One of the best ways you can help the ACLU of Wisconsin defend the First Amendment in Wisconsin is by becoming a trained volunteer legal observer.

Legal observers act as legal witnesses to political demonstrations and document the events of public protests, including any incidents of police misconduct or violations of the rights of protestors. Legal observers are committed to defending free speech in a way that is as objective as possible so that their documentation can be used as evidence if police misconduct or obstructions to constitutionally protected free speech are challenged in court.

As legal observers, volunteers can commit to being among others who are free speech defenders, but aren’t expected to attend every rally – volunteers pick which protests to observe with neutrality and can choose not to volunteer at protests where they wish to participate. To find out when the next legal observer training is scheduled, contact liberty@aclu-wi.org.