GN summer fall09 Digital.indd - National Lawyers Guild

Guild Notes ▪ Summer/Fall 2009A brief history of the NLG in SeattleSeventy-one years ago, in 1938,activist attorneys founded the SeattleChapter of the National Lawyers Guild,one year after the organization had beenfounded nationally. At that time, a risein unemployment affected nearly twoout of every ten workers. Racism of themost violent kind continued to preventCongress from passing anti-lynchinglegislation.Wars were raging overseas. In1938, following its invasion of theRhineland, Germany invadedCzechoslovakia and Austria; Italy continuedto occupy Ethiopia, and Japancontinued its occupation of Manchuria.The Nazi Party furthered its policy ofviolent anti-Semitism by invading synagoguesand shops in Germany, beatingand killing Jews on what would becomeknown as “Kristallnacht.”In 1938, Seattle was in a financialcrisis. A severe cutback in federalwork relief led to major protests andmass meetings, one at City Hall Parkand one at the Chamber of Commercebuilding. When the state shut down theBlue Ox Lodge at First and Main, ashelter for homeless men (as it remainstoday under a different name), furtherprotests ensued. A group of 300 homelesspeople marched to the City-CountyBuilding and occupied its seventh floorovernight, until the county commissionersordered the county sheriffs to reopenthe Blue Ox Lodge the next morning.Out of the popular upheaval and agitationof this time, the NLG–SeattleChapter was born. One of its foundingmembers, John Caughlan, recalledmany years later that “the Guild ...sustained me personally through thebitter and difficult period following thewar and through the 50s and 60s whenhunting Communists in the schools anduniversities—rooting them out of laborunions and professional organizations,including the bar—became a nationalpastime for Americans, except for thevictims, most of whom were not Communists.”Since its founding, the SeattleChapter has remained deeply involvedin assisting and leading mass strugglesand legal fights throughout the PacificNorthwest: from countering racism,apartheid, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrantsentiment and furthering gay,lesbian, and transgender rights to fightingpolice harassment and misconductand parrying governmental attacks andillegal surveillance on progressive organizations;from championing prisoners’rights and challenging restrictions onthe rights of the homeless to defendinganti-nuclear, anti-war, and anti-WTOprotesters, the NLG-Seattle Chapter hasbeen standing against imperialist militarism,torture, and war from Vietnam toIraq to the Gaza Strip. □Important Convention InformationConvention Dates:October 14 - 18, 2009Location:Marriott Renaissance Hotel Seattle515 Madison StreetSeattle, Washington 98104(206) 583-0300Rates: $169/night, singles and doublesFor directions and transportation information, visit:http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/seasm-renaissance-seattle-hotel/Convention Websitehttp://www.nlg.org/conventionNational Office ContactPaige Cram, Communications Coordinatorcommunications@nlg.org / (212) 679-5100 x15Convention CoordinatorHiedi Simon, convention@nlg.orgChild CareRequests for child care should be sent with specific daysand time to Karen Gilbert at gilbertlaw@earthlink.net nolater than Sept. 15, 2009. Please use the email subjectNLG Daycare.Alternate HousingSend specific requests to Karen Gilbert atgilbertlaw@earthlink.net no later than Sept. 15, 2009with subject line NLG Special Housing.▪ 16 ▪