Press
LA SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ACCIDENTALLY
OPENS FIRE IN COURTROOM
Sept 28, 2021
....News of the shooting was first made public by Court Watch LA, an advocacy group seeking increased transparency in the county’s court system. Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow with the National Lawyers’ Guild who runs the Court Watch account, said she was first notified of the shooting Saturday.
An attorney sent a note to Court Watch saying the gun went off while the courtroom was filled with several attorneys and clients waiting to have their cases heard that morning. The attorney told Court Watch the bullet struck another deputy’s radio, and the other deputy appeared to be hurt. Details about the potential injury were not available.
Brown said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency around the shooting, as it took nearly six weeks for any information to become public. “I can’t imagine if I worked in a courthouse, and I heard a gunshot go off and then there’s no follow up after that,” she said.
......
OPENS FIRE IN COURTROOM
Sept 28, 2021
....News of the shooting was first made public by Court Watch LA, an advocacy group seeking increased transparency in the county’s court system. Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow with the National Lawyers’ Guild who runs the Court Watch account, said she was first notified of the shooting Saturday.
An attorney sent a note to Court Watch saying the gun went off while the courtroom was filled with several attorneys and clients waiting to have their cases heard that morning. The attorney told Court Watch the bullet struck another deputy’s radio, and the other deputy appeared to be hurt. Details about the potential injury were not available.
Brown said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency around the shooting, as it took nearly six weeks for any information to become public. “I can’t imagine if I worked in a courthouse, and I heard a gunshot go off and then there’s no follow up after that,” she said.
......
L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ACCIDENTALLY
OPENS FIRE IN COURTROOM
Sept 27, 2021
...News of the shooting was first made public Saturday by Court Watch L.A., a project aimed at increasing transparency in the county’s court system. Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow with the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild who runs the Court Watch account, said she was first notified of the shooting Saturday.
...Brown said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency around the shooting, as it took nearly six weeks for any information to become public. “I can’t imagine if I worked in a courthouse, and I heard a gunshot go off and then there’s no follow up after that,” she said.
......
OPENS FIRE IN COURTROOM
Sept 27, 2021
...News of the shooting was first made public Saturday by Court Watch L.A., a project aimed at increasing transparency in the county’s court system. Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow with the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild who runs the Court Watch account, said she was first notified of the shooting Saturday.
...Brown said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency around the shooting, as it took nearly six weeks for any information to become public. “I can’t imagine if I worked in a courthouse, and I heard a gunshot go off and then there’s no follow up after that,” she said.
......
Bailiff's Gun Discharged in Court
The Discharged Bullet Ricocheted Off a Wall and Hit Another Bailiff
Sept 21, 2021
A bailiff accidentally discharged his gun and the ricocheting bullet hit another deputy sheriff during proceedings last month in a Van Nuys courtroom, the tip line Court Watch LA said Monday, quoting multiple sources."
... Rebecca Brown runs a tip line for Court Watch LA, an organization whose stated mission is to "observe and report about proceedings" in LA courthouses.
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The Discharged Bullet Ricocheted Off a Wall and Hit Another Bailiff
Sept 21, 2021
A bailiff accidentally discharged his gun and the ricocheting bullet hit another deputy sheriff during proceedings last month in a Van Nuys courtroom, the tip line Court Watch LA said Monday, quoting multiple sources."
... Rebecca Brown runs a tip line for Court Watch LA, an organization whose stated mission is to "observe and report about proceedings" in LA courthouses.
......
Court Watch LA’s Volunteer Observers
Put Justice System Oversight
in Hands of the People
July 26, 2021
...For every courtroom drama in Southern California that generates bold headlines in the news cycle, there are an incalculable number of cases that go unnoticed. Away from the glare of the mainstream media, eye-opening lessons about everyday legal proceedings in Los Angeles and their cumulative effect on California law often slip by without so much as a tweet.
It’s the reason the legal watchdog organization CourtWatch LA got their start and the driving force behind the mission of this volunteer-based group to be observers documenting the seemingly ordinary, low-level cases highlighting the inequities of the justice system.
Rebecca Brown, a National Lawyers Guild fellow who’s worked with Court Watch LA since its inception in 2019, says the watchdog organization provides real-world glimpses of how courts operate and where they fall short. Sometimes that failure is apparent in the comments made by a judge, the dynamic between an attorney and their client, or any kind of bias that may be unspoken in the courtroom.
“At CourtWatch, we focus primarily on misdemeanor courtrooms, because we see them as such an important site where you see people who are homeless being criminalized and poverty being criminalized,” Brown told CEB. “Often we think of these big felony trials, but in misdemeanor courts you’ll see people will come in with some low-level charge and just that one charge can have a really devastating impact on your life.”
......
Put Justice System Oversight
in Hands of the People
July 26, 2021
...For every courtroom drama in Southern California that generates bold headlines in the news cycle, there are an incalculable number of cases that go unnoticed. Away from the glare of the mainstream media, eye-opening lessons about everyday legal proceedings in Los Angeles and their cumulative effect on California law often slip by without so much as a tweet.
It’s the reason the legal watchdog organization CourtWatch LA got their start and the driving force behind the mission of this volunteer-based group to be observers documenting the seemingly ordinary, low-level cases highlighting the inequities of the justice system.
Rebecca Brown, a National Lawyers Guild fellow who’s worked with Court Watch LA since its inception in 2019, says the watchdog organization provides real-world glimpses of how courts operate and where they fall short. Sometimes that failure is apparent in the comments made by a judge, the dynamic between an attorney and their client, or any kind of bias that may be unspoken in the courtroom.
“At CourtWatch, we focus primarily on misdemeanor courtrooms, because we see them as such an important site where you see people who are homeless being criminalized and poverty being criminalized,” Brown told CEB. “Often we think of these big felony trials, but in misdemeanor courts you’ll see people will come in with some low-level charge and just that one charge can have a really devastating impact on your life.”
......
Court Watch LA Calls on Los Angeles Superior Court
to Fix Accessibility Issues
Plaguing Remote Hearings
March 24, 2021
....On their website, the LASC claims, “Whether appearing by phone, from home, the office or coming to the courthouse, Here For You/Safe For You provides safe, efficient options to access justice.” Yet, there is an evident disconnect when it comes to the LASC’s claims and the actions they have taken to amend their technical troubles, according to the Court Watch Los Angeles, and their partner organizations: Dignity and Power Now, La Defensa, From Gangs to Glory Opportunity Foundation, San Bernardino Free Them All, ACLU of Southern California, Social Eco Education-LA, and Essie Justice Group.
Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow at the National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles and member of Court Watch LA, wrote an impactful letter to Presiding Judge Eric Taylor on behalf of Court Watch LA and their partner organizations.
Brown presented a clear call to action: make the system accessible for all, ensure that technical apparatus are working within the courtroom, and uphold the constitutional right of the people to listen in on court hearings.
In the letter, Brown explained that out of nine instances of trying to remotely listen to a court hearing, only one had been successful.
Brown noted that LASC’s implementation of the Remote Audio Attendance Program (RAAP), has helped bridge some of the gaps brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also made it clear that the RAAP’s technical failures are simply unacceptable and need to be addressed immediately.
“If this system [RAAP] is not fully functioning, it cannot fulfill its purpose of granting the public, including the families of people who are incarcerated or facing charges, access to court proceedings. As the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized, ‘[t]he loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury,” mentioned Brown in her letter to the court.
......
to Fix Accessibility Issues
Plaguing Remote Hearings
March 24, 2021
....On their website, the LASC claims, “Whether appearing by phone, from home, the office or coming to the courthouse, Here For You/Safe For You provides safe, efficient options to access justice.” Yet, there is an evident disconnect when it comes to the LASC’s claims and the actions they have taken to amend their technical troubles, according to the Court Watch Los Angeles, and their partner organizations: Dignity and Power Now, La Defensa, From Gangs to Glory Opportunity Foundation, San Bernardino Free Them All, ACLU of Southern California, Social Eco Education-LA, and Essie Justice Group.
Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow at the National Lawyers Guild Los Angeles and member of Court Watch LA, wrote an impactful letter to Presiding Judge Eric Taylor on behalf of Court Watch LA and their partner organizations.
Brown presented a clear call to action: make the system accessible for all, ensure that technical apparatus are working within the courtroom, and uphold the constitutional right of the people to listen in on court hearings.
In the letter, Brown explained that out of nine instances of trying to remotely listen to a court hearing, only one had been successful.
Brown noted that LASC’s implementation of the Remote Audio Attendance Program (RAAP), has helped bridge some of the gaps brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also made it clear that the RAAP’s technical failures are simply unacceptable and need to be addressed immediately.
“If this system [RAAP] is not fully functioning, it cannot fulfill its purpose of granting the public, including the families of people who are incarcerated or facing charges, access to court proceedings. As the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized, ‘[t]he loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury,” mentioned Brown in her letter to the court.
......
Public Defenders Speak Out About The Tolls Of COVID-19
Feb 21, 2021
...One in three Los Angeles County residents have contracted COVID-19, the county health service reported on Jan. 13. The same week, volunteer court watchdog Court Watch Los Angeles tweeted an image from a city courthouse showing groups clustered in the hallway.
"Yesterday's @LASuperiorCourt COVID incident report included a new positive case on the third floor," the Court Watch tweet continued. "This is not safe."
But as Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow at Court Watch Los Angeles, told Law360, the court has only recently started informing staff about cases via incident reports tracking COVID-19 exposure. The first week of January, the reports revealed about 45 separate positive cases.
These incident reports were a welcome change, Brown said, allowing employees to know if they've been exposed to the virus. Before this, Brown said, people relied on word of mouth to know if they'd been exposed.
Feb 21, 2021
...One in three Los Angeles County residents have contracted COVID-19, the county health service reported on Jan. 13. The same week, volunteer court watchdog Court Watch Los Angeles tweeted an image from a city courthouse showing groups clustered in the hallway.
"Yesterday's @LASuperiorCourt COVID incident report included a new positive case on the third floor," the Court Watch tweet continued. "This is not safe."
But as Rebecca Brown, a legal fellow at Court Watch Los Angeles, told Law360, the court has only recently started informing staff about cases via incident reports tracking COVID-19 exposure. The first week of January, the reports revealed about 45 separate positive cases.
These incident reports were a welcome change, Brown said, allowing employees to know if they've been exposed to the virus. Before this, Brown said, people relied on word of mouth to know if they'd been exposed.
Jan 25, 2020
Courts Urged to Do More to Protect Workers
as Virus Ravages LA County
...Courtwatch Los Angeles first reported Cafaro’s death and called the court’s Covid-19 policies “incoherent.” According to the watchdog group, none of the court buildings are safe for staff or the public.
Courts Urged to Do More to Protect Workers
as Virus Ravages LA County
...Courtwatch Los Angeles first reported Cafaro’s death and called the court’s Covid-19 policies “incoherent.” According to the watchdog group, none of the court buildings are safe for staff or the public.
Jan 21, 2021
Denuncian Contagios de COVID en Las Cortes de LA Organizaciones Proponen Postergar Casos de Tráfico y Delitos Menores para Evitar Más Muertes
.....“En estos meses de pandemia, las cortes han fallado en proteger al público y a sus trabajadores”, señaló Rebecca Brown, compañera legal (legal fellow) de Court Watch (https://courtwatchla.org/), una organización compuesta por diferentes grupos de justicia que buscan que fiscales y jueces de las cortes criminales se hagan responsables por sus acciones.
“Mucha gente teme perder su cita en las cortes. Pero es muy difícil tanto para el público como para los trabajadores de la corte, abogados e intérpretes mantener la distancia social. Están forzando a la gente a ir a los juzgados y es peligroso. El Gobierno nos está diciendo que nos quedemos en el hogar, que no salgamos para evitar el aumento de casos, pero al mismo tiempo están haciendo a la gente ir a los juzgados, en salones pequeños y llenos de gente”, explicó Brown, en entrevista con La Opinión.
Brown también señaló que no se realizan pruebas de Covid a todas las personas que ingresan a los juzgados, desde intérpretes y abogados hasta trabajadores de la corte, testigos y público en general.
Denuncian Contagios de COVID en Las Cortes de LA Organizaciones Proponen Postergar Casos de Tráfico y Delitos Menores para Evitar Más Muertes
.....“En estos meses de pandemia, las cortes han fallado en proteger al público y a sus trabajadores”, señaló Rebecca Brown, compañera legal (legal fellow) de Court Watch (https://courtwatchla.org/), una organización compuesta por diferentes grupos de justicia que buscan que fiscales y jueces de las cortes criminales se hagan responsables por sus acciones.
“Mucha gente teme perder su cita en las cortes. Pero es muy difícil tanto para el público como para los trabajadores de la corte, abogados e intérpretes mantener la distancia social. Están forzando a la gente a ir a los juzgados y es peligroso. El Gobierno nos está diciendo que nos quedemos en el hogar, que no salgamos para evitar el aumento de casos, pero al mismo tiempo están haciendo a la gente ir a los juzgados, en salones pequeños y llenos de gente”, explicó Brown, en entrevista con La Opinión.
Brown también señaló que no se realizan pruebas de Covid a todas las personas que ingresan a los juzgados, desde intérpretes y abogados hasta trabajadores de la corte, testigos y público en general.
Jan 15, 2021
LA Courts Criticized For COVID-19 Policies, Interpreter's Death
...The nonprofit Court Watch Los Angeles on Friday said Los Angeles Superior Court's lax COVID-19 safety protocols led to an interpreter dying from the virus, alleging his death is the result of "incoherent" COVID-19 policies that punish employees for attempting to quarantine after a possible exposure.
Interpreter Sergio Cafaro died Tuesday after the virus spread among a group of interpreters and other staff at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the group said in a statement posted to its Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/CourtWatchLA.
The outbreak was avoidable and the result of Cafaro and other interpreters not being given permission to quarantine with paid sick leave for 14 days after two other LASC staff tested positive, the group said.
"Mr. Cafaro's death was preventable, and the circumstances of his infection are just one example of Los Angeles Superior Court's dangerous COVID-19 policies," Court Watch Los Angeles said. "At 10 months into this pandemic, it is clear that Los Angeles Superior Court's COVID-19 policies have prioritized keeping courthouses staffed and running over keeping people safe."
Court Watch L.A. says it is a volunteer organization formed by several social justice groups intent on holding "prosecutors and judges in the criminal courts accountable for their actions," according to its website. The group says it has over 200 volunteers who attend court hearings to document possible injustices, racial disparities or other problems.
According to the group's statement, LASC does not screen members of the public for COVID-19 before they enter the building, does not properly inform court staff and other employees about possible exposure, and routinely denies requests from employees to quarantine with pay after a possible exposure.
LA Courts Criticized For COVID-19 Policies, Interpreter's Death
...The nonprofit Court Watch Los Angeles on Friday said Los Angeles Superior Court's lax COVID-19 safety protocols led to an interpreter dying from the virus, alleging his death is the result of "incoherent" COVID-19 policies that punish employees for attempting to quarantine after a possible exposure.
Interpreter Sergio Cafaro died Tuesday after the virus spread among a group of interpreters and other staff at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the group said in a statement posted to its Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/CourtWatchLA.
The outbreak was avoidable and the result of Cafaro and other interpreters not being given permission to quarantine with paid sick leave for 14 days after two other LASC staff tested positive, the group said.
"Mr. Cafaro's death was preventable, and the circumstances of his infection are just one example of Los Angeles Superior Court's dangerous COVID-19 policies," Court Watch Los Angeles said. "At 10 months into this pandemic, it is clear that Los Angeles Superior Court's COVID-19 policies have prioritized keeping courthouses staffed and running over keeping people safe."
Court Watch L.A. says it is a volunteer organization formed by several social justice groups intent on holding "prosecutors and judges in the criminal courts accountable for their actions," according to its website. The group says it has over 200 volunteers who attend court hearings to document possible injustices, racial disparities or other problems.
According to the group's statement, LASC does not screen members of the public for COVID-19 before they enter the building, does not properly inform court staff and other employees about possible exposure, and routinely denies requests from employees to quarantine with pay after a possible exposure.
Dec 7, 2020
Attorneys Worry for Clients
--- and Themselves ---
Making In Court Appearances
...While the courtrooms themselves feature acrylic glass between the judge, bailiff, clerk and attorneys, the public is seated in every second or third chair with no shields.
CourtWatchLA has been documenting crowded conditions at Los Angeles Superior courthouses.
Attorneys Worry for Clients
--- and Themselves ---
Making In Court Appearances
...While the courtrooms themselves feature acrylic glass between the judge, bailiff, clerk and attorneys, the public is seated in every second or third chair with no shields.
CourtWatchLA has been documenting crowded conditions at Los Angeles Superior courthouses.
Nov 25, 2020
LA Courts Prohibit Attorneys, Clients
from Being Within 6 Feet of Each Other
…Judge Brazile’s orders received heavy criticism from the National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles’ CourtWatch program and one of its legal fellows, Rebecca Brown. “ This is mostly a toothless PR move and many of the rules mentioned in the press release were already in place,”
she said in a phone interview.
LA Courts Prohibit Attorneys, Clients
from Being Within 6 Feet of Each Other
…Judge Brazile’s orders received heavy criticism from the National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles’ CourtWatch program and one of its legal fellows, Rebecca Brown. “ This is mostly a toothless PR move and many of the rules mentioned in the press release were already in place,”
she said in a phone interview.
June 2, 2020
Blackout Tuesday Backfired Spectacularly -
Five Ways to Support
Black Lives Matter
....BLM-L.A., the Youth Justice Coalition, the L.A. Tenants Union, Ground Game L.A., and Court Watch L.A. are just a few of the many L.A.-based organizations organizing and amplifying crucial grassroots work. Follow these local organizations on social media and, if they have them, sign up for their newsletters. See which of their campaigns you might add value to.
Reach out and get involved.
Blackout Tuesday Backfired Spectacularly -
Five Ways to Support
Black Lives Matter
....BLM-L.A., the Youth Justice Coalition, the L.A. Tenants Union, Ground Game L.A., and Court Watch L.A. are just a few of the many L.A.-based organizations organizing and amplifying crucial grassroots work. Follow these local organizations on social media and, if they have them, sign up for their newsletters. See which of their campaigns you might add value to.
Reach out and get involved.
April 13, 2020
The Judge Will See You On Zoom -
But The Public Is Mostly Left Out
Volunteers who monitor courts across the country say they are getting little access to online-only proceedings
...Monitoring court hearings has become difficult, in some cases even impossible, for dozens of court watch programs scattered throughout cities and towns in the country. They rely on volunteers to sit in open court and take notes in the interest of transparency and accountability. But they said their access has been slowed or halted as virtually every system in the country suspended or reduced public court and moved online during the pandemic.
The Judge Will See You On Zoom -
But The Public Is Mostly Left Out
Volunteers who monitor courts across the country say they are getting little access to online-only proceedings
...Monitoring court hearings has become difficult, in some cases even impossible, for dozens of court watch programs scattered throughout cities and towns in the country. They rely on volunteers to sit in open court and take notes in the interest of transparency and accountability. But they said their access has been slowed or halted as virtually every system in the country suspended or reduced public court and moved online during the pandemic.
Jan 12, 2020
Eyes Wide Open: Bail Fight Shows
Power Of Court Watchers
....Kath Rogers, an attorney who started Court Watch Los Angeles, said her group focuses on infraction and misdemeanor courts, where most punishments are fines and fees; she decided to launch the group after providing pro bono representation to homeless people fighting citations and seeing how often volunteers "were the only lawyers in there."
"Sharing the actual stories of what happens in court tends to be the
most helpful, " she said. "If People could actually see what was going in courtrooms, they would be shocked... someone's economic future is decided in two or three minutes..."
Eyes Wide Open: Bail Fight Shows
Power Of Court Watchers
....Kath Rogers, an attorney who started Court Watch Los Angeles, said her group focuses on infraction and misdemeanor courts, where most punishments are fines and fees; she decided to launch the group after providing pro bono representation to homeless people fighting citations and seeing how often volunteers "were the only lawyers in there."
"Sharing the actual stories of what happens in court tends to be the
most helpful, " she said. "If People could actually see what was going in courtrooms, they would be shocked... someone's economic future is decided in two or three minutes..."