L. Clark Statement - Police Practices Legal Committee

    Statement of Attorney Leroy D. Clark 
First Assistant Counsel, NAACP L 

Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. 

New York Room, Los Angeles 
Statler Hilton, September 20, 1966 

11:00 a.m. i 

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., (LDF) 

which has become known as the legal arm of the entire civil rights movement 

for its historic legal victories in the south, is now launching a major legal 

drive in 20 northern cities which have 

We have selected Los Angeles as 

d riots in the past two years. 

e first city for establishment of 

a Police Practices Legal Committee. This is a coordinating body of local 

attorneys who are prepared to receive complaints of police brutality from: 

other attorneys (who will also be able to participate professionally); regular 

civil rights organizations; ministers; and, bona fide community leaders. 

This coordinating committee will in turn assist in the filing of civil 

damage suits against members of the Los Angeles police department, when 

and if the attorneys feel that justified claims of brutality and other mal 

practices do, in fact, exist. 

Local attorneys can now be assured of assistance in the processing of 

civil complaints. This is a crucial factor. The cost of appeal in such cases -- 

which invariably arise among the poor -- is prohibitive, hence few such cases 

go up before the higher courts. 

Local attorneys can also be assured of the LDF's national expertise in 

this area with regard to research and courtroom as sistance on appeal. 

(more 



N 

This program will be a test of whether civil damage suits can be a 

deterrent to police brutality. 

In establishing such comm opes to rekindle the Negro 

community's faith in the redress of g 

of law and the legal process. 

This is the precise reason why Los An; 

city; for it is our judgment, after discussions with attorneys across the 

© community here is one of the 

worst in the country. 

Local attorneys serving on the committee are Raymond L. Johnson, 

Morgan Moten, Herman Smith, Leo B Arthur Black, Johnni 

Cochran, Jr., and Nelson Atkins. 

The NAACP Legal Def ducational Fund, Inc. is separate, 

apart and independent of the N , which established the LDF as a different 

r Director-Counsel Thurgood Marshall, and his body in 1939. Under its form 

successor Jack Greenberg, LDF attorneys won the 1954 school integration 

decision, the sit ins, the freedom rid etc. Its 257 staff and cooperating 

attorneys now represent over 14,000 persons arrested for peaceful demonstr 

plus more than 90 per cent of the nation's c rights litigation. These persor 

we sometimes shorten it to "NAACP Légal Since our name is admittedly long 

Defense Fund" or if more brevity d, we use "LDF". 



vie t 3 : 4 mY 
“4 

re 
e
r
a
s
e