The National Lawyers Guild is astounded by the actions of law enforcement in Miami intended to silence political speech and the protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit. We call upon all who value participatory democracy to stand against the violations of demonstrators' rights that are ongoing in Miami, and to join us in holding accountable those who would use violence, unjustified arrests, and other unconstitutional tactics in a strategy to silence free speech.

National Lawyers Guild members provide legal support to progressive demonstrations throughout the country, and well understand the nationwide trend towards increasingly repressive measures deployed against political protesters. Our members in Miami have witnessed extreme and unconstitutional actions against protesters during the FTAA protests, including:

• Indiscriminate, excessive force against hundreds of nonviolent protesters with weapons including pepper spray, tear gas and concussion grenades, and rubber bullets;
• Singling out of NLG Legal Observers wearing highly visible neon green caps. We have confirmed reports that five Legal Observers were arrested, and four of those were assaulted by police officers;
• Police stopping and snatching protesters, seemingly at random, into unmarked vehicles;
• Police shooting protestors with rubber bullets and trapping them by police lines, resulting in major injuries. Police repeatedly refused to allow Medics into these areas to treat the injured.

"Such paramilitary tactics are ill-conceived and self-defeating and have no place in a democratic society," wrote Guild President Michael Avery in a letter today to Miami authorities.

The National Lawyers Guild calls upon Miami public officials to demonstrate their commitment to the First Amendment and reign in these unlawful attacks on the right to protest.

The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, comprises over 6,000 members and activists in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests.