Equipped with a camera and basic training on how to use a gas mask, New York attorney King Downing walked the streets of Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday night. Downing was on the ground as a legal observer, documenting the interaction between police and protesters.
Downing is one of dozens of lawyers, law students and legal support staff from Missouri and across the country to come to Ferguson over the past two weeks. Many are serving as legal observers—“the eyes and ears of those who protect and guarantee civil rights,” Downing told The National Law Journal. Other attorneys are representing arrested protesters, handing out pamphlets on the First Amendment and providing other legal services.
