News & Commentary

LOS ANGELES – The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC) announced today that its deputy executive director James Gilliam will be honored by KCET and Union Bank as part of an inaugural class of  ‘Local Heroes’ in celebration of LGBT Pride month.  The Local Heroes Awards recognize the recipients’ leadership and contributions in shaping the neighborhoods in which they work and live and will be presented Thursday, June 9, 2011 at KCET in Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles — The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced that a federal court in Los Angeles ordered the Department of Homeland Security to find legal representation – whether paid or pro bono – for a man suffering from a serious mental illness held in immigration detention.  The court’s order, which was unsealed today, defined the procedures that the government must follow to protect the rights of immigrants with severe mental disabilities held in detention. 

Keeping in the spirit of celebrating LGBT Pride month, over the weekend I watched a great documentary called Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride, and then attended an ACLU/SC sponsored production of the brilliant one-woman play, "No Word In Guyanese For Me." 

In response to the death of Geronimo Pratt, ACLU/SC Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum issued the following statement:

Not that we always agree with what we read in the O.C. Register's opinion pages, but an editorial proves today that on many issues, Libertarians (with a big "L") and civil libertarians share common ground.  

AB 9 is an important step toward creating a safer school environment for California students

 It's time to unfold your rainbow flags and join the ACLU/SC as we proudly kick off LGBT Pride month during June.  This is the month each year when the LGBT community celebrates our diversity, strength, and accomplishments.

We need checks on the government’s power -- we needed them when the country was founded, and we need them now -- because the government can and frequently does get it wrong.  And, when the government mistakenly marshals its resources against an individual, it can cause great harm.