NLG Presents… & Guild Notes

February NLG Presents…

Michael Rodriguez (center) discusses the case of Oscar López Rivera and his struggle to be released from prison. Benjamin Evans (l.), a Guild member from Providence, RI, moderated the discussion. Lenore Glaser (r.).

On February 9, we met with Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz, of the National Boricua Human Rights Network, who spoke about the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, and Judith Berkan, who reported on the continuing crisis in Puerto Rico, where she practices law. Both situations highlight the colonial status of the island nation and the Puerto Rican people’s struggle for self-determination, which the Guild has long supported.

Among the participants of the February “NLG Presents...” (l.-r.): Judith Berkan (Guild lawyer from Puerto Rico), Elke Perkuhn (Suffolk law student), Barb Dougan, Daniel Werner (New England law student), Sara DeConde, Judy Somberg, Brigitt Keller, and Benjamin Evans.

NLG Annual Meeting
This year’s meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 14 Beacon St., Conference Rm.  We will start with a reception at 5:30pm and continue with elections of Chapter Board and officers.  After the elections, we will welcome Patty Garin of Stern Shapriro Weinsberg & Garin who will talk about the crisis and future of parole in Massachusetts.

If you would like to serve on the Chapter’s Board of Directors, please consider nominating yourself.  The deadline for all nominations is Tuesday, March 8 (International Women’s Day!).  Please send us your name and contact information (nlgmass-director@igc.org or 617-227-7335).

Goldstone Report Series
NLG student chapters at local law schools organize a series of presentations with two editors of the recently published book “Goldstone Report” – Lizzy Ratner & Philip Weiss.  The book contains analysis and commentary by Desmond Tutu, Naomi Klein, and Rashid Khalidi, among others.

The series schedule is as follows:
Wed., 3/30
noon         – Northeastern, 220 Dockser Hall
6:00pm    - Boston Univ., Barristern Hall
Thu., 3/31,
2:00pm    - Suffolk, Room 335
7:00pm    - Harvard, Austin North

_____________________

2011 NLG NORTHEATERN REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Ready, Represent, Radicalize!  Demystifying the Dominant Ideology
Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 3, 2011
Roger Williams University School of Law
10 Metacom Ave., Bristol, RI

The purpose of the conference is to bring together NLG members, local communities, partners, and allies
to focus on demystifying dominant ideologies in an effort to build communities that foster activism and human dignity.
For more information rwunlg@gmail.com.

_____________________

Street Law Clinic Report
The following Guild members conducted (or are scheduled to conduct) trainings for law students and/or clinics for members of Boston area community organizations and agencies:
February 9:   Tenants’ Rights  clinic at Crossroads Family Shelter in East Boston, by Jeff Feuer and Northeastern students Sharlyn Grace, J. Kirby, and Jeremiah Meyer-O’Day.
February 17: Stop & Search clinic at Youth Build in New Bedford, by Chris Williams.
February 17:   Legal Observer training for WNEC law students, by Urszula Masny-Latos.
February 22:   Stop & Search training at Boston University School of Law, by David Nathanson.
February 22:   Civil Disobedience training for WENC law students, by Bill Newman.

ARTICLES FOR MASS DISSENT
The April issue of Mass Dissent will focus on domestic policies and economy.
If you are interested in submitting an article, essay, analysis, or art work (cartoons, pictures) related to the topic,
please e-mail the articles to nlgmass-director@igc.org.
The deadline for articles is March 15.