As the Occupy Wall Street movement gains steam, the NYCLU is standing beside the demonstrators and defending their right to speak their minds. Teams of NYCLU staff and volunteers regularly visit the movement’s headquarters at Zuccotti Park to distribute our Know Your Rights information and engage the demonstrators’ on their experiences with the NYPD. The park’s makeshift library is well-stocked with our Demonstrating in New York City and What to Do if You’re Stopped by the Police guides. We’re engaging the protestors on Facebook and Twitter as well. And perhaps most importantly, our royal blue-clad legal observers are on hand monitoring police activity and recording any instances of police misconduct. We will hold the police accountable for any misconduct. You can help us. If you or somebody you know has been the victim of police misconduct associated with the protests, if you’ve seen the police engaging in intimidating behavior or using video cameras in a way that chills the right to protest, or if you’ve seen the police doing something right, please tell us about it. Send an email to protest@nyclu.org and tell your story. We’re collecting your videos and photos, too. We all know how powerful it was to see the video of an NYPD “white shirt” using pepper spray on protesters. Your story, pictures and videos can help us hold the NYPD accountable and strengthen the protest rights of all New Yorkers. Please take a minute to drop us a line at protest@nyclu.org and tell us what you see.
Thank you for all that you do, Donna Lieberman, NYCLU Executive Director