Jeffrey Haas: Civil Rights Attorney / Criminal Defense for Standing Rock Water Rights / Author of “The Assassination Of Fred Hampton”

The scene:We are sitting in the office that Jeff’s wife Mariel built into the garage. It’s the most formal environment selected by my interviewees thus far, but it’s fitting coming from a lawyer ;) Jeff is a spry 80 yrs old and is seemingly stoic and intimidating, but he warms right up when I start prodding him to tell me what the 60s Summer of Love was all about. Join us for a very colorful storytelling of Jeff’s and US history - a memoir of sorts.Highlights:+ Board member of the Water Protector Legal Collective+ Active in the National Lawyers Guild for over 50 years+ Practiced law in Chicago from 1969-2002+ Grew up in Atlanta, Georgia+ Parents are Jewish and supported the Civil Rights Movement+ Grandfather was an attorney+ Dad worked with John Lewis on the voter education project + Mom helped integrate hotels in Atlanta+ Was the president of a fraternity+ Volunteered for active duty to prevent getting drafted+ Studied Law at the University of Chicago in the mid 60’s at the time of the riots and anti-war movements+ First job was at Legal Aid helping the black community build affordable housing+ Founded the People’s Law Collective+ Spent 13 years in a civil suit to prove and prosecute the FBI and Chicago Police Dept for murdering Fred Hampton, the leader of the Black Panthers+ Went back to school in his 60’s for an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction Writing in order to write his book like a memoir+ Writing is an experience in self-revelation+ Learning to write not just what happened but how you felt about it+ Inspired by George Orwell’s memoirs+ The value of group critiques for developing writing+ Having a fundamental sense of justice+ Having a mind for math, logic, and chess+ Reacting to the time’s politics shaped the trajectory of his life+ He’s a “reluctant revolutionary”+ Not just a lawyer for the movement but also a part of the movement+ There’s a difference between empathizing with or exploiting the prejudices of your crowd (manipulation)+ When the long-reigning majority fears losing their power, totalitarian regimes tend to set in+ Movie: Youth vs. the Government+ The difference between empathy and sympathy, walking together vs. “saving”+ It’s important to do things in life that make you uncomfortable+ Using your privilege to benefit others without it+ Are you part of the solution or are you part of the problem?+ Office meetings on acid in the forest+ Having a front-row seat on history+ The camaraderie of working with a group+ Climate change is a major issue+ How do you show the governments’ complicity?+ Top priority call to action: confronting the fossil fuel industryTaste:“If you recognize climate change, you recognize the collective need to deal with it - the governments and people acting together. Private enterprise/capitalism is not going to solve climate change. [...] Acknowledging climate change means you can’t make profit all the time.”Saying:“Evil doesn’t succeed because of the actions of evil people, it’s the non-actions of good people that allows evil to prevail.”Support the showThank you for listening!  Please subscribe to support this project.Love, Sagewolf xoxo