VIEW FROM THE CHIEF’S DESK

I heard the word unprecedented more in 2020 than I have heard in my entire life. It was named the People's Choice 2020 word of the year by dictionary.com. This single word describes so much of what we experienced last year: an unprecedented pandemic, unprecedented lockdown, and unprecedented loss. Being a public defender is a difficult role under normal circumstances. Still, the hardships for our clients created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent hopelessness experienced by all who are dedicated to this work were almost unbearable at times. Our team at the Nashville Defender's office responded to these challenges with resilience. Andrew Zolle and Ann Marie Healy, in their book, Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, define resilience as the capacity of a system, enterprise, or a person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.

We kept our core values at the helm as we navigated the hardships of the year. We were client-centered. We engaged in innovative advocacy, and we focused on community and systemic engagement.

We advocated for incarcerated persons to be released from custody amid the impossibility of containing the spread of COVID-19 in congregant environments.

We continuously strategized ways to advocate for the protections provided to our clients by the 6th Amendment while navigating video visitation, technological failures, and the constant cycle of quarantines that prevented our ability to consult our clients.

We increased our staff and offered robust virtual training and CLE programs to our new hires.

We prioritized self-care and implemented policies that allowed our staff to take care of their children and medical needs without concerns about job security.

We spoke out about injustices in the city.

In short, we made it. Sure, we have scars and are concerned about the road ahead, but we are here. We are dedicated to our clients and providing excellent representation to them. We are the Nashville Defenders, and there is no justice without us!

Now, as we navigate our "new normal" and steady our ship for what is ahead, we have an opportunity to re-launch our initiatives, re-set our dreams, and re-engage our community partners. Will you partner with us?

In Solidarity,

Martesha

License Plate Scanners

“I believe that the risks outweigh the benefits to the proposed expansion of the use of LPRs. In a time where a diverse coalition of members of the Nashville community have pushed to reform the unnecessary harms related to policing experienced by certain communities and people in this city, I am concerned that by expanding the use of LPRs the city is responding to those concerns by increasing surveillance in Nashville.”
- Martesha Johnson, Chief Public Defender

Congratulations!
Biz Journal
Best of the Bar
and Woman of Influence

The Nashville Defenders are pleased to announce Chief Public Defender Martesha Johnson has been named to the Nashville Biz Journal 2021 Best of the Bar and a Nashville Biz Journal Woman of Influence.