Advice from an attorney
(From Maureen Klusza)
After getting tons messages on my pager and reading blogs, etc. I felt I hadda do something. I talked with my uncle Bob who is a lawyer in DC and his advices are at the bottom of this email.
He is more than happy to answer any legal questions -- if you have any -- and help students on getting more lawyers in DC who has been in many situations where they had deaf clients.
Now -- If you have any questions and want to reach Bob, he can be reached at pb.klepp @ verizon.net or (310) 509-1497 and yes, he knows how to sign - but purely ASL? not yet but he's pretty good at reading ASL. he's my mom's brother ... and fun fact about him is that he took ASL class under Bruce Hilbok years ago up in Flushing, NY because he doesn't want to communicate with me and my family by using home signs. :)
And one more thing -- we talked about students protesting at HMB building -- the gallaudet admission can order students to get out from the building but if students do the passive resistance by lying on the floor and not to move. Read more below.
Hope this helped... and most importantly, do not GIVE UP. Stay STRONG.
Maureen
******************************************************
From: Uncle Bob
Privileged and Confidential -- Attorney Advice
1. Strategic goals -- what do they want? #1 publicity, public awareness? #2 Get the administration to fire her, hire somebody else? #3 more input from students through an alternative means- for example, the school creating another position that is responsible for student / deafness issues? I realize that #3 falls short of what you want, but is it something students can live with?
2. What goals will building occupation achieve? It will get them #1 -- there's already have lots of news coverage, but will it get #2 not likely, or #3 maybe it will through negotiation.
3. Think of other reasons along with not deaf enough for her to resign the position. While this is really important, maybe it makes the students look a little intolerant to the outside world. It also puts the administration in a box. If they fire her for that reason, she sues the school and probably wins big bucks for discrimination against her!!! Another reasons could be she is a poor administrator or that she is not up to other skills and requirements for the job.
4. Think of how the building occupation should proceed. Students want to get sympathy from those allies (Congress staff, DC community, deaf community) outside the school, and they do not want to be seen violent or fighting and struggling with police. See passive resistance article -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_resistance. If they start physically resisting and struggling with the police, it changes the situation to where the police may be authorized to use force and they may get charged with more serious charges like assault on a police officer or resisting arrest.
4. Anyone arrested has he right to an attorney and should consider asking for one. If they decide exercise this right, they should specifically "ask to contact a lawyer." I can be reached on (310) 509-1497. Here is another DC lawyer who has done some work with deaf community issues. I have not heard of them before, but my good friend, Joel Shmukler (see jmspaesq @ aol.com, above) a criminal defense lawyer looked them up for me to pass along.
Bob Klepp
After getting tons messages on my pager and reading blogs, etc. I felt I hadda do something. I talked with my uncle Bob who is a lawyer in DC and his advices are at the bottom of this email.
He is more than happy to answer any legal questions -- if you have any -- and help students on getting more lawyers in DC who has been in many situations where they had deaf clients.
Now -- If you have any questions and want to reach Bob, he can be reached at pb.klepp @ verizon.net or (310) 509-1497 and yes, he knows how to sign - but purely ASL? not yet but he's pretty good at reading ASL. he's my mom's brother ... and fun fact about him is that he took ASL class under Bruce Hilbok years ago up in Flushing, NY because he doesn't want to communicate with me and my family by using home signs. :)
And one more thing -- we talked about students protesting at HMB building -- the gallaudet admission can order students to get out from the building but if students do the passive resistance by lying on the floor and not to move. Read more below.
Hope this helped... and most importantly, do not GIVE UP. Stay STRONG.
Maureen
******************************************************
From: Uncle Bob
Privileged and Confidential -- Attorney Advice
1. Strategic goals -- what do they want? #1 publicity, public awareness? #2 Get the administration to fire her, hire somebody else? #3 more input from students through an alternative means- for example, the school creating another position that is responsible for student / deafness issues? I realize that #3 falls short of what you want, but is it something students can live with?
2. What goals will building occupation achieve? It will get them #1 -- there's already have lots of news coverage, but will it get #2 not likely, or #3 maybe it will through negotiation.
3. Think of other reasons along with not deaf enough for her to resign the position. While this is really important, maybe it makes the students look a little intolerant to the outside world. It also puts the administration in a box. If they fire her for that reason, she sues the school and probably wins big bucks for discrimination against her!!! Another reasons could be she is a poor administrator or that she is not up to other skills and requirements for the job.
4. Think of how the building occupation should proceed. Students want to get sympathy from those allies (Congress staff, DC community, deaf community) outside the school, and they do not want to be seen violent or fighting and struggling with police. See passive resistance article -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_resistance. If they start physically resisting and struggling with the police, it changes the situation to where the police may be authorized to use force and they may get charged with more serious charges like assault on a police officer or resisting arrest.
4. Anyone arrested has he right to an attorney and should consider asking for one. If they decide exercise this right, they should specifically "ask to contact a lawyer." I can be reached on (310) 509-1497. Here is another DC lawyer who has done some work with deaf community issues. I have not heard of them before, but my good friend, Joel Shmukler (see jmspaesq @ aol.com, above) a criminal defense lawyer looked them up for me to pass along.
Bob Klepp
posted by DeafBayBlogger at 10:45 PM
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