The East Side Freedom Library and Teamsters Local 320 invite you to a panel discussion, Unsung Heroes of Justice: Six Public Defenders and Staff Discuss Their Work.

Register here to join this event on Zoom or watch it live streamed to ESFL’s Facebook page.

Minnesota Public Defenders are court-appointed attorneys for indigent citizens who cannot afford access to justice. Public defense is a mandated service enshrined by the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), in which the Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own.

Minnesota Public Defenders have been stretched to the max during the COVID-19 pandemic with significant backlogs, unmanageable caseloads, and unsafe working conditions. The Board of Public Defense is failing to retain and reward its employees and this failure will have severe and lasting repercussions for indigent clients.

Please join a panel discussion by six public defense employees who are represented by Teamsters Local 320 and are in the midst of contract negotiations, negotiations which will impact not only their lives but also the lives of the women and men who depend on them for representation.

Free and open to all

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook!