A sassy PSA featuring late Detroit attorney Bill Goodman goes viral on TikTok, again
Still image from 'Know Your Rights reminder: Shut the f*** up!'
A public service announcement featuring late Detroit civil rights attorney Bill Goodman is going viral on social media again.
The video was originally produced in 2021 by the Detroit and Michigan chapters of the National Lawyers Guild. It features Goodman and longtime legal partner Denise Heberle sharing blunt legal advice for protesters, political demonstrators or anyone confronted by law enforcement: to “shut the f*** up” until an attorney is present.
The video is gaining renewed attention on platforms like TikTok as conversations about civil rights rise in response to vast changes to federal policies and agencies take place under President Donald Trump.
Goodman died in November 2023, after spending decades fighting racial injustice, constitutional violations, and systemic inequities. He co-founded the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice in Detroit and worked on landmark cases, including representing Attica Prison inmates, victims of the Flint water crisis, and those wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger case.
Detroit civil rights attorney Jack Schultz was one of many young attorneys mentored by Goodman. He says Goodman “had this way of making things plain, no nonsense, and funny — but always effective.
“I love him a lot, and I just miss him,” he said.
The video, which contains strong language, can be viewed here.
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