LAS VEGAS – The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, the state’s largest civil liberties and civil rights organization, is deploying legal observers and volunteer canvassers to the ‘No Kings’ protests in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City.
After largely peaceful protests occurred in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the evening saw an ugly end with LVMPD arresting over 90 individuals, including individuals who were not attending the protest and others who were not in an area where a dispersal order could be heard. Reporters and observers on site have said the protest was largely peaceful, but LVMPD used tear gas on protestors with projectiles being fired at crowds and striking several people, including reporters.
In advance of what is expected to be an even larger protest on Saturday, ACLUNV has put out updated know your rights materials for protestors that will be distributed at the events. The nonpartisan nonprofit has created an intake form to report a violation of First Amendment rights at the protest, and has established an emergency hotline to address issues statewide.
ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah said:
“Protesting lies at the heart of our nation, and we support the right of all people to engage in protected First Amendment activity, regardless of the message, without fears of violence or suppression. Violence perpetuated by anyone claiming to be a protestor is unlawful and we urge caution for protestors who observe people acting to undermine peaceful protest activity. Additionally, police officers who are acting aggressively and outside of the bounds of the law, as was captured on video on Wednesday, should be mindful about engaging in misconduct. Our hope would be to avoid civil lawsuits emanating from protests because of police misconduct, but we will proceed how we need to in our courts to protect our community members’ First Amendment rights. We hope that today goes smoothly and that people are aware of things that may lead to their detention, including stepping off a sidewalk onto a street, which is among the common excuses used by law enforcement to arrest protestors. We encourage those attending the protests to follow the law and report a violation if one occurs through our complaint form. We have also established a hotline to accept issues in real time.”
Nevadans can report violations of their rights during today’s protests using this form or by calling 702-659-7535.
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