Civil Rights

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“With patient and firm determination we will press on until every valley of despair is exalted to new peaks of hope, until every mountain of pride and irrationality is made low by the levelling process of humility and compassion; until the rough places of injustice are transformed into a smooth plane of equality of opportunity; and until the crooked places of prejudice are transformed by the straightening process of bright-eyed wisdom.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The People's Justice Project protects the civil rights and dignity of our community members by providing civil litigation services to take legal action against those who violate your civil rights.  
 

We believe that the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.  By providing civil litigation services, we protect the civil rights and dignity of all community members.

The People’s Justice Project’s "Homeless Rights Project" provides advocacy and law reform representation to under-represented, low-income, and unhoused families and individuals in Santa Barbara County. 

The "Homeless Rights Project" addresses the negative impact to our community that is created when unhoused community members are confronted with civil rights violations and loss of dignity, liberty, and property by law enforcement and government policies that target people experiencing homelessness. 

By providing access to justice, the "Homeless Rights Project" empowers the unsheltered community to assert their constitutional rights and preserve their possessions and progress. By providing advocacy and law reform representation to this population, the "Homeless Rights Project" upholds the rights and dignity of our most vulnerable members and confronts customs, practices, and policies that criminalize, exacerbate, and too frequently create homelessness. 

The People's Justice Project is working with unhoused families and individuals, attorneys, the Santa Barbara County Public Defender's Office, the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara, the Committee for Social Justice, the National Lawyers Guild - Los Angeles Chapter, and the National Lawyers Guild - Central Coast Chapter in this effort to improve conditions.  

If you have been deprived of your civil rights, you may have a claim under Title 42, Section 1983 of the United States Code (42 U.S.C. 1983), often referred to simply as Section 1983. This law allows citizens to bring claims for violations of their constitutional and legal rights against government employees and officials, including law enforcement. If you believe your civil rights have been violated, speak with a People's Justice Project attorney. We can help you understand your legal options and pursue a 42 U.S.C. 1983 action. Contact the People's Justice Project to discuss your case in a confidential consultation.