Lawyers Helping Protesters Learn Rights

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4456622,00.html

Lawyers Helping Protesters Learn Rights

Saturday August 28, 2004 3:46 PM


By LARRY NEUMEISTER

Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - The lawyers and judges are ready. Let the protests begin.

City officials expect as many as 1,000 arrests a day during the Republican National Convention, and court officials and legal aid attorneys have been preparing for weeks to handle an influx of cases.

In addition, hundreds of lawyers, law students and others have volunteered to help protect protesters' rights.

Some 425 legal observers - armed with cameras, notebooks and a knowledge of civil rights law - will provide streetside legal guidance and monitor interactions between police and protesters. They will create a database of arrests, allegations of police misconduct and the names of officers and witnesses at the scene of any arrests.

In addition, about 180 lawyers, mostly criminal defense attorneys, will be available to help those who get arrested, said Bruce Bentley, an organizer of the effort for the National Lawyers Guild's New York chapter.
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