Cincinnati deal brings progress; local groups to join NACDL in race bias panel discussion
Washington, DC (April 10, 2002) -- Despite the boycott of Cincinnati because of concerns over police treatment of minorities, the civic groups that organized the boycott have made an exception for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which will hold its spring seminar and meeting there May 1-4. The program is titled "Race and Justice on Trial," and features an all-star lineup of speakers from around the nation who will address racial issues in criminal justice.
As part of the program in Cincinnati, representatives of Black United Front, Concerned Citizens for Justice and the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati, the groups behind the boycott, will participate in Friday's (May 3, 12:10 p.m.) luncheon panel on causes and solutions related to the situation there.
The city, the civic groups, and law enforcement groups reached a tentative settlement on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Timothy Thomas by police. That shooting, on April 7, 2001, was the fifteenth shooting death of a black man by police since 1995, and resulted in riots in sections of downtown Cincinnati.
"We are fortunate that the timing of our meeting allows us to contribute to the discussion of these critical issues," said Martin Pinales, secretary of NACDL and a practicing criminal defense lawyer in Cincinnati. "Although Cincinnati has become symbolic of racial inequity in the justice system, it exists all over the country, and we hope to help others deal with these problems through what we learn here."
For more information on the seminar and events. please visit www.nacdl.org and click on CLE & Events.
Contacts
NACDL Communications Department
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.