Legal ease & Safety first

Petition for gun safety

Moms Rising has provided a petition for those of us who want to insist that people not be able to gain access to assault weapons. They encourage us to fill in the blanks, add a personal message, and forward this petition to the US Congress. Click here to express your concerns.

Free Legal Aid NC workshops

Legal Aid NC will hold a Social Security Disability Clinic at their Durham office (201 W Main St, Suite 400) on Thursday, August 1, 2:30–4:30pm. Click here to save your spot; this is a free clinic.

Legal Aid NC will hold an Employee Rights Clinic at their Durham office (201 W Main St, Suite 400) on Thursday, August 8, 2:30–4pm. Learn all about employment “at will,” right to work, discrimination and retaliation in the workplace, and eligibility for unemployment benefits. Everyone will receive a packet of educational materials and resources and can get their questions answered at the Q&A session at the end. Click here to save your spot; this is a free clinic.

Legal Aid NC will hold a How to File a Child Custody Action workshop at their Durham office (201 W Main St, Suite 400) on Tuesday, August 13, 2:30–4:30pm. Learn all about child visitation rules/agreements and receive a packet of legal documents and instructional video, followed by a Q&A session. Click here to save your spot; this is a free workshop.

Legal Aid NC will hold a Social Security Disability Clinic at their Durham office (201 W Main St, Suite 400) on Thursday, September 5, 2:30–4:30pm. Click here to save your spot; this is a free clinic.

Durham City Council meetings

Upcoming City Council Meetings will be held on Monday, August 5, at 7pm, at City Hall (101 City Hall Plz). City Council A Work Session will be held on Thursday, August 8 at 1pm.

Click here to listen to the Thursday, July 25 Special City Council Meeting.

Click here to view the Agenda for the Thursday, August 8 City Council Work Session.

Listen to the Thursday, July 25 Special City Council Meeting.

Listen to the Thursday, July 25 City Council Work Session.

Restorative Justice Circle of Hope and Healing

The Restorative Justice Circle of Hope and Healing will meet on Thursday, August 15, 7–8:30pm, at Calvary United Methodist Church (304 E Trinity Ave). Explore restorative justice (RJ) values and work with RJ facilitators as they face challenges guiding people through rough times in their lives. Another session will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 10–11:30am. Write to restorativejusticedurham@mail.com with any questions you might have.

Durham Police 1st-quarter report

The Durham Police Department recently released its 2019 First-Quarter Report. Read it below:

Get legal help

The North Carolina Bar Association offers its NC Lawyer Referral Service, which will refer you to an attorney who will give you one half hour consultation. This half hour of advice can involve any legal subject of your choice. Call 800-662-7660; the cost won’t cost more than $50.

Legal Aid of North Carolina (201 W Main St, Suite 400) offers free legal advice and representation (civil cases) for low-income residents. Call 919-688-6396 for more info and to set up an appointment.

Big grant for the Criminal Justice Resource Center

The US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance for Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness has awarded a $749,000 grant to Durham County’s Criminal Justice Resource Center (326 E Main St). A 3-year program will be set up to provide standardized screening and assessment, to work in partnership with local organizations to provide collaborative comprehensive case management, and to work with individuals both before and after release from prison to help guide them toward a successful life and away from crime, substance abuse, and despair. Click here to learn more about the CJRC and its programs and services.

Mobile Justice smartphone app

There’s a new smartphone app called Mobile Justice NC that you can use to monitor and record police actions. We have the right to film the police, but always have your safety in mind when doing so. If an officer says that you’re in the way and tells you to get back, that might not the time to stand your ground and to tell him or her that you’re acting within your rights. Learn how to use the zoom-in feature so you can step out of the way and continue filming.

If you’re an activist or member of the media, download this free app and get familiar with Mobile Justice NC’s four features now (as opposed to during the heat of a protest or police action):

Record—Once you start recording, the audio/video files are automatically emailed to ACLU North Carolina—this makes it impossible to delete what you have filmed from your phone.
Witness—You have the option of alerting nearby Mobile Justice NC app users so that situations can be captured from more than one point of view.
Report—You can add details like descriptions, badge numbers, etc, and this data will be transmitted directly to ACLU North Carolina.
Know Your Rights—Get an overview of your rights as a resident of North Carolina when stopped by law enforcement officers.

Click here to watch a short but in-depth explainer on how the app works:
(O clique aquí para más information sobre el app Justícia Móvil en español.)

Durham Police Department Citizen’s Complaint Form

You can make a formal complaint online by filling out the blanks of this form and sending it in. Click here for instructions and to fill out the Durham Police Department Citizen’s Complaint Form.

Durham Police Department Commendation Form

You can also single out an officer who went out of his or her way to be helpful/come to your aid. Click here for instructions and to fill out the Durham Police Department Commendation Form.

ACLU interview

Mike Meno, communications director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s North Carolina office, was a recent guest on TV Skywriter. Learn more about the ACLU work at www.acluofnc.org.

NC Lawyer Referral Service

The North Carolina Bar Association can help you find an attorney to represent you. Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) attorneys can’t charge more than $50 for initial consultation meetings of up to 30 minutes. None are able to take clients on a pro bono (free) basis. Visit ncfindalawyer.org or call 800-662-7660 (or 919-677-8574 if you’re out of state).

NC SAVAN

Crime victims and survivors often feel like they’re sitting on pins and needles while waiting to hear about upcoming trials and to get news on the status of perpetrators. NC SAVAN (North Carolina Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification) is set up to keep them informed. A 24-hour, toll-free telephone number, 877-627-2826, is available for learning about an offender’s status and about victim-assistance resources. You can also call that number to register for the automated victim notification service. Once you’re registered, you can choose whether to get updates via automated telephone messages or emails; you can also download an app for your smart phone. Notifications can be delivered in English or Spanish, or you can have them translated into one of more than 100 available languages.

Click here to register for NC SAVAN or to search for offender information.

Durham Police Department info

Click here to read the Durham Police Department’s daily bulletin.
Click here to file a nonemergency police report for incidents like larceny, vandalism, and fraud/forgery, but not for stolen vehicles or other items, arson, domestic violence, or shoplifting. See the article for an extensive list and instructions on what steps to take and what to expect after you file your report.