On March 3rd, at around 6 in the evening, Legal Observer Brandon Welch of the National Lawyers’ Guild was taking video at a demonstration outside the Maryland Department of Education on Baltimore Street across from the Baltimore Arena. Among the groups organizing the demonstration were the Association of Communities Organized for Reform Now (ACORN) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The demonstration was addressing the budget crisis in the Baltimore City Public Schools. Both Brandon and ACORN organizer Mitch Klein were arrested by the police. According to members of ACORN, AFSCME, and the All People's Congress, the charges against Brandon will probably be dropped, but as of 9pm he was still being held at the central booking facility downtown.

Mitch's arrest raises serious issues of police infringement on First Amendment freedoms, and the following focus on Brandon is due only to the fact that the arrest of a Legal Observer is more novel in Baltimore and to the fact that Brandon is active in the National Lawyers' Guild (NLG), which I also belong to.

As a Legal Observer, Brandon wore a conspicuous neon hat and documented, rather than participated in, the demonstration. Legal Observers only attend demonstrations by invitation, and in Brandon's case, he was contacted by ACORN. In arresting Brandon, the police removed a vital source of protection for the demonstrators' legal rights. Even if Brandon is released without being charged, damage has been done to the demonstration which he was observing, not to mention the harassment of being detained. On a small scale, the Baltimore Police are using the tactics employed by their counterparts in Miami during the protests against the FTAA.

One way to support the rights of demonstrators and legal observers is to develop strength in numbers. To this end, the Baltimore NLG is organizing further trainings for Legal Observers. We are also trying to grow the number of lawyers, law students, and legal workers who are active in the Guild to provide more legal support to activist struggles. For more information, email nlg_baltimore-AT-hotmail.com or drop a line to PO Box 50206, Baltimore, MD 21211.

-Curtis Cooper
Baltimore NLG