2010, a Year of Hard Work: Legal & Otherwise

2010 continued the depression which continues to be called the Great Recession. The economic problems of the previous few years continued, causing the NLG Massachusetts Chapter to be stressed, with decreasing funding but increasing work which needs the Guild’s attention. However, the Chapter continued to produce work all our members should be proud of.

The Massachusetts Chapter Board of Directors began the year with an emergency meeting to assess finances, and worked to create a plan to make the Chapter’s finances viable. This work continued throughout the year, with much of the work being done by the finance committee. The Guild Circle continued to grow but we’ve lost several Sustainers due to financial constraints.

Thank you to all you Guild members who attended meetings and events, worked with various committees, and took to the streets fighting injustice. Let's do it again in 2011! (above: NLG members working hard at the NLG Summer Retreat in August 2010).

The Chapter’s ongoing projects continued to be challenged by the requests for services. The Street Law Clinics were on the increase this year; the Lawyer Referral Service had a good year after a slump in revenue in 2009, and increased the number of lawyers on its panel. Student chapters in the Boston area were very active; there were nascent chapters at Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island, and Western New England College School of Law in Springfield.

The Mass Defense committee had a busy winter with charges against 200 students who camped out on the Boston Common in November 2009, eventually resulting in all but one of the protestors having the denial of the criminal complaints in exchange for paying $50 court costs.

The Foreclosure/Eviction Prevention Task Force continued to grow as it chased increase demand, working with the expanding number of community groups organizing to protect their neighborhoods from foreclosures and evictions. The work included Street Law Clinics, representation at foreclosure/eviction blockades, and legislative action to protect homeowners & tenants.

Two projects were merged this year, the Brown Bag Luncheon Series became “NLG Presents…” and is now scheduled just before the monthly Happy Hour.

In February the Mentorship Program entered a new era with a kickoff event at Felt, and through the year mentors and mentees were paired and bonded. There was a cocktail party at the Revolution Bar in October to kick off the new school year and again pair lawyer mentors with students.

May 7th saw the 29th Annual Testimonial Dinner. Ably emceed by Susan Church and John Salsburg, the evening was livelier then ever. Honorees included lawyers Soffiyah Elijah and Howard Cooper, legal worker Dan Kesselbrenner, and students Charlie Noss and Josh Raisler Cohn. There was a tribute to Howard Zinn, whose death this year was a loss that will be felt for a long time. The dinner had some new twists, including a silent auction and dancing into the night.

The highlight of the year for the Chapter Board of Directors was the Annual Meeting in March where Jerry Tisme gave a timely and personal overview of Haiti’s long road to recovery after a history of human and natural disasters. There was a wide ranging discussion with much concern and hope for the future of Haiti by the numerous members who attended.

Since the spring, the Chapter has been working very closely with the Student Immigrant Movement and their campaign to pass the Dream Act.

The Summer Retreat, this year in June, was a time to step back and rethink the Chapter, emphasizing how to make the Chapter more relevant to our members and their law work. There was much discussion about the Chapter better using technology to increase our efficiency and relevance. This has already resulted in our website being refurbished.

An exciting new project was launched this summer, the NLG Advisory Committee, an attempt to increase communications between the Guild and area activists and organizations. After a brainstorming meeting in August, there was a meeting in September to begin the hard work of creating a working committee. A second meeting was scheduled for December and great things are expected.

In September, Urszula Masny-Latos testified at a Cambridge Council Meeting urging the City to support and fund the city’s Affordable Housing Program.

The Chapter Board also worked through the fall considering creating an NLG Litigation Group to coordinate and pursue litigation in the name of the Massachusetts Chapter.

In October the Chapter organized and sponsored a premier showing of Oliver Stone’s “South of the Border” at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge with a discussion panel afterwards moderated by Iris Gomez. The show was sold out and a grand time was had by all who managed to obtain one of the elusive tickets.

In November we co-organized a “Know Your Rights” Training for local activists on what to do when the FBI pays a visit. Among the trainers were Guild members Myong Joun, David Milton, and Urszula Masny-Latos. We also co-organized a facinating panel on “FBI and the Murder of a Black Panther,” moderated by Michael Avery.

2010 included some personal milestones for members of the Chapter, and congratulations are in order for Laura Alfring’s engagement, Astrid af Klinteberg’s marriage, the birth of Makis Antzoulatos’s daughter, Devlin Harper Doran, and Urszula being awarded the “NLG Legal Worker” award at the NLG Convention Banquet in New Orleans.

We look forward to 2011, with hope that the elusive one world socialist Eden will finally be attained, and peace pervade the lovely planet Earth.

- Neil Berman -

Chapter Co-Chair