Tag: free speech

“Public Protest and the Law” Panel Discussion

What rules do the police need to follow when interacting with protesters? What are the privacy laws related to police body cams and protester-created videos?

“Public Protest and the Law,” a two-hour panel discussion among civil rights and advocacy experts held at Chicago-Kent College of Law on March 2, 2017, addressed First Amendment rights as they relate to protests, local protest permit laws and how they relate to spontaneous protests, issues undocumented immigrant and non-citizen protesters might face if arrested, proposed legislation to curb protester rights, and more.

Panelists:

Continue reading ““Public Protest and the Law” Panel Discussion”

Recap: Black Lives Matter Chicago at Chicago-Kent

In March, Chicago-Kent’s BLSA Vice President Alexis Halsell organized an event titled “Creating Change: The Importance of Social Justice Involvement” and invited four representatives from Black Lives Matter Chicago to share more about their movement’s goals.

History of Black Lives Matter

Kofi Ademola gave some historical context for the Black Lives Matter movement, which was founded by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors. These three black queer women started the hashtag on social media in reaction to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case.

The Black Lives Matter website helped build the movement when activists protesting the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson used it to start local chapters across the country.

Criminal Justice Reform in Chicago

In Chicago, Kofi Ademola noted there had already been 20 police shootings in 5 years with no convictions, so the issue of police violence has always been central. He said the goal of Black Lives Matter Chicago is to decentralize power and to centralize marginalized voices and communities.

Black Lives Matter Chicago has been supported by the National Lawyers Guild local chapter serving as legal observers at protests and actions. As seen with the airport ban, more lawyers are organizing to create emergency response legal teams that can take action quickly. Continue reading “Recap: Black Lives Matter Chicago at Chicago-Kent”

Recap: Ask Muslims Anything

Our Muslim Law Student Association hosted an “Ask Muslims Anything” event during our Diversity Week 2017, giving students a chance to submit questions about Islam or Muslims anonymously.

These questions covered a range of topics from historical Islam to understanding religious practices and challenges Muslims face in the United States due to common misconceptions or outright discrimination.

The panelists represented a range of different personal and religious backgrounds and offered contrasting perspectives throughout the discussion.

Continue reading “Recap: Ask Muslims Anything”