PCJF Statement on Proposal to Give Nazis Private Metro Service for Unite the Right Rally
The proposal to turn Metro into a private livery service for Nazis is outrageous and unconstitutional. Neither Metro nor the police should act as private security or escorts for white supremacists who choose to come to Washington, D.C.. ATU Local 689 members and Metro workers should not be required to act as their chauffeurs.
Click the link to read the full statement.
FAIR talks with Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about criminalizing protest
With a new focus on "civility" amidst continuing attempts to criminalize protest, FAIR talks with PCJF Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard.
Read more
Lawsuit Over Police Collusion with Right-Wing Organizations to Infiltrate and Surveil Protest Groups
The PCJF is suing to obtain government disclosure of documents regarding the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and its officers’ relationships with Project Veritas, Oath Keepers and other right-wing groups who acted as proxy with the MPD to infiltrate and surveil protest groups.
Read more
Standing Rock: First Amended Complaint Filed to Vindicate Constitutional Rights of Water Protectors
On the night of November 20, 2016 law enforcement unleashed specialty impact munitions, explosive grenades, chemical agents, and water cannons in freezing temperatures injuring and maiming water protectors engaged in peaceful First Amendment-protected protest activities and prayer circles. We are proud to be part of the civil team litigating this case.
Charges Dropped Against 129 Trump Inauguration Protesters — But Dozens Still Face Prison
The U.S. Attorney’s office “is desperate in the remaining cases to establish that people can be imprisoned not for criminal actions but rather for their association and proximity to others,” Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a constitutional lawyer and executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, told The Intercept. “The third category of defendants are being prosecuted based on presumed shared political views and association, specifically participation in a political march while wearing black.”
Read more
The Political Prosecution of J20 Protesters
Alex Rubinstein, an independent journalist who was one of the 200 people falsely arrested during the "J20" protests at the Trump inauguration, interviews PCJF Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard about the work of the PCJF, in particular how it relates to the rights of the arrested protesters and the behavior of the police.
PCJF Lawsuit Confirms: Police Failed to Issue Dispersal Orders on J20
A public records request and lawsuit by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund confirms that the Metropolitan Police Department failed to issue dispersal warnings or orders prior to mass arrests at the Trump Inauguration. The police actions on January 20 violated laws enacted by the D.C. Council in 2005, as well as the MPD’s own Standard Operating Procedures requiring such notice prior to arrest.