Orange Hats
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orangehats.bsky.social
Orange Hats
@orangehats.bsky.social
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Legal Support and Related Trainings.

https://orangehats.noblogs.org
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orangehats.bsky.social
Orange Hats @orangehats.bsky.social · Jun 2
5/5
Talking about cop violence demystifies it and puts the blame where it belongs: on the cops.

Help us enumerate the harms done in the name of society and with our own money.

#Toronto
Police violence is ALWAYS the fault of the police. They rely on shame and fear to keep you silent. Tell us what happened.
Reposted by Orange Hats
outlawpod.bsky.social
“You know, it could be easy to say, oh, well, the law's not gonna save us. Yeah, no shit. We’re aware of the shortcomings of the law, but at the same time, you still gotta put up a fight. Like if you get snatched by the state you’re gonna wanna put up a fight. So…” 1/2
June 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
orangehats.bsky.social
Get in front of potential issues with friends, roommates, and family saying or doing the wrong thing when it comes to dealing with the cops.

Make time to have a few key conversations with key people.

#Toronto #TorontoActions #TorontoActivists
It's not enough to know your rights as long as the people around you don't know theirs. Five conversations activists should have with friends, roommates, and family. You need to make sure friends, roommates, and family understand a few key things: 1. "DO not talk to the Cops" means DO NOT TALK to the cops. It does not mean, "make small talk." It does not mean, "chat about a completely unrelated topic." No one is helping by "explaining" the situation. All they will do is confirm or give new information. Police are trained in Relational Conversation to make people feel like they are on your side and that you can confide in them. Don't even let them practice. The best course of action is always to extricate yourself from any interaction with cops as soon as possible. 2. Cops CAN and WILL lie to you. In many places around the world, the police cannot lie to the public. Canada is not one of them. YOU cannot lie to Cops. That is illegal. Cops, on the other hand, are not only totally free to lie to you, they are rewarded for it. Legally speaking, the only people cops are not supposed to lie to are judges. Ask Umar Zameer how that works out in reality. Make sure that roommates, friends and family understand this clearly. 3. We don't talk to cops. but ESPECIALLY not about ME. Relatives, and older relatives in particular, have likely been taught to defer to authority figures. But grandma doesn't need to tell Officer SeemsNiceEnough your whole life story. This conversation is best had long before any issues arise, when you can honestly say you're having this chat as part of best practices.
June 8, 2025 at 11:34 PM
orangehats.bsky.social
1/5
Police brutality is designed to make people feel alone and afraid to show up to fight systems of oppression.

We're especially seeking reports from the police violence that took place at Casa Loma on May 27, 2025.

#PoliceDontKeepUsSafe #Toronto #TorontoActions #TorontoActivists
HAVE YOU BEEN INJURED BY TPS AT A 2025 PROTEST? We're tracking and reporting on the injuries cops cause protestors.
June 2, 2025 at 3:19 AM
orangehats.bsky.social
Orange Hats was the legal observer arm of the former Movement Defence Committee.

First a little history:
Did you know civilian legal observing/CopWatch started with the Black Panthers in the 1960s?

Read on.
#LegalObservers
Orange Hats Legal Observers: Who we are, and how we got here. Watching the cops. Civilian Copwateh started in the 1960s with Black Panther Patrols These were made up of individuals on foot or in vehicles, armed, with legal books, paper, and pens. They followed police to stops in order to document their behaviour. They assisted community members during police interactions, providing legal information about rights; and Their presence helped minimize police overreach and brutality. The Black Panther model was adopted by communities all around the world. Examples include: Pig Patrol, Australia The Polynesian Panthers Central Citizens Defence Committee (CCDC), lreland. In 1968, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) formalized the practice. and "copwatch" became "Legal Observers". Legal Observers (LOs) were developed in response to Columbia University protests. All green hat LOs in the US have taken the NLG training. The NLG establishes Lawyers attorney-client privilege with the orgs they work with. Maintains a policy of separation between observers and activists. Yes, they have a registered trademark on the phrase in the US.
May 21, 2025 at 2:25 AM
orangehats.bsky.social
What is Collective Defence and how can combining your legal strategies with other activists arrested during the same action help you get better outcomes from the legal system?

Info from the Community Justice Collective.

orangehats.noblogs.org/policing/wha...

#LegalSupport #ActivistResouces
Slideshow title card for Collective Defence: You don't have to go It alone If you are arrested at a protest where multiple arrests take place, consider Collective defence. Collective Defence is a legal approach where multiple people face in charge of stemming from an event choose to create a defence strategy together. The state criminalizes protesters to undermine movements and crush collective action. It does this by reducing a unified group to individual protestors, who can be isolated, injured, and arrested, which instills fears in others. Collective Defence rejects that isolation and fear. Collective Defence is both a politic and a legal strategy. Key political principles include: 1. Non-cooperation with police and Crown; 2. Seeking global outcomes and sharing resources/information; 3. Understanding that defendants may have different goals and needs; 4. Collective decision making around legal process; 5. Remembering that the individuals involved are part of the broader political context. Speak to a movement lawyer for more information.
March 30, 2025 at 3:29 AM