People's Defense Getting Together

PEOPLE'S DEFENSE GETTING TOGETHER

by Don Peyote & Maxwell Silverhammer

As we all know, being a member of the youth community exposes a person to all kinds of legal hassles. The police bust us for dope, for getting together with each other to change the system that we live under, and for just surviving as freeks. When we look around us, we see that people in other communities, like the black community, and the poor community have to put up with much the same hassles. Because of the racism of the cops and the courts combined with a system of bails and fines which discriminate against poor people, these communities fill up Washtenaw County Jail even more than the freek community. In order to help people from all of Washtenaw County in their hassels with Amerikan "justice", a People's Defense Committee is trying to get together. One of the first services we are getting together is this column about Legal Self Defense, or what to do (and not to do) until the lawyer comes.

Other projects which we hope to get together in the near future are an office which is open 24 hours a day, a central phone number to call for legal first aid and bust Information, and a list of people's lawyers who will be available 24 hours a day. If these projects are to come off, we will need time and energy from the community. Anybody who is interested in working on the People's Defense Committee should call 482-5942 (ask for Don).

Part I -- What to Do If You Get Busted

If you are arrested there are some basic things which are extremely important to remember. First are your constitutional rights which the cops are supposed to inform you of.

1). You have the right to remain silent. You should do this regardless of what the cops say to you about your arrest. The only information you should give to the police is your name, address, age and occupation. Nothing you tell them will set you free, and telling them anything about the "crime" may hurt your legal defense in court. If the pigs are taken by surprise in court your chances of winning your case are greater. Anything you say can and will be used against you.

2). You have the right to a lawyer and you have the right to have that lawyer present at all times when being questioned. If you can't afford a lawyer yourself, the state will supply you with one if you demand it.

Some other important things to know are:

1). Notice who saw your arrest (you may need them as witnesses at your trial).

2). Get the badge number of the cop who arrested you. Quite often the police have a different cop than the one who arrested you testify. If you're arrested by a plainclothesman try to get his name. (Try doing this by asking another cop what the plainclothesmans name is. )

3). Notice the circumstances surrounding your arrest. (Information such as whether or not you're blocking the street or sidewalk, etc., can be useful in exposing weakness in the cops testimony.)

4). Try to write down the details of the arrest as soon as you can before you forget them. Make sure the cops don't see you do this because they'll probably take it away from you and use it for their own case.

5). If you aren't with friends when you get popped try to give your name to someone and ask them to contact a friend to bail you out.

NEXT WEEK: GETTING BAILED OUT.