST - Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QmRwavW9S0eoBMFyERC8sw |
Past Events:Community Perspectives on Justice and the Chauvin Murder Trial - a Virtual Panel on February 24, 2021
Speakers featured: Sarah Davis (Executive Director, Legal Rights Center), Andrew Gordon (Deputy Director of Community Legal Services, Legal Rights Center), Nekima Levy Armstrong (Founder, Racial Justice Network), Mary Moriarty (Former Chief Public Defender, Hennepin County), Kevin Reese (Founder, Until We Are All Free). |
Community education on trial proceedings:
Our community has identified a critical need for accurate and accessible information about the legal system from a trusted source leading up to and throughout the trials. This will be particularly important as the presiding judge for the trials has ruled that audio and video coverage / streaming will be allowed during the trials. With a national spotlight on these trials and our community, the Legal Rights Center will provide accurate and timely analysis of what to expect and new developments. Keep an eye out for our:
- Pre-trial resources to explain the different components of a criminal trial, for general community use and also for youth educational purposes.
- Ongoing analysis during the trial to breakdown developments that occur on a regular basis and live "ask-an-attorney sessions" for community members to ask their questions.
- Live online community forums, both before and after the trials, focused on community justice in the context of the trials.
Restorative processing of the trial
Given the collective trauma that our community experienced as a result of The Uprising in the summer of 2020, our community is anticipating that the trial will trigger significant emotions and lead to the need for community members to process in a facilitated and restorative way. In response to this community identified need, the Legal Rights Center will:
- Create restorative circle and discussion guides to help people have conversations about the trial in a restorative manner.
- Make available training opportunities for educators on how to use these circle and discussion guides in their classrooms.
- Facilitate restorative community circles focused on processing the trials.
- Coordinate with other restorative justice practitioners to amplify restorative spaces being held throughout the Twin Cities.
Protecting community during demonstrations:
Regardless of the outcome, our community is anticipating significant gatherings and protests before, during and after the trials. Additionally, with a national spotlight on our community during these trials, we anticipate heightened tensions. Community has identified a critical need for ongoing legal support and education for protestors, so that members of our community know their rights and have access to necessary legal resources. To meet this need, the Legal Rights Center will:
- Disseminate Know Your Rights information before and during protests through virtual training, printed materials, and with an on-the-ground presence.
- Provide real time legal support for community exercising their right to protest.
- Continue to partner on the coordination of the Twin Cities Legal Support line, supporting arrestees, visiting people in jail, and providing ongoing legal support.
Thank you to our supporters!
Our presenting sponsors:
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