Solidarity Cville Anti-Racist Legal Fund

Charlottesville Solidarity Legal Fund

The Charlottesville Solidarity Legal Fund is an independent community resource that is available to all anti-racist activists in the ongoing struggle to confront and end white supremacy in Charlottesville. In order to ensure that funds are available equitably, participants agree to the following principles, which have been adapted from the vision and language of other movement work and community legal fund programs in Charlotte, Durham, Baton Rouge, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and elsewhere.

Fund Principles

General:

• We strive to walk in the words of Assata: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
• We come when called: we believe in building long-term relationships based on broad solidarity and putting goals of the movement first, above any organization, conflict, or personality.
• Our solidarity is based on respect for a diversity of tactics.
• Any debates or criticism will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.
• We oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption, and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others.

 Specific:

• A person’s freedom should not be tied to their ability to pay.
• We are not here to police how people respond to this oppressive justice system.
• Simply being charged with a crime does not in itself prove guilt or motivation.
• We believe that people should be free while they await trial, even if we don’t condone or agree with a person’s actions or tactics.
• As the team responsible for community legal funds, it’s not our responsibility to place value on the person or their actions (i.e. the “good protester” or “bad protestor” debate). No one has been convicted of a crime. They deserve due process.
• We have a responsibility to make sure those fighting for freedom, liberation and against systems of power that marginalize identities and communities have the tools needed for zealous defense, regardless of our personal interpretation of the efficacy of their action.
• Incarceration itself is violent.

 Fund Priorities

We are committed to the value of abundance and we work to undermine the ways capitalism encourages us to think in terms of scarcity. We hope to support the whole anti-racist community and encourage our regional and national supporters to help us raise funds with the confidence that they will be used equitably.

When legal resources are limited, we will prioritize individuals who face disproportionate negative impacts of pre-trial detention, including: trans and gender non-conforming people; people of color; people whose housing, dependents, and/or employment could be put at risk of being revoked; people dealing with medical concerns; and people with family responsibilities. Prioritization will be based on information contained in emergency contact forms, as far as resources allow. For more information, please contact: [email protected]