Pivot Legal Society Executive Director John Richardson smugly sits in front of his latest publicity stunt.
The Pivot Legal Society specifies its mandate as taking “a strategic approach to social change, using the law to address the root causes that undermine the quality of life of those most on the margins.”
And when employing the law as “a critical tool for social change,” encompassing:
- Legal education projects
- Strategic legal action
- Reforming laws
they can serve as a powerful agent of social change. A few examples include fighting for the rights of protesters around the Woodward’s building in 2002, participating in a Charter challenge on decriminalizing sex work in Canada, and advocating on behalf of keeping the InSite safe injection site open.
But where I have an issue with the tactics of the society is in their tendency to allow cheap publicity stunts to overtake the causes they are fighting for.
Their latest “Red Tent” campaign is a perfect example.
