Freedom of Information! FOIA as a Grassroots Advocacy Tool
Session Type(s): Training
Training Tag(s): Communications
Starts: Thursday, Jul. 11 9:00 AM (Eastern)
Ends: Thursday, Jul. 11 10:00 AM (Eastern)
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has long been a tool for activists to gain access to government records, but getting the information is only the first step. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has used FOIA requests and litigation as a tool to support movement and community partners in their advocacy and organizing. Together with one of our partners, Detention Watch Network (DWN), we will go through the basic steps for filing and litigating a FOIA request, and show you how information obtained through FOIA can shape creative and powerful public education and advocacy campaigns.
This training is open to anyone working on social justice issues—especially those working on immigrant rights, prison and detention issues. No experience working with FOIA is needed.
Moderators
Ian Head
Ian Head is a Senior Legal Worker at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he works on policing, racial justice, immigrant rights, and prisoners’ rights issues. Ian has significant experience in Freedom of Information Act and open records requests and litigation. Major CCR cases Ian has worked on include Floyd v. City of New York, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), Color of Change v. FBI, and Detention Watch Network v. ICE.
Mary Small
Mary is responsible for leading DWN’s research, policy analysis, legal and congressional and administrative advocacy in strategic ways to dismantle the US’s detention industry. She also helps anchor the #DefundHate campaign (defundhatenow.org). Mary loves doing policy work that is informed by and accountable to the deep and rich expertise of the entire Network. Outside of work and true to her southern roots, Mary’s basic motto is: Love people; cook them tasty food. She also enjoys hiking, backpacking, and generally getting away from her computer screen.
Other sessions: Tearing Down Cages: How We Divest from the ICE Police State and Invest in Thriving Communities