Like thousands of other people in 2006, Jose Franco was detained by immigration authorities. Most detainees are either deported to their country of origin or released after winning their right to remain in the United States. But this case took a different route. Mr. Franco has a mental disability. In many respects, he functions at the …
Detain first, investigate later — that is Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) mantra when it comes to its Secure Communities (“S-Comm”) program, a program designed to immediately ensnare any immigrant in the deportation pipeline the moment they come into contact with the criminal justice system. Under S-Comm, the fingerprints of every person arrested by the police …
This post originally appeared in The Tennessean. This week’s news of another suicide by a young student—brought about after years of anti-gay bullying at his school—reminds me of my own experiences attending schools in Tennessee twenty years ago. Unfortunately, it seems little has changed.
Chaz Bono doing the samba on Dancing with the Stars and Isis King posing fiercely on the All Stars cycle of America’s Next Top Model may mark the first time two positive transgender role models have broken through to the mainstream at the same time. That’s real progress for the widespread acceptance of the trans …
“What are we talkin’ bout? Practice? We talkin’ bout practice, man. We not even talking about the game,” said former NBA superstar Allen Iverson almost ten years ago. His now memorable words came to mind when I read that Los Angeles officials are negotiating with Occupy protesters to break down the camp at City Hall Park and …
GSAs (Gay Straight Alliances) help create a positive school environment, which is the objective of the ACLU/SC’s student rights project. Excerpted from the ACLU Blog of Rights: GSAs are school clubs that aim to create safe and supportive environments for students to learn about homophobia, transphobia, and other types of oppression and prejudice. They are places …
Amidst all the talk of immigration reform and the need to secure our borders, it’s easy to forget that our government already imprisons thousands of immigrants for months, often years, in several hundred immigration detention centers scattered across the United States.
Los Angelenos may be the most auto-obsessed people on the planet (see Carmaggedon), but most of the time we turn a blind eye toward the people who actually clean our cars—and their routinely terrible working conditions.
Like thousands of other people in 2006, Jose Franco was detained by immigration authorities. Most detainees are either deported to their country of origin or released after winning their right to remain in the United States.
But this case took a different route. Mr. Franco has a mental disability. In many respects, he functions at the cognitive level of a small child: he cannot tell time and he doesn’t know his own address. When he appeared in immigration court, he was told by the immigration judge that his deportation proceedings would be suspended until he could undergo a psychological evaluation. But when immigration officials refused to conduct the evaluation, Franco was lost in a loophole in our immigration detention system. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2012/four-years-frozen-in-ice/
Detain first, investigate later — that is Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) mantra when it comes to its Secure Communities (“S-Comm”) program, a program designed to immediately ensnare any immigrant in the deportation pipeline the moment they come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Under S-Comm, the fingerprints of every person arrested by the police are shared with ICE at the moment they are booked into police custody. Without investigating the person’s immigration status, ICE immediately sends an “immigration detainer” or a request back to the police if they want the person to continue to be detained for immigration purposes. Detain first, investigate later. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/detain-first-investigate-later/
This week’s news of another suicide by a young student—brought about after years of anti-gay bullying at his school—reminds me of my own experiences attending schools in Tennessee twenty years ago. Unfortunately, it seems little has changed. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/anti-gay-bullying-demands-a-response-from-our-community/
Chaz Bono (left) speaks with "It Gets Better" project founder Dan Savage. Photo by Margaret Molloy.
Chaz Bono doing the samba on Dancing with the Stars and Isis King posing fiercely on the All Stars cycle of America’s Next Top Model may mark the first time two positive transgender role models have broken through to the mainstream at the same time. That’s real progress for the widespread acceptance of the trans community, but not all trans people have the support that Chaz and Isis enjoy. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/remembering-youth-in-the-transgender-community/
“What are we talkin’ bout? Practice? We talkin’ bout practice, man. We not even talking about the game,” said former NBA superstar Allen Iverson almost ten years ago. His now memorable words came to mind when I read that Los Angeles officials are negotiating with Occupy protesters to break down the camp at City Hall Park and relocate it.
Why will the many weeks’ long peaceful protest and encampment be closed down, you may ask? Is it concern over public health? Nope. Is it a threat to public safety? Think again. It’s the lawn. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/occupy-la-a-grassroots-movement/
GSAs are school clubs that aim to create safe and supportive environments for students to learn about homophobia, transphobia, and other types of oppression and prejudice. They are places to have important discussions, to make friends, and to get support from peers. They can help educate the school community — even people who aren’t in the club — about issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. And they can help fight the discrimination, harassment, and violence that plague so many students. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/start-a-gsa-today/
Amidst all the talk of immigration reform and the need to secure our borders, it’s easy to forget that our government already imprisons thousands of immigrants for months, often years, in several hundred immigration detention centers scattered across the United States. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/locked-up/
Los Angelenos may be the most auto-obsessed people on the planet (see Carmaggedon), but most of the time we turn a blind eye toward the people who actually clean our cars—and their routinely terrible working conditions.
“I wish sometimes that I had died in Iraq. So that my life would have meant something.” Robert Rissman is a 22-year old Iraq combat veteran who returned from Iraq with undiagnosed PTSD. As Robert struggled to cope with his disability, he became one of 8,000 homeless veterans living on the streets of Los Angeles. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/what-veterans-deserve/
Over the last few weeks, polls were released by several independent organizations that all point to one conclusion: Californians are ready to dump the death penalty.
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and the Field Poll both show California voters’ strong preference for life without the possibility of parole over the death penalty. Read the rest of this entry »
Permanent link to this article: http://www.aclu-sc.org/blog/2011/the-numbers-are-in-the-death-penalty-is-out/
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