Category | News

Mass Dissent – State of the NLG

State of the NLG – MA Chapter – 2022

Well, another busy year for the MA chapter of the NLG is nearly over.  With the support of our members, we have achieved several goals, some in response to decisions of the Supreme Court.  As you all know the Court decided the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in which the … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Student Work Update

We are planning to do a Narcan Training. We are still awaiting some responses and getting the details in order. This Fall, UMass Dartmouth Law NLG Student Chapter plans to host a movie night showing, “Aftershock”; we have invited members of If/When/How and BLSA to join us. We are co-sponsoring a Judicial Accountability event as well as co-sponsoring a post … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Abortion Justice Task Force Update

NLG-Mass’ Abortion Justice Task Force (AJTF) will start facilitating trainings for groups and communities across Massachusetts in January 2023. The AJTF is currently researching the most pressing legal questions for those seeking an abortion, helping with accessing an abortion, and performing abortions in Massachusetts. Additionally, AJTF is researching the added legal concerns for more vulnerable populations, such as college students … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Annual Dinner 2022

I recently had the pleasure to attend the 2022 National Lawyers Guild Mass Chapter Annual Dinner as a guest of New England Law I Boston student, Sara Malley. As I am an architect and most certainly not a lawyer, I expect that I may have been one of the few attendees who wasn’t either directly employed in the field of … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – “Summer” Retreat 2022

There were 13 people participating at this year’s retreat – Bonnie, Doug Smith (Lit. Com.), Eden, Jeff, Jesse Sanderson (2022 Suffolk grad.), Lee, Makis, Melinda, Rebecca Amdemariam, Roberto Patterson, Sara Malley (N.E. Law), Urszula, Zach. 

Melinda and Bonnie opened the proceedings up with a brief summary of the topics to be discussed during the retreat. This included the our ongoing … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Litigation Committee Report

The Litigation Committee of NLG-Mass Chapter September Report

Following the presentation of Drew Friedfertig from the NLG-Buffalo Chapter to the Litigation Committee’s September meeting concerning the Buffalo NLG Chapter’s work in examining police policies and practices to screen out or investigate and discipline police officers who are members of white Nationalist organizations, anti-government militias, sovereign citizen groups, or “domestic terrorist” … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Getting to know Ellen Messing (9/15/2022)

What/who motivated you to go to law school?
I decided to go to law school in the course of a single moment while representing myself in a university expulsion hearing. Discipline was being sought against several of us for occupying a university building to demand that a faculty member who was basically a war criminal not be allowed back from… Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Litigation Committee Report (9/15/2022)

The Litigation Committee of NLG-Mass. was busy this month. Law student intern Adam Baldasarre finished up his summer duties by investigating Boston police surveillance and especially drone surveillance, with an emphasis on Mass-Cass and other spots where people lacking sustainable housing gather for safety. No present plans for action as of this writing, but come back next month for an … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Ongoing Litigation Against BPD (9/15/2022)

Our Mass Chapter joined the ACLU, and five community & legal service organizations, with the assistance of a private law firm pro bono, in successfully suing the Boston Police Department (BPD) and the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) for its failure to timely and fully produce public records of gang surveillance in Boston. The suit was filed in January, 2019, … Read more>>

Mass Dissent – Student Meeting Minutes (9/15/2022)

At the end of August, students from – UMass at Dartmouth, BU Law, Suffolk Law, Northeastern Law, and New England Law – came together to discuss potential campaigns their NLG chapters may adopt for the 22-23 academic year. As students share their scheduled events, the information will be included in Mass Dissent as well as posted on social media. Additionally, … Read more>>

The fight against Chemical and Kinetic Force weapons rages on!

NLG-Mass lawyers are currently hard at work pushing for city-wide ordinances in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston that would make the use of chemical and kinetic force weapons by police restricted/illegal. This is incredibly important when considering how the aforementioned tactics were used against protestors last year. The fight against these horrific tactics is ongoing!

https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/cambridge-chronicle-tab/2021/03/16/cambridge-officials-consider-tear-gas-ban-police-draft-own-policy/4714994001/… Read more>>

Northeastern Chapter presents the Week Against Mass Incarceration!

We are proud to announce that the Northeastern University Chapter of the NLG-Mass Chapter will be hosting a week-long program called “Week Against Mass Incarceration”!  

The Week Against Mass Incarceration will begin on March 1st and run through the 6th. Click the link below to sign up and to learn about the diverse offerings including a panel with Black … Read more>>

NLG ATTORNEY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY & HELD IN CONTEMPT OF COURT

NLG ATTORNEY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY & HELD IN CONTEMPT OF COURT

On Sep. 3rd and 4th, 2019, individuals charged for their role in counter-protesting the alt-right sponsored Straight Pride parade, were arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court. This has been five days of reckless disregard for the law and justice by some of the people and institutions who are supposed … Read more>>

NLG Legal Observing at Never Again Protest and Representing Arrested Activists

NLG Support for Activists from Never Again Movement 

18 activists from Never Again Para Nadie: Jews Against ICE were arrested and charged with trespassing on the night of Tuesday, July 2nd at the demonstration organized by Cosecha with a march to the ICE detention facility at the South Bay Jail in Boston. On the morning of  Wednesday, July 3rd, they … Read more>>

NLG Annual Meeting 2019

In March, Mass Chapter members gathered for our Annual Meeting. After short reports from the co-chairs and committees – Litigation, Mass Defense, Finance, and Dinner – and the Referral Directory, we held elections of the new Mass Chapter’s Board of Directors and Officers.

All running candidates were elected to serve on the Board of Directors. Bonnie Read more>>

Justice Week 2019

hosted by the NLG-UMass Dartmouth School of Law Chapter

 

 

Justice Week is a week long celebration and awareness campaign of contemporary social justice issues. This annual event is hosted by the National Lawyers’ Guild – UMass Law Chapter, and other UMass Law affinity groups. This year’s theme is: “Gender, Gentry, and Grace.” We will be looking at … Read more>>

NLG Legal Observers Defend Boston’s Third Women’s March

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The third Women’s March in Boston took place last Saturday, 1/19, on a sunny and cold winter’s day.  Despite a looming blizzard, thousands of people came out to make their voices heard in Boston Common.  As a protestor’s sign said; “You know it’s serious if we are marching in January”.

 

 

 

About 20 counter-protestors were also … Read more>>

LFTP: Employment/Labor Law for the People

On Thursday, January 17th, at 6:00pm, the NLG-Mass Chapter presented the fifth Know Your Rights teach-in of our six-month long series, “Law For The People.” Northeastern University School of Law co-sponsored and hosted this teach-in, entitled “Employment/Labor Law For The People.”

 

NLG-Mass member Attorney Mark Stern spoke about the many different types of labor law, from union law to … Read more>>

NLG-Mass January Happy Hour Recap

 

On Wednesday, January 9th, at 6pm, the NLG-Massachusetts Chapter hosted a Happy Hour event at the Red Hat Café, featuring a pertinent presentation entitled “What’s Going On At The Southern Border.” About thirty folks attended to discuss the current struggles of immigrants who have fled their countries of origin, where living conditions have become intolerable (often due to exploitative … Read more>>

Call for NLG Members to Assist Migrant Caravan

from the NLG National Office:

 

Since November, a Central American exodus of 4,000-5,000 asylum seekers have been arriving at the Tijuana/San Ysidro Port of Entry. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and Al Otro Lado (AOL) have been mobilizing legal support on both sides of the border to help protect and uphold the human rights of these refugees fleeing violence Read more>>

NLG-Mass’s 2018 Holiday Party

On the evening of Friday, December 7th, members and friends of NLG-Mass gathered at the law office of Shapiro, Weissberg, & Garin to celebrate the holiday season. Folks enjoyed delicious food and wine with the good company of fellow comrades. The holiday party also featured an exciting raffle of prizes, ranging from day passes at rock climbing gyms to spa … Read more>>

ACLU of Massachusetts, NLG-Mass Chapter and partner organizations sue Boston Police Department for records on “gang” tracking system

Groups demand records on database used in deportations

 

BOSTON, November 15, 2018 – The ACLU of Massachusetts, together with a coalition of legal services and civil rights groups and law firm Anderson & Kreiger LLP, today filed a lawsuit against the Boston Police Department (BPD) seeking information about the police department’s “gang database.”

 

Little is known about the … Read more>>

LFTP: Housing Law for the People

On Thursday, November 8th, at 6:00pm, the NLG-Mass Chapter presented the third Know Your Rights teach-in of our six-month long series, “Law For The People.” Harvard University Law School co-sponsored and hosted this teach-in, called “Housing Law For The People.” 

 

Speakers and long-time NLG attorneys Nadine Cohen, Jeff Feuer, and Lee Goldstein gave an incredibly informative and inspiring lecture.… Read more>>

NLG-Mass November Happy Hour Recap

    

 

On Wednesday, November 7th, at 6pm, the NLG-Massachusetts Chapter hosted a Happy Hour event at the Red Hat Café, featuring a discussion on “What’s Going On In Catalonia.”

 

 

Speaker Ester Serra-Luque, NLG member, activist, and native Catalonian, eloquently briefed us on the Catalan anti-fascist self-determination movement. She explained how the death of Franco did not end … Read more>>

NLG-Mass’s 10th Annual Fall Sustainer Party

 

On Wednesday, October 24th, the NLG-Mass Chapter threw its 10th Annual Fall Sustainer Party.

 

In celebration of our wonderful Sustainers who generously support the work of NLG-Mass, NLG-Mass Chapter organized an annual cocktail party at NLG Attorney Judy Somberg’s beautiful house in Cambridge, with Middle Eastern food and great company.

 

Contributions made by our Sustainers help … Read more>>