Civil Rights Law Firm ArchCity Defenders Wins Thomas Merton Award

ST. LOUIS, MO — ArchCity Defenders, a legal advocacy group based in St. Louis, was presented with the Thomas Merton Award at a ceremony in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, held Thursday night. The group was recognized for its work fighting the criminalization of poverty and state violence against people of color, according to a news release.

The nonprofit law firm specializes in civil rights cases and has advocated on behalf of more than 10,500 people, it says — among them prominent activists like state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., who is suing St. Louis County police for excessive force at a 2014 protest. The group says it has filed more than 40 civil rights lawsuits challenging police misconduct, debtors' prisons, cash bail, jail conditions, shelter for homeless people, and violations of Constitutional protections.

(For more stories like this, subscribe to Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. You can also download the free Patch app for iPhone and Android.)

"As a result of the impact litigation, municipalities throughout the region have curbed unlawful and predatory practices, leading to decreases in municipal court revenues, and over $7.9M in judgements awarded to thousands of people across the region," the group said in a statement.

The Thomas Merton Center, named for the eponymous Catholic monk, social justice advocate and all around cool guy, was founded in 1972, just a few years after Merton's death. The center has worked to raise awareness of moral questions involving war, poverty, racism and human rights.

"ArchCity Defenders' work centers people targeted by the criminal legal system and offers inspiration for on-the-ground work across this country," said Gabriel McMorland, the Merton Center's executive director. "We’re honored to host them as the 2018 Thomas Merton Awardee."

Past recipients of the award include Angela Davis, Vince Warren and the Center for Constitutional Rights, Vandana Shiva, Noam Chomsky, Joan Baez, Marian Wright Edelman, and Daniel Berrigan.

"ArchCity Defenders is thrilled to receive the Thomas Merton Award," said ArchCity Defenders' executive director, Blake Strode. "While our work is far from over, we are proud to engage daily in zealous holistic advocacy in partnership with activists, organizers, and service providers committed to systemic change. To stand alongside a list of individuals and organizations as illustrious as the recipients of the Thomas Merton Award is an incredible recognition for which we are honored and grateful."

Photo: Protesters pass the Carnahan Courthouse in St. Louis during the St. Louis Women's March in January 2018. (J. Ryne Danielson/Patch)