News & Commentary

"I want to thank my colleagues in the Senate for taking this important step forward to ensuring that schools have the necessary tools to prevent any young person from being bullied, harassed or worse because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. As a former teacher, I know how important it is for our students to feel safe at school. We have a moral duty to our youth to prevent bullying and Seth’s Law will help schools protect students, and prevent and respond to bullying before a tragedy occurs.” said Assemblymember Tom Ammiano. “Public schools have tremendous power and responsibility to protect students from bullying and harassment," said James Gilliam with the ACLU of California, and director of the Seth Walsh Students’ Rights Project at the ACLU of Southern California. "Better school procedures and policies to prevent and address bullying will make a safer environment for students who are suffering." “All students deserve to receive an education without fearing for their safety because of who they are,” said Roland Palencia, Executive Director of Equality California. “Seth’s law is an important step forward in ensuring schools have the knowledge and tools they need to prevent bullying. We thank Assemblymember

This week’s Time magazine cover shows five young American veterans: one is a published author, another is a Rhodes scholar.  Notably absent from the cover is any one of the 8,000 American homeless veterans living on the streets of Los Angeles today.

 

What if the rest of your life were determined by a decision you made when you were 16 years old? For Cyntoia Brown, that scenario is a reality. When she was 16 years old, she murdered a man who would have forced her into prostitution. Now Cyntoia is locked up for the rest of her life, with no possibility for parole. California SB 9 would give the 300 inmates in California who were given life sentences when they were children, many with stories like Cyntoia's, a second chance. SB 9 would allow these young adults to petition the court for a review of their sentence after serving 10 years behind bars.

We warned you that the federal government had gotten into the snake-oil business with Secure Communities (S-Comm). Turns out that the actual purpose of S-Comm was just part of the story. The federal government also misled state and local governments, as well as the public, about whether or not the program was voluntary. 

  Kelly Thomas Fullerton has started to get it right.  The city has hired an independent consultant to investigate the death of Kelly Thomas.  This decision shows the city understands that the investigation must not only be independent but also go beyond -- far beyond -- potential criminality.

A comprehensive report released today by the ACLU of California and sent to officials in every county across the state urges local jurisdictions to fundamentally shift criminal justice policies toward “smart-on-crime” alternatives to incarceration. The new report, Community Safety, Community Solutions, offers guidelines and tools for county governments scrambling to implement the Governor’s new public safety realignment legislation, AB 109. The bill requires counties to take on new responsibilities for low-level non-violent offenders. Those inmates will no longer be sent to state prison beginning October 1.

The ACLU of Southern California is calling for an end to Secure Communities (S-Comm), a federal immigration enforcement program that threatens public safety, undermines civil liberties and leads to deportation of people with minor offenses and no criminal convictions at all.

Todo pasa por alguna razón. A veces hacemos planes con la esperanza de seguirlos, pero no los cumplimos. De repente se puede presentar un cambio o una oportunidad en nuestro camino y si una nueva oportunidad toca nuestra puerta: le damos una bienvenida o la dejamos ir.