reblawg

RebLaw2009 is over-- see you next year!

2009-02-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for coming out for RebLaw2009 and making it such a huge success. We especially want to thank our two keynote speakers, Van Jones and Stephen Bright, all the panelists, moderators, workshop leaders, and issue lunch featured guests, the panel and workshop student organizers, the issue lunch facilitators, and the Yale Law School staff and countless volunteers who made this conference possible.

We'll be posting recordings of the keynote addresses and some of the handouts from the panels and workshops on our website (www.law.yale.edu/reblaw), as well as photos from the weekend, so stay tuned!

We hope you all enjoyed the conference-- see you next year at RebLaw2010!

2009-02-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

Look what FOIA can do! The Washington Post reports on the conflicting stories behind an ICE raid at a 7-11 parking lot in Maryland, featuring an interview with RebLaw FOIA Workshop leader Justin Cox of CASA de Maryland

2009-02-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

Recent New Yorker feature on keynote speaker Van Jones

2009-02-16T06:25:00.001-08:00

rebellious track of the day: Peter Tosh - Equal Rights

6 days until RebLaw 2009!

2009-02-14T11:51:00.001-08:00

Rebellious track of the day: Immortal Technique - Peruvian Cocaine

Guest Blog Post: RebLaw Panelist Rajdeep Singh Jolly

2009-02-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

Guest Blog Post: RebLaw Panelist Rajdeep Singh Jolly

Below is a guest post by Rajdeep Singh Jolly, Legal Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and panelist on this year's RebLaw panel, "Evolving Understandings of Hate Crimes Against Asian and Middle Eastern Americans in Pre- and Post-9/11 America: Economic Motivations and the Myth of the 'Perpetual Foreigner.'"

********************

Post 9/11 Bias against Sikh Americans: A View from the Blogosphere

by Rajdeep Singh Jolly, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) was founded in 1996 as a counterpoint to distortions of the Sikh religion in the mainstream media and has since evolved into a full-fledged civil rights organization. Its mission is to protect and promote the civil rights and overall condition of Sikh Americans through advocacy and education. The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak in South Asia over 500 years ago. Sikhs believe in one God and believe that all human beings are created equal, regardless of religion, race, or gender. There are approximately 25 million Sikhs throughout the world and more than 700,000 adherents in the United States. Observant Sikhs are distinguished by turbans, uncut hair, and other visible articles of faith and are regrettably subjected to hate crimes, school bullying, harassment, and discrimination because of their (actual or perceived) religion, ethnicity, and national origin. What follows is a cross-section of commentary about the work of SALDEF across the blogosphere:

Illustrative responses to SALDEF’s announcement of the filing of a religious discrimination lawsuit by a Sikh American musician against Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc.

“that rag-head needs to understand that is disney, the happiest place on earth. [T]he terrorist-look is not the disney look[.]” – Posted by: bmwmission 6/17/2008 11:34am at The Miami Herald

***

“Now this man wants to sue Disney because he refuses to take the towel off of his head. Maybe he should take that towel & hang himself with it. Then Disney can buy the movie rights and release a cartoon movie based on his life. I bet they’ll get back their attorneys fees plus more.” – Posted by: TOMBRADY 6/17/2008 1:53pm at The Miami Herald

***

“He probably wanted a job there so he could figure out how to kill the maximum amount of little kids when he sets of his bombs.” – Posted by: fishfeedfive 6/16/2008 4:45pm at TMZ

***

“I wonder what religion this fool belongs to. The first one that is thought of is Muslum (sic) but they don’t require ‘big bushy beards.’ Since he has the ‘big bushy beard’ perhaps he could work in the monkey cages cleaning out the crap. I am sure we don’t want to see him or his diaper and fan belt walking around Disney which has always had a policy of it’s (sic) employees being cleancut.” – Posted by DennyPCrane 6/17/2008 9:07am at The Tampa Tribune

***

“Take a GOOD [look] around you… You are in the United States… NOT INDIA or PAKISTAN, or whatever country you’re from!! Drop the turban and knotty twisted face hair. If I was an employer and had dress code, rules and regulations, I would not hire you either. If I got to India, or Pakistan, or wherever you come from, I would be expected to honor the customs of your country. You should be expected to do the same here.” – Posted by (sportsfan34205) 6/17/2008 10:22pm at The Tampa Tribune

Illustrative responses to SALDEF’s announcement of a possible hate crime against a 67-year-old Sikh American and news reports that a 10-year-old Sikh American boy had his religiously-preserved hair forcibly cut by an attacker in Carteret, New Jersey

“i would like to shake the hand of the person who did this.” – Posted by: chopper75 10/31/2008 3:24pm at Home News Tribune

***

“I know you will all attack me after my comment, but I am looking at the big picture. First of all I am in no way supporting the actions of these individual(s). When we are being attacked and killed 3000 at a time it is called a Holy War and they are doing it for Allah. As soon as somebody from here hurts one little "Hair" on somebody's head it is called a bias crime. I do agree an assault took place, but we are always expected to live up to so much higher standards. Just thought I would throw that out there. I know people who were murdered on 9/11, I can only wish that they only got a haircut instead!!” – Posted by: supremeruler 10/30/08 3:26pm Home News Tribune

Illustrative responses to news of SALDEF’s Sikh cultural awareness training program for Transportation Security Administration officials in New England, conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice

“Last time I checked the 9/11 terrorists all fit a certain type of description. Yes, I have a problem with pulling little old ladies out of a security line for additional security and allowing young muslim men through because we do not want to offend. Sorry, but when are we, as a country, going to learn that terrorists will use this type of Politically Correctness against us.” – Posted by: Reality Check, Hartford, CT 1/22/09 # 6 at The Hartford Courant

***

“Maybe they should have a class to teach all these people that we don't want to see anything bad happen and to listen to security and to take off your turbans when asked. These muslims should know and understand our culture as well......like respecting us for wanting a safe place to live.” – Posted by: nbdirtyscrap, Meriden, CT 1/22/09 # 53 at The Hartford Courant

***

“When are we going to stop [pussyfooting] around with terrorist and execute those even closely resembling a ‘terrorist.’ If one looks like a terrorist, acts like a terrorist execute on the spot.” – Posted by: GrayPlayer, Granby, CT 2/9/09 # 29 at The Hartford Courant

***

For additional information about the work of SALDEF, please visit http://www.saldef.org.

Social Events and Entertainment on Friday, Feb. 20

2009-02-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

I hope you're getting excited for RebLaw! We're excited to announce social events on Friday night, and an awesome show going on across the street right afterwards.

Happy Hour: 5:30-6:30 p.m., Yale Law School Dining Hall

Sweet Justice: A Celebration of Discourse, Dissent, and Dessert. 8:00-10:00p.m., Yale Law School Dining Hall, featuring delicious treats and DJ M-Hatch

AND, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic appearing LIVE at Toad's Place, right across the street from the law school. So there's no reason to ask, "What is there to do in New Haven after Sweet Justice ends?" Get tickets here. Otherwise, we can certainly point you in the direction of Rudy's or Anchor for drinks with other visiting rebels.

Rebellious Track of the Day: Parliament - Chocolate City

Full schedule now online!

2009-02-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Read all about it!

And don't forget to register if you haven't already - do so by Feb. 9 to sign up for free housing in New Haven and spots in workshops and issue lunches.

Rebellious track of the day: Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor

2009-01-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

Rebellious track of the day: Flying Burrito Brothers - My Uncle

NEW Workshop added: Workplace Raids First Responder Training

2009-01-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

We've added a new workshop called "Combating the Chaos of Immigration Raids: First Responder Training"! Students from Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) will relay their experience creating the Workplace Raids First Responder project in the D.C. metro area, under the supervision of Professor Muneer Ahmad and in cooperation with CASA de Maryland, a community-based organization dedicated to protecting immigrant rights. The workshop will showcase the curriculum developed by GULC and provide participants with a blueprint for launching Workplace Raids First Responder teams on their own campuses to provide legal aid in the immediate aftermath of an immigration workplace raid.

There are now 6 different workshops to choose from when you register. If you've already registered for different workshops and would like to switch to First Responder Training, please send an e-mail to rebellious.law.questions@gmail.com with the subject line "First Responder Training Workshop" and list your new top 3 preferences. More information on this workshop and the workshop leaders can be found on the conference website: www.law.yale.edu/reblaw.

p.s. We are getting ready to post the final program schedule very soon-- keep checking back here and on the conference site for updates!

2009-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of rebellious tracks - enjoy!
Public Enemy - Revolutionary Generation
Sun Ra - Nuclear War

Guest Blog Post: Reblaw Panelist Veronica Monet

2009-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Below is a guest post by Veronica Monet, Certified Sexologist (ACS) and Sex Educator (SFSI), Ordained Minister (ULC) Trained for the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV), and Author of Veronica Monet's Sex Secrets of Escorts (Alpha Books 2005). She is a panelist on this year's Reblaw panel, "Sex Sells, But Should We Sell Sex?"

* * * * * *

After I graduated with honors from Oregon State University I headed south to California to embark on my corporate career. I worked a desk job for a telecommunications firm and was quickly promoted to office manager. I would make a few lateral moves to other companies in Silicon Valley over the next several years eventually landing a job as a marketing representative for a radio station. Seven years after receiving my college diploma and despite numerous certificates, awards and other forms of recognition, I was still making a pitiful salary. My next move would shock many.

If I had not met a beautiful redhead in a red Mercedes convertible, I probably would not have embarked upon this next chapter in my life. But she was beautiful and she had a ton of money and I found myself seduced in more ways than one. Married with three children, Heather defied the stereotypes about prostitutes. She approached escorting like any other small business and even paid her quarterly taxes. I was impressed and I wanted to learn everything she knew. I asked her to train me. This fact alone was a bit unnerving. After all, I had a college degree and seven years in corporate jobs. What on earth could a prostitute teach me?

Fortunately, I knew instinctively that I didn’t have the foggiest idea how to conduct business in her profession so I didn’t even attempt it without the benefit of her years of experience. There was plenty to learn not the least of which was safety. She taught me the tricks of the trade which make safer sex hot and erotic. She taught me how to screen the phone calls so I only saw the good clients. And most importantly she taught me how to avoid arrest. Turned out that vice cops were rather obvious in their demeanor and not all that difficult to weed out from the legitimate customers.

My life as a high-end escort was like a fairy tale in many ways. I dated some amazing men for very large sums of money and I was treated like a princess at every turn. Dining at five star restaurants and staying in the finest hotels, I flew from city to city to meet my high powered clientele. I eventually married and continued to work as a courtesan while I lived the typical quiet suburban life. My husband and I traveled the world to exotic scuba destinations. We enjoyed a particularly memorable diving excursion to Papua New Guinea but the Caribbean was also a favorite stop.
And then it happened. After working in the prostitution profession for twelve years without a single negative experience except the occasional bore or clod, I accepted an outcall to the home of a serial rapist.

He seemed nice enough at first but it quickly became apparent that he had a mental disorder and was imbalanced. I knew that meant he could be dangerous so I smiled and took his phony check even though I didn’t accept checks from first time customers. It was too late though. As I scanned the apartment I realized that all the windows and doors had bars on them and locked with a key only. Without the key I was trapped. And I knew there was no way he was going to let me go until he got what he wanted.

I was one of the lucky ones. I managed to get him to wear a condom and when he was done, I got the hell out of there and made a bee line to the bank to confirm my suspicions that it was indeed a bad check that he had passed me. The bank manager told me this man was passing about 20 bad checks every month! I asked her why she allowed him to continue to bank with her branch and that was when I was asked to leave the bank.

So he was obviously inviting a lot of prostitutes to his apartment every month and forcing his fake checks and his fat self on them before they were allowed to leave. This man was committing rape, false imprisonment and fraud. Surely the authorities would want to know.

But I was afraid to report him because I knew the police would probably arrest me for prostitution. So I contacted a women’s organization and asked them to help me convince the Oakland police to take my rape report without arresting me. They wrote a series of letters imploring them to get their priorities straight but the Oakland PD refused.

So the rapist continued to rape and just three weeks after he raped me, he stabbed an eighteen year old girl in the face. She was too traumatized to report it to the authorities let alone testify.

I couldn’t believe the police would rather put me in jail for a misdemeanor than get off their lazy buts and find this violent criminal who was committing felonies. The only reason the cops didn’t care was because his victims were prostitutes. That made me very angry.

So I kept working the angles over the next three years and couldn’t catch a break until I met Robyn Few. She had just founded the Sex Worker Outreach Project in San Francisco/Berkeley. She was quite adept at political activism and when I told her about this serial rapist who was still at large and preying on sex workers, she didn’t hesitate to get involved.

Robyn Few used her connections with the press to pressure then Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown to pursue the case. I finally got to give my deposition without going to jail in the process. Of course that didn’t exactly induce the authorities to pull out all the stops to apprehend the perpetrator. They made a lame attempt but gave up pretty quickly. And thanks to the three year delay, his trail had gone cold anyway.

I wish this case was an isolated one. But it happens every day of the week. Laws against prostitution make it unlikely that prostitutes will report their rapes or assaults and so violent criminals are allowed to run free. Perfecting their techniques while they bolster their courage, perpetrators often use prostitutes as practice victims until they get brave enough to start raping and/or killing college coeds and other women our culture deems worthy of protection. The whole system is corrupt. Since when do we as a culture condone designating certain citizens as legitimate targets for rape and murder? Although the law doesn’t spell it out that way, it IS the end result. Prohibition always leads to an underground culture where laws are impossible to enforce. Police priorities only exacerbate the situation.

Of course the irony is that the laws against prostitution are touted as some type of protection for the prostitutes. Proponents of laws against prostitution will tell you that women who work as prostitutes are at risk and need to be rescued. But the very laws which are purported to benefit prostitutes only serve to degrade, stigmatize and marginalize prostitutes while their attackers go free.

Guest Blog Post: RebLaw Panelist Udi Ofer of the NYCLU, on the Role of Police in Schools

2009-01-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

This year's Reblaw Conference has at least three different panels that explore the effect of prisons and incarceration on American society: 1) Changing Parole Policy: A Collaborative Effort Between Lawyers, Prisoners, and Government Officials; 2) Lost in a Haze: Legalization and the Drug Reform Movement; and 3) Rejecting "Tough on Crime": Fixing a Broken Criminal Justice System.

The guest post below comes from Udi Ofer, Advocacy Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and a panelist on this year's Reblaw panel, "Trading Handcuffs for Diplomas: Exploring Zero Tolerance, Special Education, and the School to Prison Pipeline." For more information on the role of police in schools, please read the NY Times recent editorial on the topics, entitled "The Principal's Office First," http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05mon3.html?ref=opinion.

* * * * * *

Crisis in our Schools:
More Cops, More Arrests, and More Problems

By Udi Ofer, NYCLU

Police personnel handcuffed 5-year-old Denis Rivera and sent him to a psychiatric ward for throwing a temper tantrum in his Queens kindergarten class.

Stephen Cruz was in a bathroom stall in his school in Flushing when a school safety agent kicked open the stall, striking Stephen’s face and cutting him below his hairline. The police agent allegedly responded to Stephen’s bleeding by saying, “That’s life, it will stop bleeding,” and walking away.

School safety agents handcuffed and arrested Chelsea Fraser in front of her classmates at her Dyker Heights school. Her crime? She wrote the word “okay” on her desk.

The above examples, and there are plenty more, are the product of years of education and safety policies that have taken school discipline away from educators and handed them over to the police department.

In New York City, where I work, the problem is particularly bad. There are more than 5,200 police personnel in NYC schools, making it the 5th largest police force in the country—it’s larger than the police force of Washington DC, Detroit or Boston. And today more than ever, children are much more likely to be arrested for minor disciplinary problems that a generation ago would have never been treated as a criminal offense.

What used to be a trip to the principal’s office is now a trip to the local police precinct.

But the problem of overpolicing is not unique to New York. What’s happening in New York City is part of the larger school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon, where students are being pushed out of classrooms and into the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems.

Often, you’ll hear mayors and police officials refer to these policies as “zero tolerance.” They say that these polices will make our schools safer. But in reality, these policies and practices all too often rely on inappropriately harsh discipline and, increasingly, law enforcement, to address trivial schoolyard offenses. Today, children are far more likely to be arrested at school. And way too many of these school-arrests are not for violent behavior.

Children of color and children with disabilities bear the brunt of these harsh trends. Nationally, students of color are suspended at rates of two to three times that of other students. They are also more likely to be subject to suspensions, corporal punishment, and expulsion.

In New York City, children of color are disproportionately subjected to metal detector searches. In schools with permanent metal detectors, 77% of police personnel interventions are in non-criminal matters. High schools with permanent metal detectors issued 48% more suspensions than similar schools

Rather than nurturing and educating children perceived to pose a disciplinary problem, schools are turning to law enforcement to simply get rid of the child.

There are alternatives to arrests and suspensions to deal with school discipline problems. And there are schools across the country that have used positive, rather than punitive measures to address school violence.

Take, for example, the Julia Richman Education Complex (JREC) in New York City. In the early 1990’s, Julia Richman High School was the definition of a failing school. The school had a 66% attendance rate and a 37% graduation rate. There were metal detectors and more than a dozen police personnel. Despite the prison environment in the school, fights were common and guns often found their way onto school grounds.

In the mid-1990’s, a new administration came in to take over the school. It separated the one large school to include six small schools, four of them high schools. The new school leadership refused to allow metal detectors in the schools. The school safety agents were prohibited from enforcing school discipline and instead became responsible for protecting the school from outside intruders

Today, JREC serves the same population but has a 91% attendance rate, 90% graduation rate, and 91% of graduating students go on to college. In 2006-2007, there were four fights, none of which involved weapons more dangerous than thrown fruit.

More police, more suspensions, and more arrests are not the way to safeguard our schools. Instead, educators must take back control over the enforcement of school rules. Police personnel should be limited to legitimate safety concerns and trained to work in the school environment. More money should be spent on guidance counselors, social workers and afterschool programs to engage students, rather than on additional police personnel.

Rebellious tracks to ring in the year

2009-01-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Carter Family - Single Girl, Married Girl
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - This Land is Your Land

2008-12-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

It snowed a lot in New Haven!

Rebellious track of the day: The Impressions - This is My Country

2008-12-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Johnny Cash at San Quentin Prison:
“They said, you gotta do this song, you gotta do that song, you gotta stand like this, or act like this. I just don’t get it man, you know? I’m here to do what you want me to and what I wanna do.”

Sarah Palin at Vice-Presidential Debate:
"I may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you wanna hear but I'm gonna talk straight to the American people and let 'em know my track record also".

Rebellious track of the day: Johnny Cash - San Quentin (live at San Quentin prison)

NEW Issue Lunch added

2008-12-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

We've just added a new "Human Rights" Issue Lunch! There are now 12 different topics to choose from when you register for a Saturday lunch discussion group. If you've already registered for different Issue Lunches and would like to switch to Human Rights, please send an e-mail to rebellious.law.questions@gmail.com with the subject line "Human Rights Issue Lunch" and list your new top 3 preferences.

2008-12-11T07:55:00.001-08:00

Rebellious track of the day: Leadbelly - Gee, But I Want to Go Home (Army Life)

facebook group

2008-12-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who's already registered for the conference!

Check out the new RebLaw facebook group and be rebellious in a social networking 2.0 sort of way

And also check out the rebellious track of the day: Fela Kuti - Zombie

Registration open!

2008-12-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that registration for RebLaw 2009 is now open!

Check out our brand new website, and register now for the conference!

The keynote speakers will be Van Jones and Stephen Bright. Plus there is an entire fantastic weekend of panels, workshops, socializing, and rebellion. So bring your friends!

Rebellious track of the day: David Bowie - Rebel Rebel.

SAVE THE DATE

2008-09-05T13:47:00.001-07:00

15th Annual RebLaw Conference

February 20-22, 2009!

Great speakers, panelists, and attendees.

Stay tuned for more details.....

Yours in Rebellion,

REBLAW

reblawg!

2008-04-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

RebLaw 2009 - www.law.yale.edu/reblaw