News & Commentary

Much too often, when officers in the Los Angeles Police Department break the rules, their disciplinary process fails to hold them accountable. Now is a moment for serious reform to the way the police department disciplines its officers. The L.A. City Council is preparing to vote on changes to the Board of Rights — the disciplinary appeal board that has the ultimate say in whether officers accused of serious misconduct are punished. The outcome will determine whether the board will be an effective tool to hold offices accountable for their misconduct, or yet another way for officers to escape responsibility for wrongdoing. That’s why it’s so troubling that the City Council is pushing forward with major changes to the Board of Rights without public input or even taking the time to learn what an effective disciplinary process looks like.

Despite attacking family members of fallen war heroes, criticizing Sen. John McCain for being captured in war, and recently deploying troops to the border for a costly and unnecessary political stunt, President Donald Trump has nonetheless boasted about his supposed support for military service

Last week, Jeff Sessions attacked a court ruling that gave a temporary reprieve to hundreds of thousands of immigrants facing imminent deportation after years of living lawfully in this country.

With all the tumultuous news these days, it’s easy to forget a national, ongoing tragedy — the more than 200 children who have yet to be reunited with their parents since the Trump administration forcibly separated them. For them, there is no luxury of having their attention diverted by the day’s latest news. They are experiencing a profound trauma.

California’s 2018 legislative session has ended, and we have some huge victories to celebrate! This year, California passed groundbreaking legislation to increase police accountability, provide quality sexual education to charter school students and keep innocent people out of prison, to name just a few.

In a disturbing trend, government officials and police departments have been thwarting public oversight by using communications apps that automatically delete messages.

In January 2018, Border Patrol agents boarded a Greyhound bus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and demanded identification from passengers. Videos of the encounter went viral — showing these agents, with “POLICE” emblazoned on their vests, escorting a woman of Caribbean descent in her 60s off the bus. In the background, someone filming says, “This is new?”

On Saturday, we’re celebrating Bisexual Pride in West Hollywood. Featuring a Bi Visibility Walk, an info fair, and of course a party, WeHo Bi Pride is believed to be the first event of its kind ever officially sponsored by a U.S. city and coincides with global observances of Bisexual Awareness Week. The ACLU SoCal is proud to co-sponsor WeHo Bi Pride 2018, alongside amBi and the Human Rights Campaign. Here are five reasons why we’re showing up for Bi Pride:

For years, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has pulled middle and high school students out of class to conduct daily, metal detector searches. As numerous students have shared, school administrators walk into a classroom and pick out students at will, wand their bodies, and rummage through their belongings. Aside from losing valuable learning time, students undergo this humiliating procedure even if they have done nothing wrong.