(510) 250-1700
Hotline Overview
LSBA maintains a hotline that serves as a hub for information during and after an action. Hotline workers respond to legal emergencies, track people through the legal system, and ensure that people are connected with networks of available resources.
LSBA works directly with:
- People on the ground during an action. We record arrests and assist with sharing information and updates. We operate the hotline until everyone is safe and accounted for.
- Friends and family with loved ones in jail. We assist them in locating their loved ones and contact them with information and updates.
- People in jail. We provide information about the arrest process and collect basic information needed to connect them with lawyers and other support such as the Anti-Repression Committee, which maintains a bail fund for people with serious charges and emergency needs.
- Jail support groups. We work with predesignated groups who wait outside the jail for people to be released. We also work with local abolitionist groups who operate long-term jail support programs.
What LSBA Does
- Supports people and groups taking direct action or otherwise risking arrest, from action preparation through initial court appearances.
- Maintains a hotline to locate arrested people in the legal system and respond to legal emergencies that occur during and after.
- Provides support through the initial encounter with the legal system and collects information about citations and arraignment dates.
- Helps people to organize for their first court appearances by connecting arrestees to legal assistance and to each other.
- Creates and conducts workshops about handling confrontations with law enforcement, navigating the system, and organizing legal solidarity.
- Consults with groups on any of these topics.
- Collaborates with groups providing legal assistance; assistance with bail, fines, and fees; and other forms of legal supports.
What LSBA Does Not Do
- We do not provide legal services beyond emergency response during or immediately after arrest but we may connect people to organizations that do.
- We do not pay bail for people but we do coordinate with the Anti-Repression Committee and other organizations that may assist with bail.
- We do not send legal observers to a direct action.
- We do not provide long term court support but do coordinate with Coffee Not Cops and other organizations that assist with long term court support.