From: Debra Bailey On Behalf Of Jim Lehman
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2020 12:39 PM
To: Jim Lehman
Subject: Our Country and our Communities
In addition to our country’s struggles with the pandemic, we are all bearing direct witness to the ongoing national tragedy of disparate treatment of our citizens by law enforcement based on race and the resultant public protests and violence. One of our Firm’s core values is the respect of others, and we do not tolerate racism of any nature.
Just as we have not hesitated to rely upon and lean on each other in dealing with the public health emergency of the pandemic, we should likewise not hesitate to do so as we together face the very real moral emergency that also confronts our nation. As a Firm, we condemn the recent racial incidents in Minnesota and New York. While I cannot fully appreciate the emotion that some of you are experiencing on a personal level, as a Firm we need to continue to learn from each other so that we can better understand the challenges that everyone faces in our nation. We also recognize that it is not enough to abhor the wanton destruction of personal property or violence against law enforcement unless we make a similar pledge to work to make our communities better and stronger by ending discrimination in the enforcement of our laws. We are well equipped to play a positive role in those efforts, and I challenge you to be an agent of change with leadership in our communities and pro bono cases that work for meaningful change.