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.  

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.

View the video at https://youtu.be/ftcFNKcQIm8