I am a political philosophy student, attorney, technologist, and partner at O’Neill and Hassen LLP, a law practice focused on indigent criminal defense. I am also co-founder of Black Movement-Law Project, a legal support rapid response group that grew out of the uprisings in Ferguson, Baltimore, and elsewhere. Formerly, I was Mass Defense Coordinator at the National Lawyers Guild. I have also worked as a political campaign manager and strategist, union organizer, and community organizer.
I am particularly interested in exploring the nature and potentials of movement organizing and the interface of political organizations and social movements with other complex systems (e.g. the law, capitalism, racism, climate).
Some Quotes I Like
To be a pessimist means that you have agreed that human life is an academic matter.
— James Baldwin
The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best – and therefore never scrutinize or question._
— Stephen Jay Gould
We must practice revolutionary democracy.…Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories…
—Amilcar Cabral
Selected Media and Publications
- Interview with me on EFF’s “How to Fix the Internet”
- Meet the EFA, Panel at HOPE 20, (video linked)
- The Left Should Direct the Impeachment Effort, Truthout.org
- Mueller Investigation Will Set a Precedent — Make It a Good One, Truthout.org
- Panel at The 35th Session of The Human Rights Council: Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association in The U.S., Geneva, CH (video linked)
- Encryption vs. Surveillance in the New Civil Rights Movement, Truthout.org
- Aaron Was a Criminal and So Are You, Commondreams.org