Organization: Grassroots Law Project
Email: info@grassrootslaw.org
Check out the website, social media links, and Facebook videos for how to get involved.
https://www.grassrootslaw.org/
https://www.facebook.com/GrassrootsLawProject/
https://twitter.com/grassroots_law
https://www.instagram.com/grassrootslaw/
Written by Laura Toussaint, Vancouver volunteer, on why she chose GLP: As much outpouring of support as people are showing for this movement, it is critically important to remember this is an ultra-marathon where we all carry the baton at different points along the way, not a 5-K where we show up for the t-shirt and go home. Burnout is real in this work. Joining some sort of organized group helps us see that many hands make what can feel at times to be insurmountable tasks lighter! On the days when someone is fatigued, someone else can take the wheel for awhile. There are countless organizations out there for people looking to be a part of it. The important thing is to not get mired in deciding which particular lane to get in to do your part in co-driving this massive change, but to just pick a lane already knowing both you and your lane are going to grow into the trip. I want to share this call for volunteers by Grassroots Law Project and tell you a little bit about the lane I chose. I joined GLP as a volunteer on June 2nd, which was the day it was launched by founders with extensive experience in coordinating impactful social change and expertise in working to end police brutality and injustice (civil rights attorney Lee Merritt and journalist, author, and organizer Shaun King) along with staff and an advisory board including family members of people who have been murdered by police. By June 4th, we had over 50,000 volunteers signed up from all over the country- and even some from outside of the US eager to help. GLP disseminates information and action items to seek justice. Such organized efforts to help massive numbers of people speak out and take action really does make a difference. As just one example, due to emails, phone calls, and petitions from thousands of people, the Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously to pass Breonna’s Law, which will put a total ban on no-knock warrants. Volunteers for GLP also collect data on police killings, legislation, and contact information for local officials which is compiled into a national database. This information is then used to make it easy for people to contact officials and ask them to take the justice pledge committing to policies that will end police brutality and increase police accountability. The GLP staff say they were blown away by the massive response and are still working to coordinate the efforts of 50,000 + volunteers. When you sign up, you are taken through the process of using the Slack app, which they currently use to coordinate communication. The Slack app does take a bit of time to get used to, but the GLP staff are continuously improving the process and host Zoom volunteer training calls regularly. The reason I picked GLP as my lane is because they get right down to business by addressing things requiring urgent responses as well as building a long-term network and structure for crafting policies supporting a just and peaceful society. The staff is awesome and patient in explaining how stuff works. They really make it easy to get involved at whatever time commitment you choose- no blame or shame involved in what you can or cannot do-you simply pick what you want to work on and when.
Here are two videos highlighting their work and how to get involved: