As the dawn of 2013 approaches, we at the Civil Liberties Defense Center have been reviewing the legal climate for dissent.
While this news may not shock you, the claws of repression — both from the government and from corporations — continue to flinch in an attempt to silence our movements.
But we won’t let that happen, and we need you now.
While we welcome this next year with optimism and celebrate hard fought victories, we are hunkering down with clear vision and strength to continue to provide pro-bono legal defense for activists and to protect our constitutional rights. With a lean staff and dedicated Board of Directors, we will also continue to send timely updates and ramp up our bilingual Know Your Rights trainings, and offer them to people of all walks of life across the country.
We can’t do this without your support. If you have already donated to CLDC in 2012, we sincerely thank you for your contribution!
If not, please consider supporting our work into 2013, we need every dollar you can spare.
Today we at CLDC are looking beyond the annual transition, because 2013 marks a special milestone for CLDC’s legacy. Imagine a group of activist lawyers and collaborators, a decade ago, hatching a vision with Lauren Regan, our founder and staff attorney, to provide critical legal services for brave activists. Over those past ten years, we’ve surpassed 800 activists — defended with quality legal representation.
A decade on the front lines of legal fights might sound exhausting, but really it just reinvigorates Lauren to mentor more activist lawyers! At CLDC, we are very proud and thankful to be a productive part of our movements and look forward to continuing for another decade.
But again, we cannot offer this without funds directly from our supporters like you.
Just like you, we stand in solidarity with the forest defenders, the animal liberators and the climate warriors- many of whom we have represented over the past ten years. CLDC proudly plays a key role in these movements, by providing the lifeblood legal support, challenging unchecked police actions and facilitating on-the-ground trainings to diverse groups.
Our work doesn’t stop there, though. This year we were able to branch out in important ways, and extend our reach beyond familiar allies.
This year we worked with the Rural Organizing Project to develop Spanish language Know Your Rights training that combined immigration law with constitutional rights. We traveled across the state and offered the trainings to crowded rooms— the only presentation of its kind in Oregon.
We also extended our support to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe of Northern California early this year and assisted them in combating federal repression and interference of traditional and sacred ceremonies.
In 2013, we will work closely with the rising number of climate activists across the country planning to put their bodies on the line to halt the mounting threats to our planet from fossil fuels like Tar Sands oil.
In the past month, CLDC has become the lead defense counsel for the courageous Tar Sands Blockade activists in rural Texas. The group has been continuously blockading construction of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline for the past four months.
To continue to bring these offerings to the community, we need your support.
It only takes a few moments to make a secure, online donation on our website, cldc.org. Whether you can afford a thousand dollars or $50, every dollar helps us continue this important work.
Of course every donation is tax deductible. You can write a check today, so you can still get a tax-deductible donation on your 2012 taxes.
Happy New Year!
Lauren Regan & the CLDC Board of Directors
