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ACLU of Northern CA
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Civil Rights, Law Enforcement, and Legal Services Groups Invite San Francisco City Attorney to Discuss Settlement, Refocus City’s Efforts to Improve Homelessness Crisis

Aug 10, 2023
The ACLU of Northern California and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area sent a letter to San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu asking him to discuss settlement terms that would prioritize developing affordable housing, expanding access to temporary shelter, and providing services to help unhoused San Franciscans get off the streets and back on their feet. Read More
ACLU NorCal Executive Director Abdi Soltani speaks at a rally before a hearing at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the federal injunction barring San Francisco from citing and arresting unhoused people who have no access to shelter.
News

Ninth Circuit Appears to Reaffirm Civil Rights Protections in Litigation Over San Francisco’s Discriminatory Policing of Unhoused People

Aug 23, 2023
During a hearing on the federal preliminary injunction prohibiting San Francisco from citing and arresting unhoused people who have no access to shelter, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to reject the city's argument that the injunction prevents San Francisco from maintaining a safe and healthy environment on the streets. The lawsuit, Coalition on Homelessness v. ... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
News

San Francisco Continues to Defy Injunction, Fails to Train Workers Charged with Clearing Homeless Encampments

Oct 06, 2023
In August, the court asked San Francisco to identify how it has trained staff to ensure the city is following a preliminary injunction preventing it from illegally destroying unhoused residents’ property. The city's only training tool is a brief presentation that does not meaningfully explain the procedures public works employees must follow when handling people's belongings. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
News

San Francisco Attempts to “Judge Shop” In High-Profile Homelessness Case

Oct 10, 2023
The ACLU of Northern California and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area filed a brief opposing the city of San Francisco's request to reassign the Coalition on Homelessness case to a judge who handled a case regarding the city's response to street homelessness that was dismissed and closed three years ago. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
News

In Response to Lawsuit, Santa Clara Superior Court Takes Step to Change Policy Discriminating Against Poor Defendants

Nov 13, 2023
The new policy allows a defendant with an active arrest warrant to schedule an initial court appearance through their attorney regardless of their financial means. Someone who can’t afford bail must still appear at the jail for an informal booking. However they won’t be taken into custody. Once in court, a judge makes an individualized determination about whether that person should remain out of c... Read More