Our History

 

Back in the day, on Wednesday afternoons, Carl Maxey opened the doors to his law office to the Black Community for free legal advice to all who dropped in.  Following Carl's death, drop in Wednesdays continued at The Law Office of D.C. Cronin. 

 

In May 2017, following the acquittal by an all White jury of a White man who shot a local Black man in the back from 30 feet away by determining the defendant had acted in self-defense, Sandy Williams was determined to strategize how to most effectively impact the justice system in Spokane which disproportionately negatively impacts Black Families and other Families of Color.

 

Sandy attended the  trial day after day and afterwards, spoke with her friend, Mary Stamp, Editor of The Fig Tree, 

​

"'It happens all the time...There was resignation in her voice, implying there was nothing to do about that. 'I decided that would not be my legacy for my child,' Sandy said.  'Because of my mother, father and daughter, I continue to fight this war.'

The strategies of those promoting racism include building fear of a perceived or real threat of violence; making people believe there is a scarcity of resources, when there is a wealth; assassinating the character of others, and dividing to conquer.

'It’s not an accident to use those tactics against people of color and disenfranchised people,' Sandy said.

 

She cited a 1712 letter by white slave owner Willie Lynch on how to control slaves by making them docile, He said to use distrust and envy to divide them based on exaggerating their differences: pitting old vs. young, dark skin vs light skin, females vs. males, tall vs. short, fine-haired vs. coarse-haired, house servants vs. field slaves. 

​

“How do we work with war weary people who sit around tables talking about how to end racism, going back and forth, having the same conversation for years? she asked." The Fig Tree, 2019

​

Following the trial, Sandy discussed how to turn anger and talk into action with her friends Rev. Walter Kendricks and D.C. Cronin. Upon learning of Carl's "Walk In Wednesdays", Sandy set her sights on developing strategic  ways to challenge systemic racism by offering free legal services. Over the course of the next five years Sandy listened to community members' challenges, suggestions, and stories, and planned.  In the late spring of 2022, Sandy formed an Advisory Committee to assist in developing the foundation for the Legal Foundation of Washington Accelerator Grant she would submit on September 1, 2022.

​

Just weeks following Sandy's death on September 4, 2022, LFW provided a research and development grant to establish the Carl Maxey Center's Racial Justice Clinic, renamed by the Carl Maxey Center just prior to the Inaugural Community Free Drop In Clinic on April 16, 2023 as The Sandy Williams Justice Center.

​

In honor of the lives and legacies of Carl Maxey and Sandy Williams, we continue to develop and implement strategic and practical steps to challenge the structural and systemic inequities impacting low income community members, and disproportionally impacting  Black and other People of Color community members in Spokane's civil justice system.

​

On Wednesday September 13, 2023, Sandy's birthday, the circle remains unbroken as the Sandy Williams Justice Center launches Sandy's Inaugural Walk In Wednesday Racial Justice Clinic, reportedly the first civil legal aid drop in clinic with a scope of it's kind, open to members of the BIPOC community seeking legal advice and information on all civil legal aid matters, including but not limited to:

​

Racial Justice and Civil Rights    Discrimination    Domestic Violence   Education  Excessive Use of Force 

Elder, Estate, and Adult Guardianships   Family Law   Housing/Evictions   Juvenile  Landlord/Tenant    LGBTQ2S+

Post-Conviction Relief/Reentry     Protection Orders     Unemployment Law

 

"In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, there was an outcry to address systemic racism and its insidious

impact once and for all. But, in order to truly begin addressing racism in all of its forms, it is imperative that

our criminal legal system begins to proactively, directly and courageously address the acts of racial discrimination

and racial injustice that are regularly being perpetrated against members of our community. As long as there exists

no vehicle for accountability and as long as an individual, organization or business can racially discriminate freely

without fear of consequence, we can continue to expect very little tangible progress."

- Sandy Williams, September 1, 2022

 

Because of the commitment of our dedicated volunteers who have provided countless hours of free legal assistance, many of

whom worked side by side with Sandy, and some who worked along side both Sandy and Carl,  as of September 4, 2023 the Sandy Williams Justice Center has served 319 individuals representing an average monthly racial demographic of  48% BIPOC community members.

 

Just one year and three days after submitting a grant for what Sandy believed was "just the beginning", and just five months since the Inaugural Sandy Williams Legal Clinics, we still say, "This is just the beginning".

​