Stories from the ACLU of Washington

Search by topic
Published: 
Monday, November 25, 2013
Kelsey Engstrom frequently studies ACLU materials and cases as a University of Washington senior studying in the Law, Society and Justice department.  Almost every article she is assigned seems to reference cases that the ACLU has been involved in. One that stood out was Cohen v. California, where the ACLU defended Cohen’s right of free speech to wear a jacket saying “fuck the draft.”
Published: 
Friday, November 22, 2013
On November 9th, the ACLU of Washington held its annual Bill of Rights Dinner, which celebrates the past year’s work and honors those who have made a difference here in Washington. It was my first time attending and, needless to say, I was pretty excited to be there.  Although I was born and raised here in Washington, I don’t often find myself with this many like-minded individuals; and when I do, it’s pretty exciting.
Published: 
Monday, November 18, 2013
Catherine Fisher wants to learn about and make a difference in social justice and politics. A high school student, she hopes to help educate others, perhaps as an investigative journalist, highlighting issues that people don’t know about. For example, she says that in Washington “a third of our state doesn’t know we have the death penalty,” if we educated them, if people knew, then they might be willing to help make changes.
Published: 
Thursday, November 14, 2013
This week, one of the largest school districts in Florida announced it is replacing suspension and expulsions with a new restorative approach to school discipline – the same type of alternative approach that the ACLU of Washington is promoting here in Washington state.
Published: 
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Rap superstar Macklemore is urging his fans to get the card “that lets my gay friends marry the hell out of each other.”  That’s the ACLU’s legendary membership card. “If you like being free like me, get the ACLU card today,” the award-winning rapper advises in a video he launched today (www.aclucard.com).
Published: 
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
I walked through Town Hall Seattle’s doors last week for the forum on “Hospital Mergers and Religious Restrictions on Health Care” ready to work at the ACLU-WA booth. Handing out information and answering general questions. I watched as articles about mergers between secular and religious hospitals flew off the table into the hands of worried people. As more and more people flowed into the lobby, I was struck by the community’s concern about the situation. More than 400 people attended the event.
Published: 
Monday, November 4, 2013
The ACLU and other advocates for immigrant rights are challenging the lack of due process for individuals who are subject to mandatory detention while the government brings deportation cases against them for past crimes. These people are often longtime legal residents, rehabilitated and leading productive lives in their communities. It is unlawful and unjust for the government to keep them locked up with no opportunity to prove eligibility for release or bond.
Published: 
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Mike Archambault is a self-proclaimed “data guy.” As a University of Washington student, he got involved with the ACLU over the summer to help our criminal justice reform work by looking at jail booking data – a notoriously hard-to-analyze set of numbers because every jail has its own data system. He has since completed his thesis on the same subject for his Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Published: 
Friday, October 25, 2013
On this coming Wednesday, October 30th from 7-9 pm the ACLU-WA and four allies are presenting an important Community Forum at Town Hall Seattle (1119 8th Ave.).  “Hospital Mergers & Religious Restrictions on Health Care” will explore how mergers of religiously affiliated and secular health care systems  can affect patient access to lawful and medically appropriate care.
Published: 
Thursday, October 24, 2013
At the suggestion of a college counselor, Natasha Khanna applied to intern with the ACLU in California three years ago.  She didn’t know much about the organization at the time and didn’t end up with the internship, but the ACLU has been on her radar screen ever since.  Natasha is particularly interested in voting rights and the relationship between the church and state.  She thinks that the ACLU is most important because it represents the “big picture.” As she puts it, “Regardless of the specific issue, we are always fighting for equal rights and the Constitution, and people can connect and rely on that.”
Published: 
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Two upcoming events will highlight the ways the War on Drugs has produced painful consequences for not only the United States, but also our neighbors to the south.  Between the more than 70,000 deaths and 10,000 disappearances in Mexico since 2006, and the mass incarceration and disenfranchisement of non-violent individuals in the U.S., the number of lives being destroyed in the name of the War on Drugs has reached epidemic proportions.
Published: 
Monday, October 21, 2013
When asked why he is interning with the ACLU, Nathan Hards spoke of “putting knowledge into action.” He is interested in racial and class inequality, and graduated from Western Washington University in Political Science, focusing on race and public policy for contemporary African Americans. His final project focused on social class issues, as he found that significant issues in our country increasingly arise from divisions of class. His professor for that project just happens to be a close friend of an ACLU-WA Board member and recommended that Nate start here.

Pages