IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS BEING HELD BY THE CHICAGO POLICE
OR ANY SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
CALL 1-800-529-7374 (1-800-LAW-REP4)
TO SEND AN ATTORNEY FROM THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE,
FREE OF CHARGE, 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR.

SI USTED O ALGUIEN QUIEN USTED CONOCE ESTA EN LA CUSTODIA DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE POLICÍA
EN EL CONDADO DE COOK, LLAME 1-800-529-7374 (1-800-LAW-REP4)
PARA MANDAR UN ABOGADO DE LA OFICINA DEL DEFENSOR PUBLICO,
GRATIS, 24 HORAS AL DÍA, 365 DÍAS AL AÑO.

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WHAT DEFINES FDLA

24/7/365 Emergency Response
Lawyer-Community Creative Collaboration
Incubating Policy Solutions from the Grassroots
Interrupting Mass Incarceration at the Point of Entry
Policing the Police
Fueled by Volunteerism
Popular Education & Leadership Development
Action Research

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What does FDLA Stand For?
Organizational Values

Fairness: We work to create a society where everyone is treated fairly and equitably. We strive to show honesty, humanity, patience, and respect for all people in the process.

Dignity: We celebrate diversity with an understanding of Ubuntu: my humanity is tied to yours. We believe in a world where everyone is respected, safe, and able to flourish in every way.

Liberation: We work together to fight for human rights and racial justice by committing ourselves to building anti-oppressive spaces and systems.

Accountability: We believe our integrity lies in how well we hold ourselves and each other accountable to our mission and the communities we exist to serve and protect.

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NEW MISSION STATEMENT

FDLA's updated mission statement allows for new program strategies and expresses a broader purpose.

FDLA mobilizes lawyers and overpoliced community members to fill gaps in public defense & create, protect, and engage replicable alternatives to the criminal system starting with its entry points.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 2019-2022

A: Transition Hotline Direct Services
B: Share the First Defense Model
C: Launch New Program Strategies
D: Build Organizational Capacity

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WHAT CHANGED AND WHAT STAYED THE SAME

24/7 ONCALL ATTORNEYS: FDLA now sends attorneys from the public defender's office, exclusively, whenever station-house representation is requested.

POLICY ADVOCACY: FDLA continues to advocate a dependable way to retain and communicate with counsel as is every arrestee's right.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS PEER EDUCATION: FDLA still spreads hope, skills, and knowledge for all to retain counsel immediately upon arrest.

ALTERNATIVES TO 911: FDLA can now connect you with existing emergency and restorative resources to prevent unnecessary police contact and avoid violence and arrest.

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Legal Help for Victims of Police Abuse

EDUCATIONAL PACKET: community members perennially ask: can I sue? now there is a new resource with some answers!

REFERRALS: first defense will refer those who ask to firms who may consider representing them without charge

LEGAL AID: a new first defender department will consider taking cases in house as capacity allows

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Expanded Know Your Rights Topics

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: why and how to invoke our rights in a police encounter.

ENFORCE YOUR RIGHTS: what to know if you think police violated your rights and you want to sue.

A JURY OF OUR PEERS: how it works and why consider serving on a jury.

SURVEILLING THE POLICE: points of law and safety for recording on-duty police.

About FDLA

FDLA began in 1995 as a program under the Chicago Commons Association. FDLA’s core purpose was the maintenance of a 24-hour Chicago Police Custody Hotline, through which all Chicago residents could be connected with an on-call attorney who would provide general legal advice and actual police station representation, free of cost. FDLA became an independent corporation in 2002, and a 501(c)(3) organization in 2003. FDLA’s main focus is still the hotline system, upon which Chicagoans have grown to depend. Today, FDLA also provides educational outreach, participates in community organizing, and engages in systemic reform activities.

In Illinois, as in most states, people generally do not have an attorney within the 48 hours after an arrest. The first 48 hours a person is in custody is critical, as it is during this time that they are most susceptible to having their constitutional rights violated. It is also the time during which police officers employ a variety of tactics to obtain confessions, many of which have proven to result in false confessions. While the police have unlimited access to prosecution attorneys (some of whom play a role in the interrogations) during this time, a suspect does not have similar access to an attorney. FDLA helps level the playing field for anyone in custody while protecting their legal rights.

In an effort to promote the Chicago Police Custody Hotline and educate Chicagoans on the power of their Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights, FDLA presents Street Law in schools and community groups. The Street Law presentations focus on what to do if you are stopped, searched, or arrested by the police, how to assert your rights at home, on the street, and at the police station, and what you can do if you feel that the police have violated your civil rights.

Through the Chicago Police Custody Hotline, FDLA partners with the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender for direct legal representation. The Public Defender’s office operates a 24-hour unit that is staffed with attorneys who are trained in effective defense strategies at police stations. The unit sends attorneys to police stations throughout Chicago and Cook County 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

FDLA’s program is unique. Because of FDLA’s history of direct legal representation, educational programming, community organizing and political advocacy, FDLA’s staff has a holistic understanding of the problems within the various communities in Chicago. Additionally, FDLA is the beneficiary of insights from the myriad of community organization partners that address varying needs of their constituencies.

Our Staff

Eliza Solowiej

Executive Director

Eliza Solowiej has been Executive Director for over five years. She is dedicated to stopping the cradle-to-prison pipeline and replacing it with government accountability for human rights. For 20 years, she has focused her career on youth, community and organizational leadership development to this end. She is a Public Allies staff alumna, AmeriCorps alumna and management...

Charles Jones

Know Your Rights Organizer

Charles Jones won two 1983 suits pro se as a teenager. Since then, he worked for 2 years as an outreach counselor with Ceasefire. Charles Jones has received extensive training and experience in conflict resolution and violence prevention. He has committed his life to working with at risk youth and ensuring that communities work on...

Larry Redmond

Senior Staff Attorney

Larry Redmond is an attorney, writer and photographer. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy with a minor in English. He later attended the John Marshall Law School, earning a Juris Doctor degree. He has worked as a criminal defense attorney representing high-profile death...

Ariel Atkins

Safety and Justice Community Engagement Liason

Ariel Atkins has been organizing in Chicago for the last few years. She’s been involved in the #Justice4Laquan campaign, the Justice for Ronnieman campaign, the campaign for CPAC, and many others throughout Chicago. She firmly believes that nothing can be won without educating and mobilizing the people for justice. Contact ariel (at) first-defense.org

Marshawn D. Feltus

Safety and Justice Community Engagement Liason

Marshawn D. Feltus is a Chicago West Side native and owner of ACT Yoga, the first yoga studio in Chicago’s Austin community. He is a student of faith and the holistic progression of humanity; he is a youth mentor and a certified public health peer educator. Marshawn is certified in crisis prevention and conflict resolution,...

Gerald Polanco

CJI Program Manager & KYR Staff Attorney

Gerald Polanco is a child of immigrants and is passionate about client-centered advocacy. He is driven to provide holistic representation and community empowerment when working alongside low-income communities of color. He currently manages a city grant to increase community education on 4th, 5th, and 6th amendment rights and outreach to inform people of free legal...

Tanya Woods

Know Your Rights Attorney

Tanya Woods, Esq. is the principal of her own solo practice and the Executive Director of the Westside Justice Center, a non-profit, holistic legal aid clinic which serves the communities on the west side of Chicago. She is a member of several national, state and local bar associations including The American Immigration Lawyers Association, The...

Phillip Sprouse

Staff Attorney

Phillip J. Sprouse is dedicated to providing client-focused representation and increasing access to justice. He began as a volunteer at FDLA and is currently a part-time staff attorney. He manages volunteers, answers hotline calls, and performs police station visits. Phillip previously practiced law in Ohio and currently has in own law practice in Chicago focusing...

Ben Meyer

Staff Attorney & Operations Manager

Ben Meyer is a Staff Attorney & Operations Manager with First Defense Legal Aid. Ben earned his Juris Doctorate degree and graduated from DePaul University School of Law in 2010. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in the same year. Benjamin was also been admitted to the general bar of the U.S. District Court...

Zoraima Yoli Cruz

Development & Partnerships Manager

Zoraima Yoli Cruz is the Development & Partnerships Manager at First Defense Legal Aid. Ms. Cruz has completed 3 years of AmeriCorps service; one of which serving with Public Allies where she recruited attorneys and partnered with corporate donors to support FDLA’s programs. She also launched FDLA’s in-house social enterprise call center and has extensive...

Daniel Massoglia

Staff Attorney & Legal Outreach Coordinator

Daniel Massoglia is a Staff Attorney and Legal Outreach Coordinator at FDLA. He graduated from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2014 and was sworn in to the Illinois Bar the same year. Daniel was introduced to social movements by Occupy Chicago and likes dogs, punk rock, and Liverpool Football Club. He also has a...

Diana Vargas

Know Your Rights VISTA

Diana is an AmeriCorps VISTA. She was born in Riverside, California. She has been living in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood since she was a child. Diana attended Dominican University where she majored in Political Science and Psychology and became passionate about social justice and working with underprivileged communities. Her hobbies include concerts, writing, reading and...

Marissa Brown

Street Law Corps Program Manager

Marissa Brown is a life long Englewood resident from the South side of Chicago. She is a former community activist and mother of 4 who founded The Ella Baker Freedom School in 2012 to help interrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline. She is a tireless advocate for youth justice and educational freedom for communities impacted by CPS school closures. In addition to her youth empowerment work, Marissa is a Certified Paralegal and is pleased to be utilizing her legal skills with FDLA in her role as an AmeriCorps VISTA.