Community Defenders
FREE YOUR FAMILY!
2nd Saturday of each month
10am – 1pm
1-on-1 consultations for current criminal and juvenile court cases, post-conviction options including commutations, pardons and parole hearing preparation, record sealing and expungements, immigration.
Ross Snyder Recreation Center
1501 East 41st Street, Los Angeles, 90011
Text: (323)327-1259 or (424)744-1156
or email: fuelwop@gmail.com for more info
Defensoros de la Comunidad
LIBERA A SU FAMILIA!
Segundo Sabado de Cada Mes
10am – 1pm
Consultas en casos penales y de menores, post-condena, conmutaciones, perdones, libertad condicional, sellados de registros y expurgaciones, y inmigracion.
Ross Snyder Recreation Center
1501 East 41st Street, Los Angeles, 90011
Text: (323)327-1259 or (424)744-1156
or email: fuelwop@gmail.com for more info
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
For all situations, if you do go voluntarily with the police, get stopped and questioned or get arrested:
DON’T TALK!
AND ASK TO TALK TO A LAWYER RIGHT AWAY.
THESE ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER!
DON’T TALK TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY THREATEN YOU, WHAT THEY PROMISE YOU OR WHAT THEY CLAIM TO KNOW. (Explain that police, sheriff’s deputies, ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, federal marshals, probation and/or parole officers are ALL sworn law enforcement officers.)
DON’T TALK TO A PROBATION OFFICER OR SOCIAL WORKER EVEN IF THEY SAY THEY ARE THERE TO DO AN “INTAKE” OR HELP YOU. THOSE CONVERSATIONS CAN AND PROBABLY WILL BE SHARED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND/OR THE COURT.
DON’T TALK TO FAMILY OR FRIENDS (WHETHER OR NOT THE POLICE ARE PRESENT) ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO THE INCIDENT OR ACTIONS YOU ARE BEING ACCUSED OF. Visiting rooms, visiting phones and other areas can be video and/or audio taped and the information used against you and/or your family members and friends. Phone calls are also recorded.
DON’T TALK TO SOMEONE YOU ARE ARRESTED WITH (sometimes referred to as a “crime partner,” “crimie” or co-defendant). They can be pressured to share what you say and also to testify against you – usually for a drop in their charges or for a better deal.
DON’T TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE YOU ARE LOCKED UP WITH (A. police are often in jails and juvenile halls pretending to be people who have been arrested; B. the system also pays or gives favors to people who are locked up to act as “confidential informants” in order to gain your trust and get you to talk; and C. holding cells, interrogation rooms, juvenile halls and jails are often audio recorded for sound or video recorded for both sound and images).
ASK TO SPEAK TO A LAWYER IMMEDIATELY also known as a DEFENSE ATTORNEY. Once you ask for a lawyer, all additional questioning by the police without a lawyer is illegal. Under a recent change in California state law, youth under 18 CAN NOT BE QUESTIONED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT without FIRST talking to a defense attorney.
YOUR MIRANDA RIGHTS – RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT; RIGHT TO COUNSEL (DEFENSE ATTORNEY OR
PUBLIC DEFENDER)
You have the rights to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney If you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided for you. But, under the law, the police do not have to “read you your Miranda Rights” before they start to question you. In fact, they might question you for hours, days, weeks, even years before ever arresting you or reading you your rights. Even after an arrest you can be held for a long time before they ever read you your rights.
“I’M NOT ANSWERING ANY QUESTIONS. I WANT TO TALK TO A LAWYER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.”
YOU CAN ASK FOR YOUR PARENTS TO BE CALLED AND TO BE PRESENT DURING QUESTIONING. BUT POLICE AREN’T REQUIRED TO NOTIFY PARENTS UNDER THE LAW OR HAVE THEM PRESENT. MORE IMPORTANT, PARENTS CAN NOT PROTECT YOU AGAINST POLICE INTERROGATION. ONLY A LAWYER CAN STOP THE QUESTIONING.
– from Community Defenders KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Workshop Facilitation Guide