This section contains links and documents that can help prepare you for the role of video witness at a demonstration or action, although you should note the disclaimer (above). Find the legal support team at a demonstration to exchange contacts before anything crazy happens, and be sure to take precautions yourself to stay safe and get bonafide legal support if you need it.
Websites:
Copwatch
Just Cause Law Collective
Quebec
Activist Legal Team's Tips
National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
Legalethics.com
Prison Activist Resource Center
The Police Complaint Center
Legal Info Sharing (Prairielaw.com)
Documents:
NLG's
report from Seattle: Waging War on Dissent
Carry your ACLU "Bust Card"
with you all the time!
ACLU's guide
to Fighting Police Abuse
Police Misconduct Report - Tips
Police Misconduct Report - Form
Watching the Police
Translation
of "Waging War on Dissent" in French.
SFPD General Order - The Rights of Onlookers (Or
Download as a PDF
File)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
Surveillance Camera Players
See the Resources page for more helpful links and documents
Articles and Emails: And from the Cops themselves...
Websites: Creative Commons Copyright licenses
and templates; promotes the innovative reuse of all sorts of intellectual works,
and they're offering a set of copyright licenses to the public free of charge. Articles and Emails: Documents: (Good Contracts) (Bad Contracts)
Manchester Reclaim The Streets freed by video evidence
(2000)
FBI nabs Video Activist "fugitive" (2000)
Seattle Chapter of the NLG
releases report on WTO Ministerial
www.policevideo.com
"Video shows lives of real cops" (by cops...)
Lots of good KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
STUFF
The Bill of Rights Is
it still here?
Contracts, Licensing, Copyright and Copyleft
Intellectual "Property"
Issues
NOLO Press, do-it-yourself legal resources
Protecting
Intellectual "Property"
Business
Contracts, Big & Small (ed: just to give you some ideas)
Using the Freedom of Information
Act
"Copylefting"
and Not Getting Ripped Off by Corporate Media
Sample Contract for Commercial Filmmakers
Sample Contract for Commercial Broadcasters (coming soon?)
Sample Contract for Other Video Activists (coming soon?)
giving them rights forever, "throughout the known
universe" (coming soon?)