Latest From ACLU of Washington

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.”

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.

Last year, after pressure from the ACLU and a number of community groups, the City of Seattle and the Department of Justice entered into a settlement agreement relating to police practices. It avoided a lengthy court battle over DOJ’s allegations that the Seattle Police Department had a pattern or practice of the excess use of force.

Has your son or daughter been “emergency expelled” from school for a minor disciplinary infraction that presented no threat? Has a teacher searched all the texts on your phone because you forgot to turn it off during class? Has a friend who’s trying to form a Gay-Straight Alliance at your high school been told that the group is “too controversial” and cannot hold meetings on school grounds? Know your rights and where to get help!