Workshop

Date: Friday, 9/25

Time: 4-5:15pm

Connie Lesold spent years monitoring mental health proceedings in Brooklyn and elsewhere: she organized people to attend hearings, visited respondents in locked facilities and at times, provided ongoing personal support in the community. Courts were generally biased and legal representation often perfunctory, but there were notable victories — including *this morning* when [the Court] ordered John A. released from all conditions after 25 years in state custody.

Because of effective counsel, organized community support and a fair judge, John is finally free. His story illustrates how community support and activism can enable people targeted for perpetual state custody not to give up — and how they sometimes prevail.

The workshop will include:

* descriptions of several cases where supported respondents were released

* how activists can maintain a presence in the court system

* how they can work with respondents to make them more resilient and communicate more effectively with their attorneys