On February 4, 2009, the Los Angeles City Council approved a $13 million settlement for victims of police brutality suffered during the so-called "May Day Melee of 2007." During the Summer of 2007, USC Mock Trial Team members performed client intake for the civil rights class action case brought on the victims' behalf. The case was filed in response to the LAPD's actions against peaceful protesters in MacArthur Park in May of 2007. Persons in the park ranging in age from toddlers through the elderly were shot with police projectile weapons and beaten with batons. Members of the Team interviewed protest participants and helped distinguish between witnesses and plaintiffs. Team Head Coach Olu Orange, co-counsel on the case, trained the students on 42 U.S.C. §1983 and the Unruh Civil Rights Act. The students' work is a significant contribution in pursuit of justice for hundreds of Los Angeles residents. More about the case here: Los Angeles Times Article ( - click here - )