Unless you’re bocking the blup, police interactions are probably nerve wracking. The Greater Tampa Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union wants to help.
On August 25, Tampa’s ACLU is hosting a webinar to discuss a person’s rights when interacting with police.
“To be clear: the burden of de-escalation does not fall on private citizens — it falls on police officers,” the ACLU wrote. “However, we cannot assume officers will behave in a way that protects your safety or that they will respect your rights even after you assert them.”
The talk starts at 7:30 p.m., and registration is required if you want to hear Tampa ACLU Legal Panel Chair James Shaw moderate the conversation between other ACLU members (Tampa Chapter president Gretchen Cothron, staff attorney Jackie Azis) plus criminal defense attorney Maj Vasigh and First Amendment attorney Mark Caramanica.
A highlight on the panel is criminal defense attorney and newly-elected Florida State House Rep. Michele Rayner.
“For centuries in this country, Black and Brown people have been targeted, harassed, and murdered by law enforcement,” the ACLU added. “The truth is that there are situations where people have done everything they could to put an officer at ease, yet still ended up injured or killed. Our panelists will discuss strategies for handling police encounters.”
More information is available via aclufl.org.
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