Have you ever been to a protest and noticed people with green hats observing the protest? Those are legal observers. Legal observers help protect against illegal police actions at protests. Legal observers are there to watch the police NOT the protesters. Their job is to watch for illegal police activities so they can be documented and used in the case of protecting protesters from political charges.

People organizing protests and direct actions can request legal observers from NLG Roc. If you think there may be police retaliation at your event, a legal observer offers a good reminder to police that they are being watched.

If you’d like to request legal observers for an action, contact us at rochester@nlg.org.