open to all two women

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.

Trump Speaking
Blog

The Shame of the State of the Union

Feb 02, 2018
There were many awful aspects of President Trump’s State of the Union message, but we have a personal perspective on one in particular, thanks to our work on behalf of immigrants who have been accused of being gang members based on dubious or non-existent “evidence.” Read More
Blog

Bill of Rights Day #ACLUTimeMachine

Nov 15, 2017
For more than four decades, the ACLU of Northern California has hosted Bill of Rights Day to honor leaders who’ve made great contributions to civil liberties and individual freedom. It started in 1973 when we recognized Anthony Amsterdam, a Stanford law professor who argued Furman v. Georgia in front of the US Supreme Court. In a landmark decision, the court held that capital punishment const... Read More
smart city graphic
Blog

How to Make Smart Decisions About Smart Cities

Nov 15, 2017
These days, it seems like almost every city is launching “smart initiatives” that promise to turn data about the city into improved public services, a vibrant business community, or a new approach to challenges like public health. But it's not smart to assume that any given “smart city” technology will actually benefit the public. These technologies can cause real harm to people. They ha... Read More
Trump Waving
Blog

How Not to Respond to the New York Attack

Nov 01, 2017

Eight people were killed and nearly a dozen more injured yesterday when a man drove into the bike lane of a street in Lower Manhattan. Instead of expressing unity and resilience, Trump took to Twitter to further his nativist agenda, calling for entire Muslim and immigrant communities to be punished and for some of the worst national security policies of recent years to be revived. 

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