MXGM Self-Defence Manual

;
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement March 2013
Know Your Rights Handouts
Knowing Your Context
ONLY use the MXGM – NYC People’s Self-Defense and Copwatch materials attached as
guides and examples.
Be clear that you have to do your own research on what is currently “legal” or “illegal” in your
area regarding the provision of legal protections, i.e. your “rights”. In practice, your civic right
to monitor and document the police is largely determined by local political conditions. Given
the uneven state of political organization throughout the empire, civil codes and laws laws are
not uniform throughout the United States in this area. Rather, they differ from state to state,
from county to county, and from city to city.
So, do your homework to clearly determine the limits of “legality” in your area of work and
struggle so you are as clear as can be on what your facing. We also strongly encourage you to
develop your own Copwatch and Know Your Rights materials to suite your local political and
legal dynamics.
Finally, be sure to consult with local progressive and radical legal services in your area, get in
contact with local legal clinics, or groups like the National Conference of Black Lawyers
(NCBL), the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), and the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU), etc., to get their advice and bring them into the fold of supporting your organizing
work.
43