Photo by Jake May
As protests against police brutality and racism have continued throughout the United States, many attorneys have taken to Twitter to offer their services pro-bono for arrested protestors. One of these messages came from a somewhat-unlikely source: @NYCTaper.
Dan Lynch, the man behind @NYCTaper, has over 9,000 followers. The account is connected to a website of the same name, which Lynch launched in 2007 (along with some friends) to host and share an extensive collection of concert tapes. According to a recent feature in Rolling Stone, Lynch is "the local music scene’s top concert taper."
In the @NYCTaper Twitter bio, Lynch notes that he's an "attorney by day." In fact, he began his legal career as a public defender in 1988, starting his own practice a few years later. According to the same Rolling Stone story, Lynch has "regularly offered pro bono help to protesters, whether they were marching after the 2000 election, during Occupy Wall Street in 2011, or against police brutality and systemic racism."
“That’s why I became a lawyer,” Lynch told Rolling Stone. “I do make a living defending criminal cases, but when my talents, expertise, and experience can be used to benefit people who are protesting injustice, police abuse, and abuse by the government, that’s what I do. I have no problem doing as many cases as I can physically for no fee.”
"Please be aware that I am a civil rights attorney and will do pro bono work for anyone arrested in tonight's political activity in New York," Lynch tweeted on May 29. "Everything in the courts is virtual right now, so PM me to get my cell number. I will make myself available for arraignments tomorrow."
To read the full Rolling Stone piece on Lynch and his work as both an attorney and taper, click here.
