On nearly every front, this has been one of the ACLU of Southern California's most difficult years in our duty to protect civil rights and civil liberties. Our scope of work this year -- from protecting bedrock human rights of detainees here and abroad to guarding First Amendment protections throughout the region -- has required monumental effort and unprecedented levels of action.

We face an administration that has been shameless in its grab for ever-expanding spheres of power regardless of core constitutional rights. But with your help, we have been able to say what many do not want to hear; we have compelled them to listen and we have effected change.

In these pages of the ACLU of Southern California 2005- 2006 Annual Report, we showcase just a fraction of the outstanding work our staff has accomplished under the guidance of our boards of directors. We hope you will share in the pride of these accomplishments. It is because of your direct support and activism that the ACLU/SC has been able to put the principles we share into action, bringing our shared hope for a just nation that much closer to reality.