An Apology to Alex Nieto, Idriss Stelley, and their Family and Friends

We owe an apology to our community, and especially to the family and friends of Alex Nieto and Idriss Stelley. In our January letter to the US Department of Justice, we mischaracterized the shooting deaths of Alex Nieto and Idriss Stelley. We included language regarding Alex Nieto that was in published reports, but was both disputed by the family, and not relevant to the police shooting. And, we did not provide details that would be important in understanding the circumstances in which Alex Nieto and Idriss Stelley were killed.

Both men were shot and killed by San Francisco police officers who used grossly excessive force in situations that required care, attention, and expertise. However, the language in our January letter to the DOJ failed to make that clear. For that, we deeply apologize. We will do better. Thank you to everyone who brought the problematic nature of this language to our attention.

Alan Schlosser is Senior Counsel with the ACLU of Northern California.
Claudia Center is a Senior Staff Attorney with the National ACLU Disability Rights Program.
Susan Mizner is Disability Counsel with the National ACLU Disability Rights Program.