Do you recognize any of these people? Their eye witness testimony is needed as are additional photographs and videos from the scene

Hello cyclists:

I am a criminal defense attorney organizing free legal representation for the 250 people who were arrested on Friday, July 25, 1997. If you were arrested, you should contact the appropriate intake person so that you can get a lawyer. The intake people are as follows:

Ms. Marg Hall: East Bay arrestees – (510) 654-1366
Ms. Tracy Iglehart: 415 area code arrestees with last names from A to J – (415) 941-9336
Mr. Daniel Bornstein: 415 area code arrestees with last names from K to Z – (415) 387-3277
Ms. Jennifer Granick: Questions and other arrestees – (415) 928-4805

The intake people will want to know the following information:

(1) Your Name
(2) Mailing Address
(3) Phone number
(4) Email address
(5) Where you were arrested
(6) What you were charged with
(7) What is your court date (critical!)
(8) Do you know anyone else who was arrested, or do you have any contact information for witnesses?

Spread the Word! Everyone arrested can talk to a lawyer, even if you think you may have broken the law and deserve what you got. You may have legal defenses that you haven’t thought about. Tell your friends who don’t have email and were arrested to call their intake person. Put a sign up in the local bike shop. There’s strength in numbers, and we want to contact all 250 arrestees.

Don’t talk about the details of your case In the criminal law, silence is golden. Marg and Tracy are not lawyers. They can not and will not give legal advice. They also can not and will not take confidential information from you. If you need to discuss your case with a lawyer now, you can call me.

Volunteer Organizing is hard work and the more people that help the better. Thanks to Tracy, Marg, Daniel and all the lawyers who’ve called to donate their time. Be a sport and volunteer to help out by calling me at (415) 928-4805.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When can I get my bike?

A: We don’t know yet. The District Attorney’s Office will not keep the bikes forever. They are now reviewing the cases to decide which bikes were used as an instrument of a crime. Those will be held as evidence. The rest will be returned. If they decide to hold your bike as eveidence, the lawyers can negotiate to get them back. If your bicycle is held, you will receive notification from someone from the police department. See the golden rule above… DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR CASE, especially with members of the police department who are holding your bike. You won’t be able to covince them to return it, and you may give them valuable evidence for their case.

Q: I was illegally arrested. Can I sue?

A: Yes you can! Once we identify everyone who has an illegal arrest claim, there will be information from the National Lawyer’s Guild about the forms you need to file to start your suit. Please don’t call there yet, though!

Q: I was beat up by cops. Can I sue?

A: Yes you can! If you were beat up by cops you need to document your injuries (i.e. see a doctor, take pictures), file a complaint with the Office of Citizen Complaints, and file paperwork with the city. Call the National Lawyer’s Guild and ask for Riva Enteen at (415) 285-1055. She will be able to send you the necessary paperwork.

Q: I was beat up by a driver. Can I sue?

A: Yes you can! (Isn’t America great!) Consider doing it yourself in small claims court, unless your injuries are pretty serious. Nolo press has a great book about small claims court. If your injuries are more serious, shop around for a personal injury attorney. You might have trouble finding one who will take a small case, which is why I suggest the possibility of small claims.

Getting good legal representation and vigorously fighting your case is the next step in making the streets of San Francisco safe for bicycles and the First Amendment. Call, spread the word, volunteer to help, fight the power!

Jennifer

Jennifer Stisa Granick
Attorney at Law
Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point, Suite 220
San Francisco, California 94109
telephone (415) 928-4805
facsimile (415) 922-4310

Addendum:

I forgot to mention that arrestees should fax their citations to my office so tht we have a centralized and accurate account of what people are charged with. My fax number is (415) 922-4310.

Jennifer

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