A left-wing advocacy organization is instructing Washington residents on how to use jury duty to counter what it calls systemic bias in the criminal justice system, drawing scrutiny over its political ties and opposition to federal crime enforcement.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A leftist activist group with ties to major progressive donors is hosting training sessions in Washington, D.C., aimed at teaching residents how to use jury duty to protect what it describes as “marginalized” defendants from systemic bias in criminal prosecutions.
The organization, Free DC, is scheduled to hold an in-person event on Jan. 12 in partnership with the prison abolition group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. According to an archived event description, the session will focus on how jurors can “protect our people especially those with marginalized identities who are disproportionately targeted by the criminal legal system.”
Free DC has positioned jury service as a mechanism for activists to influence trial outcomes. “Jury duty is not just a civic responsibility; it’s a powerful tool for ensuring fairness and justice,” the group states in its event materials. “By serving on a jury, we can influence outcomes and help create a more equitable legal process.”
The group has emerged as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s response to rising crime in the nation’s capital, including the deployment of the National Guard and the expansion of federal law enforcement resources aimed at stopping D.C. crime. The Washington Post has described the group as “the face of the capital’s anti-Trump resistance”.
Free DC and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams did not respond to requests for comment.
Financial records and prior reporting show Free DC operates as a “fiscally sponsored special project” of two charities supported by the nonprofit funding network Tides Foundation and billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, according to a New York Post report.
The group previously weighed in following the Nov. 26 shooting of two West Virginia National Guardsmen on patrol in Washington, D.C. Authorities arrested an Afghan national in the attack, which killed one guardsman and wounded another. In response, Free DC posted on social media arguing that “the Guard should not be here.”
“It is unsafe for both the Guard and our communities,” the group said in the post. “Our deepest condolences go to the two West Virginia families who now face a heartbroken season as a result of this unnecessary deployment.”
The planned juror training and the group’s broader activism come as federal officials continue to emphasize jury impartiality and the rule of law amid heightened concern over crime and public safety in the nation’s capital.
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