Blog
We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. Behind every court ruling is a person. Behind every landmark law is a movement. Read the stories and hear the voices that ground our work.
Over 150,000 People Tell Amazon: Stop Selling Facial Recognition Tech to Police
Jun 18, 2018
On Monday afternoon, civil rights, religious, and community organizations are taking their demand that Amazon stop providing face surveillance technology to governments, including police departments, to the company’s headquarters in Seattle. The groups will deliver over 150,000 petition signatures, a coalition letter signed by nearly 70 organizations representing comm...
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California, Say Her Name
Jun 11, 2018
As stories of state violence against Black men and boys occupy many of the calls for police reform, countless stories of Black women and girls subjected to excessive force and police misconduct remain untold. We must say their names.
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Running for Elected Prosecutor Will Never Be the Same
Jun 06, 2018
In past elections, DA candidates ran largely unopposed, but this year, there were more contested DA races in California than in recent memory – perhaps ever before. Although incumbents retained their seats in most counties, all elected DAs in California now know they are under an unprecedented level of public scrutiny.
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It’s Time to #Powerthe14th
Jun 05, 2018
Whether you realize it or not, July 9, 1868 was a day that changed your life and ours. Why? Because it was the day that the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.
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Equity Requires Honest Conversations. Calling Out White Supremacy is a Good Start.
May 29, 2018
Starbucks. Colorado State College. Air B&B. Nordstrom Rack. Yale University. Grandview Golf Club. Oakland's Lake Merritt. In the last month, “incidents” in each of these locales have made headlines, incidents in which white people have called the police on people of color—either African American or Native American—accusing them of everything from burglary to acting suspicious to golfing t...
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We're Demanding the Government Come Clean on Surveillance of Social Media
May 24, 2018
The Trump administration is ramping up surveillance of what people say on social media — and it’s doing so largely in secret.
Social media surveillance by the government raises serious concerns about free speech, racial and religious profiling, and privacy. The ACLU today filed a Freedom of Information Act request to find out how agencies like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are...
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A New Bill Restores California’s Power to Fight Secret Surveillance
May 03, 2018
In neighborhoods across California, law enforcement agencies are deploying secret and invasive surveillance technologies to collect sensitive location and biometric data, target local activists, and feed ICE’s deportation machine.
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We Take Baseless Defamation Accusations Seriously. Here’s Why.
May 03, 2018
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California is committed to fighting against spurious legal claims that threaten free speech. Especially when corporations and other powerful entities attempt to strong-arm people who have less resources at their disposal. This is exactly what happened to Claudia Rossi, a Bay Area school-board member and trustee, when she raised concerns about a private charter ...
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BREAKING: Another Local Victory for California Values
May 01, 2018
Central Valley residents in Porterville spoke truth to power and defeated an anti-immigration resolution that was up for a vote at the city council.
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LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Ed Would Have Meant the World to Me
May 01, 2018
My local school board will soon decide whether to adopt a sex ed curriculum that makes it clear: LGBTQ+ people are equally deserving of respect and love.
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In Its Zeal to Deport Immigrants, the Justice Department Scraps Due Process
Apr 20, 2018
In the past month, the Department of Justice has issued a series of stunningly senseless, wasteful, and cruel immigration policies
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