Help Needed at Standing Rock

Author: 
repost from the MLG

The NLG legal team, now the Red Owl Legal Collective, at the Standing Rock No Dakota Access Pipeline water protector campsite, is calling for legal
workers and lawyers to join us to do legal observing and other non-representation movement lawyering (if you are interested in providing legal representation, see last paragraph below).

Because of conditions on the ground here, legal observing is narrower and more focused than you may have experienced, and is a privileged part of Red
Owls representation of the Standing Rock Nation. The work is subject to the following unique conditions:

Rural, remote areas with varying jurisdiction (tribal, private, Army Corps of Engineers);

Lakota/Dakota sovereignty, and native customs and practices shaping our work;

Communications challenges hampering the legal team in the field and at the campsite;

Escalating police tactics (kettling, pointing weapons at unarmed protesters, hitting horses with police vehicles, aircrafts "buzzing" and spraying protesters, deployment of armored personnel carriers and LRAD
units), all occurring in deserted areas without independent witnesses;

Multiple police forces (multi county sheriffs and federal Bureau of Indian Affairs police).

We are looking for experienced legal workers and lawyers with legal observer experience, whose prior work and demeanor can be vouched for.
Additional duties may include camp legal outreach, intake and police misconduct documentation.

We are making one exception to the requirement for prior experience: in the interest of self-determination for people of color, and the fulfillment
of the Guild's goal of increasing racial diversity, we are accepting new or inexperienced native, and other people of color, legal workers and lawyers for legal observing and other non-litigation support. We will, of course, train and vet people who meet these criteria as well.

We are looking for a minimum of one week in commitment.

In addition we are looking for people with the following qualities:

Team players who work well in close, challenging working and living
conditions;

Able to get in where you fit in, and do the work requested by the leadership;

Respect for native culture, and able to take direction from indigenous people and women;

We're not trying to be elitist or alarmist but native government/US relations, as you know, have a long history of oppression and genocide.
People who join us will fall under the privilege of the NLGs Red Owl Legal Collective as legal representatives of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. All
will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and pledge to refuse to testify under threat of jail.

With all due respect to your prior excellence Guild work, these requirements must be enforced. If unable to meet them, please think about helping the Guild by volunteering in other situations and locations, including your home state or city.

For legal support, including legal observing, please contact King Downing
at massdef@nlg.org. For legal representation, contact Robin Martinez at
robin.martinez@martinezlaw.net. In each instance, please provide your
background, including relevant experience, and references.

Thank you for your interest and commitment.

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