Stories from the ACLU of Washington

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Liberty Link: Twilight for Immigrants on the Olympic Peninsula

Published: 
Friday, July 29, 2011
A dynamite cover story in the latest Seattle Weekly – “Twilight for Immigrants” by Nina Shapiro – details the havoc being wreaked on lives and a community’s fabric by the U.S. Border Patrol’s heavy-handed tactics on Olympic Peninsula. The article is full of disturbing incidents which challenge the Border Patrol’s bland assertion that it does not engage in racial profiling.
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More Common Sense Instead of the War on Drugs

Published: 
Friday, July 22, 2011
Congratulations to our drug reform allies in New York for passing the nation’s fourth 911 Good Samaritan Law. The law aims to save lives by encouraging people to call for emergency services when they witness overdoses. New York becomes the largest state to enact such a much-needed measure.
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Police Chief Sends a Message

Published: 
Monday, July 18, 2011
Last May we were stunned to see video of a Seattle police officer yelling racial slurs at a Latino man lying prone on the ground and kicking him in the head while another officer stomped on his legs.  This incident was one of many that led the ACLU and 34 other organizations to ask the Department of Justice to investigate the Seattle Police Department for racially biased policing. 
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An Intern-Eye’s View of the Legislative Process

Published: 
Friday, July 15, 2011
Having studied political science in college, I have learned much about the process of drafting, introducing, and passing bills. But it is one thing to read about it in textbooks and listen to lectures. It is certainly another to be an active participant in the process. I had exactly that opportunity in my internship with the ACLU of Washington.
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Liberty Link: Police Guild Has Spokane Ombudsman Where It Wants Him

Published: 
Thursday, July 14, 2011
An arbitrator this week revoked a law that strengthened Spokane’s police ombudsman powers to investigate allegations of officer misconduct independently of the police. Spokane’s Police Guild had challenged the new powers as a change in working conditions that must be negotiated with the Guild as part of its contract with the city, and the arbitrator agreed.  
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Book Ban Reversed: Sherman Alexie Novel Back in Richland Classrooms

Published: 
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
On July 11, the Richland School Board voted 4-1 to bring Sherman Alexie’s young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian back to all its high school classrooms. This welcome action reversed the board’s vote in June to exclude the novel from all high school classrooms after it was piloted for the 9th-grade curriculum.
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Seattle Gets Rid of “Incumbent-Protection” Clause for Voters’ Guide

Published: 
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Candidates for elected office in Seattle now will be able to discuss their opponents in statements published in the pamphlet that voters receive in election season.  The ACLU-WA began working for this common-sense policy change a decade ago.
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Federal v. State Marijuana Law Conflict – More Contentious Than Ever

Published: 
Friday, July 8, 2011
As Connecticut becomes the fourteenth state in the U.S. to decriminalize adult possession of marijuana, it’s clear that many states want to take a different approach towards marijuana; despite the federal government’s continued blustering on state medical marijuana laws.
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Celebrate Civil Liberties on the Fourth of July

Published: 
Friday, July 1, 2011
This Independence Day, celebrate the Fight for Freedom by becoming involved with the ACLU of Washington.  You can utilize our activist toolkit, take quizzes, gather resources, and join our e-activist network. 
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Change Comes in Different Colors

Published: 
Thursday, June 30, 2011
President Obama’s term has had its share of disappointments for civil libertarians.But there is no denying that the Administration has moved diversity in the judiciary forward in the last two years.
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Should You Have the Right to Know When a Police Officer is Disciplined?

Published: 
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
It is a fundamental principle of a democratic society that public employees should be held accountable for their actions. In May, a Seattle arbitrator undermined that principle by ruling that the City of Seattle’s contract with the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild requires the city to withhold the names of police officers who were disciplined for misconduct. Thankfully, City Attorney Pete Holmes has decided to challenge this decision and is fighting to keep this information public.
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Police in Schools: Age Makes a Difference in Questioning Youth

Published: 
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Thinking back to myself at 13 years old, I recall a constant tension between the child I was and the adult I was becoming. Now I try to picture that version of myself being pulled from a classroom and taken to a conference room where two police officers and two school administrators want to question me about a neighborhood robbery. Would I have told officers I preferred they stop questioning me?  Or that I wanted to leave?
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