Since Michael Brown's death in 2014, firms like the Arch City Defenders and the legal clinics at Saint Louis and Washington universities have become household names.
Now, they have a new partner in their fight
The MacArthur Justice Center — St. Louis began taking cases this week. The focus will be on civil rights issues, especially around policing and the justice system. The center was founded in Chicago in 1985, and also has branches in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Mae Quinn, a professor at the Washington University school of law and formerly the director of its Juvenile Law and Justice Clinic, will direct the St. Louis office. She said she looks forward to working with groups in the area handling similar cases.
"It’s important to have enough lawyers, enough resources to say, 'Hey, you can’t wait us out, you can’t just think it’s one group that you’re up against,'" she said. "There are more attorneys, more folks interested in bringing about the change that’s needed in this region."
Locke Bowman, the executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement that St. Louis was the obvious choice for the center's fourth location.
Follow Rachel Lippmann on Twitter: @rlippmann
