In this two-hour Zoom workshop, we will ground participants in an easy-to-use tool to better understand what white supremacy culture is, including its relationship to male supremacy and class exploitation/bias, share specific examples and the most common ways we see it arise in our organizations, and explore strategies, visions, and policies for how we can disrupt it. Participants will learn and deepen their analysis in practical ways, and leave with tools, stories, and visions for bringing liberation and racial justice into the center of your work.

Date/Time: Tuesday, February 9th / 6pm - 8pm

We will share tools and approaches to address harmful dynamics related to power and identity appropriately in our movement work together utilizing real life scenarios.

Date/Time: Tuesday, February 23rd / 6-8pm

The week of February 1 we will be organizing a meeting for those interested in the launch of an NLG-SFBA Environmental Justice Committee, including a webinar series on pressing environmental justice issues and the role of movement lawyering and legal work in supporting and defending them. 

Legal Observer Training in 2021

Legal Observer Coordinators are developing a new Basic LO Training which will be held in early 2021. If you would like to be trained as a Legal Observer or renew your LO training, please continue to follow this newsletter for updates. Contact demonstrations@nlgsf.org with questions.

As the administration transitions from 45 to 46, the inappropriate behavior of judges and the disorganization of the U.S. Justice Department is laid bare. This last weekend, SF Chronicle journalist Tal Kopan published an investigative article detailing the misconduct done behind closed doors by three immigration judges. The article also reveals that each of them are still working within the U.S. Justice Department and one judge was even promoted after exhibiting inappropriate behavior during a court proceeding. These accounts were taken from across the country, but several of these stories came from San Francisco. One in particular sounding familiar was a judge using incorrect pronouns and asking an inappropriate question to a defendant who was testifying a traumatic experience. We encourage those who have read Kopan’s piece to join our campaign in holding Judge Nicholas Ford accountable.

You can take action by signing and sharing the demand for Ford to be investigated and removed: bit.ly/removeford.

You can also take action by volunteering for our Collaborative Court Watch Program!

The next two training sessions will take place on January 29th and February 26th, both Fridays 12-1:30pm. Sign up by filling out the form at bit.ly/courtwatch1 or emailing migrantjustice@nlgsf.org with the subject line “Court Watch Training [1/29 or 2/26].”

Be informed and prepared in 2021! 

The ILRC has created an Immigration Preparedness Toolkit for those who are looking to assess their immigration options, learn how to create an action plan, and develop a strategy that works for them. Download their immigration toolkit here.

You can also download the Spanish version of the Toolkit here.

Press Conference: COVID-19 Outbreak at Santa Rita Jail

A COVID-19 outbreak which began on December 23 has now been raging for one month. On Thursday, January 21, the Santa Rita Jail Hotline received a call from an individual in Housing Unit 25, a dorm-style unit where many individuals share the same air space. Housing Unit 25 has been quarantined three times in the past three months, most recently on January 8th. The Housing Unit was released two days later because ACSO and Wellpath chose to test a single person rather than test the entire dorm. Only four days later, on January 14, the unit was quarantined yet again as more people began to show symptoms.

No Accountability from ACSO and Wellpath

On Friday, January 22, advocates attended Supervisor Richard Valle’s conference call at Santa Rita Jail. When questioned about the outbreak in Housing Unit 25, Mike Durbin (HSA, Wellpath) claimed that Wellpath has met the necessary precautions for individuals with comorbidities, such as cohorting high-risk individuals and providing them with PPE. He admitted that there is a recognized outbreak in the dorm and described it as a “regrettable incident.” ACSO and Wellpath were unable to account for what caused the outbreak, but admitted when questioned that staff who are categorized as first responders are permitted to report to work pending a COVID-19 test, even if they believe they have been exposed. ACSO was unable to specify which staff are considered first responders and whether those individuals are currently working in high-risk medical housing units.

Get Involved with the SRJ Hotline

The Santa Rita Jail Hotline (510-925-4060) is a free resource for prisoners in the Alameda County Santa Rita Jail and their families to report their concerns about COVID-19, jail conditions, and to obtain information about their rights. The hotline consists of attorney, legal worker, and community member volunteers who answer calls, correspond with, and advocate for prisoners. The hotline operates daily from 8am-10pm.

If you would like to join the hotline as a volunteer, please fill out our volunteer form.

If you are an attorney or law student who would like to participate in the hotline by advising hotline volunteers, drafting legal memos, or working with prisoner callers, please contact srjhotline@nlgsf.org.