MJL’s membership program was created to provide opportunities for folks who support our mission to connect with each other, get involved in MJL’s work, and contribute to the movement to end criminalization. We offer two types of membership: one for folks who identify as directly-impacted by criminalization and one for folks who identify as supporters of directly-impacted communities.
We also offer free membership for those who cannot contribute financially (e.g. youth, or anyone else for whom it is a hardship)!
Anyone who supports* MJL’s mission of protecting human and civil rights threatened under national security pretexts can become an MJL member.
Why Become a Member?
- Meet inspiring folks who share your commitment to human and civil rights, and gain opportunities to advocate together.
- Receive invitations to quarterly MJL member events (and an MJL sticker as a token of appreciation :).
- Some events will be specifically for members who identify as directly impacted by policing & criminalization, or more specific communities (e.g. youth workshops or workshops for Muslims).
- For those who identify as a supporting member, you support will help subsidize the membership program so that directly-impacted folks have opportunities to connect with one another for mutual support, healing and strategizing.
- Contribute your skills and expertise to strategies for ending the criminalization of our communities or support front-line communities as they defined strategies to end their criminalization.
We respect your determination of which group describes you! If unsure, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Am regularly policed or criminalized based on my race, religion, immigration status? Or am I from a community that historically has been?
- Am I often stopped by police apparently because of my race, where I live, or assumptions about where I’m from?
- When I travel, am I frequently singled out and detained/questioned? Or do I receive 4 S’s (SSSS) on my flight ticket?
- Do I belong to a community treated by CVE as at risk of “extremism/radicalization” (Such as Somali-American youth, BLM activists, etc.)?
- Have I or my family been pressured to chat with an FBI agent or another member of a Joint Terrorism Task Force?
- Am I or a close relative undocumented, or likely to become so as the government ends some immigration programs?
- Have I been prevented from uniting with family, or delayed in returning to the US, as a result of the Muslim Ban?
- Have I or a close loved one been incarcerated?
That’s not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. If you answered yes to anything above, you may want to identify as Directly-impacted. Or, if the following statements resonate, you may instead want to identify as a Supporter:
- I am not treated as a potential threat by law enforcement.
- I do not belong to a community that is treated as collectively suspect.
- I’m concerned for my neighbors who are being criminalized, and MJL’s mission aligns with my values.
However you identify, we appreciate you and hope you’ll become a member. We look forward to building with you!
For impacted folks, we suggest membership starting at $5 /quarter and for supporting we suggest starting at $5/month but we invite those who are financially able to donate more than these amounts. Your generosity allows us to cover costs of the membership program, including organizing regular events. We are deeply grateful for any level of support!
* In order to ensure our membership program is safe and empowering for folks resisting criminalization, we reserve the right to deny or end membership of anyone who endangers others’ safety or engages in activity that undermines MJL’s mission — such as attending MJL events in order to help law enforcement surveil activists, promoting CVE, or other actions that threaten others’ human or civil rights.