Civil Rights Groups Assert Black & Latinx Lives Matter

In First Circuit, Civil Rights Groups File Brief Asserting That Black and Latinx Lives Matter

Brief Highlights The Practical and Legal Challenges That People of Color Face in Police Interactions

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Center for Constitutional Rights and LatinoJustice PRLDEF in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the matter of K. Eric Martin & René Pérez v. William G. Gross, No. 19-1629, a case challenging the constitutionality of Massachusetts’ wiretap statute as it applies to secret recordings of police in the public performance of their duties.

Although the right to record the police is undisputed, many people of color fear retaliation from law enforcement for exercising this First Amendment right.

The amicus brief brings a unique perspective to the court focusing on the vital role that recording has played in shedding light on police brutality over the past decade. It also discusses the dangers posed to over-policed communities of color when people try to openly record the police. As the brief argues, secret recording of police is not just constitutional, but also necessary as a matter of life preservation.

The amicus brief is attached and available here.

LCR Amicus Brief Martin v. Gross No 19-1629