Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are thrilled to recognize an exceptional volunteer who turned her expertise and compassion into meaningful impact for a whistleblower seeking justice.
Join us in saying…
** Congratulations, Vonda Vandaveer!
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Standing Up for Justice: Vonda, an accomplished attorney and volunteer, exemplifies a deep commitment to service. Vonda has spent her career speaking truth to power, and has been a practicing attorney for 25 years, after a transition from a career as a journalist.
* Having worked on immigration and special visa cases, fighting bad corporate actors, and contracting with the federal government, Vonda wanted to find pro bono work that matched her unique experience and skillset.
* Almost immediately after signing up for We The Action, Vonda found the perfect project with the Government Accountability Project (GAP) – a whistleblower disclosure case involving human rights violations and illegality at the Baker County Detention Center, a county jail that operates in part as a federal immigration detention facility near Jacksonville, Florida.
The Need for a Caring Lawyer: About a year ago, around the time that Vonda signed up for this project, a medical worker reached out to GAP about disclosing the abhorrent conditions at Baker.
* Andrea Meza, Director of Advocacy Campaigns at GAP, says, “Our organization has a long track record of working with people of integrity, people who believe they have to do something in the face of injustice. Because of Vonda, we were able to take the case.”
* Vonda adds, “This whistleblower couldn’t just sit idle. They really felt strongly about the issue and they were very motivated and committed to seeing it through. Their perseverance was extraordinary and inspiring.”
Building a Disclosure: This facility has been under scrutiny since it first took on an ICE contract 15 years ago. This was the first time GAP heard from someone working on the inside.
* The whistleblower, a former medical practitioner at Baker, documented a pattern of systemic neglect: staff denying basic medical care, falsifying records to cover their tracks, and subjecting detained individuals to racial and sexual harassment.
* Because of the complex nature of ICE’s policy guidelines and standards, it took someone willing to comb through all of those policies and point to the exact abuses mentioned in the complaints. Vonda was the person to do just that.
* Andrea says, “She worked so thoughtfully and carefully with extreme attention to detail. This was just a really solid disclosure all around, and really well done.”
* Just over a month ago, GAP released this disclosure, finally bringing to light the abuses brought forward by this determined whistleblower. The organization hopes this disclosure will lead to the end of ICE’s contract with Baker.
Lasting Impact and Further Need: GAP is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization, having assisted over 8,000 whistleblowers since its founding in 1977.
* GAP anticipates a continued need for volunteers like Vonda to work on disclosures and cases like this, and they are standing ready to continue to support federal employees.
* Vonda says, “These are all legal skills—research, writing, advocacy. GAP provides the subject matter expertise. So for anyone interested in getting involved, don’t be afraid. All the skills are transferable, and the mentorship you receive is invaluable.”
* To get involved like Vonda and support whistleblowers, sign up for this important project from GAP ([link removed]) ; You can read the press release about this disclosure here ([link removed]) .
** On behalf of 50,000+ lawyers, congratulations Vonda!
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Best,
The We The Action Team
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