“We are living in a time where it is critically, critically important for citizens to understand what their legal rights are, but more important what their constitutional rights are."
Cle Jackson is President of the NAACP Greater Grand Rapids, which is partnering with other community groups to share advice for safe encounters with law enforcement.
“When Dr. King was involved in many protests and many unsafe encounters with law enforcement, those freedom riders were taught and skilled on how to still have safe encounters.”
Jackson says it’s about knowing your rights if you are stopped, detained or arrested and most important it’s about keeping safe.
“I have said for many, many years: never fight on the street because you will never win the fight on the street. And so do everything that you can to de-escalate, to remain calm, to know your rights, and then if your rights are violated, come to an agency like the NAACP or others, and we'll walk down that road with you and make sure that we engage with that law enforcement agency from a legal and litigation perspective.”
More information on citizens’ rights and advice on safe encounters is on the NAACP GR website.
The free community “Safe Encounters” event runs Saturday from 1 - 4:30 at the NAACP Greater Grand Rapids headquarters on Madison SE.
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