ACLU of Southern California

stitched with @nbcnews. We will not allow city councils, school boards or the administration to suppress our freedom of speech. We stand with Chris Kluwe and all others who dare to speak out.

Trans young people need us to stand with them right now and that’s exactly what we here at the ACLU SoCal intend to do.

Good news: A federal court barred Border Patrol from stopping and arresting people using practices that violate the Constitution. We shouldn't have to live our lives in fear of being stopped by ICE.    If you or your loved one is stopped or arrested by Border Patrol or ICE, or if you’ve witnessed their actions, please contact your local rapid response network. Visit ACLUSoCal dot org for info on how to do so. @UFW @ACLU @ACLU of Northern California #SDICACLU

UPDATE: 15 people have now died in the L.A. County jails this year. Join us and our partners in calling on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to close Men's Central Jail as promised six years ago. Enough is enough. Follow @JusticeLANow @carefirstca and @Essie Justice Group for more ways to take action.

Border Patrol, we'll see you in court. If you or your loved one is arrested by Border Patrol, or if you’ve witnessed their actions, call your local rapid response network. Visit ACLUSoCal dot org for a full list of hotlines throughout California. @UFW @ACLU @ACLU of Northern California #ACLUSDIC

CALIFORNIA STUDENTS: Know that your school district or charter school is required to adopt policies that limit cooperation with ICE and other immigration authorities. By law, all schools should be safe and accessible to all Californians, regardless of immigration status.    If your school has not yet adopted these policies to ensure it is a safe, welcoming and affirming environment for all students, let your school district or charter school know they are legally required to do so.     Learn more at My School My Rights .com

Thanks to our first responders — including incarcerated firefighters — and favorable wind direction, the Hughes Fire fortunately did not get any closer than half a mile away from the Castaic jail complex. We and @ACLU urge L.A. County leaders and leaders around the country to have real plans to move incarcerated people out of danger in the event of a disaster.

ACLU SoCal Chief Counsel Peter Eliasberg spoke with BBC News about UCLA’s recent failure to protect student protestors from mob violence and police harassment. 

Again, exercising your constitutional right to free speech should never be met with violence. The university’s failure to protect student speech is inexcusable. 

For more, read our statement at ACLUSoCal dot org.

He said what he said! Actor and activist, Jason George, on why he continues to supports the ACLU. Special thanks to our red carpet host, Jazzmyne Jay, for joining us at the Centennial Bill of Rights Awards.

Los Angeles County has the largest jail system in the country. And with wrongful settlement claims against county sheriffs totaling $1 billion, it might also be the most vicious.  At least 45 people died under the county’s custody last year, and four people so far in 2024.  We need Angelenos to demand the closure of Men’s Central Jail before another person is killed under the county’s watch.

The use of police attack dogs has severe and, at times, deadly consequences for the public. And it’s rooted in racism. First used by enslavers in the South, police attack dogs were often used during the Civil Rights Movement to brutally disrupt peaceful protests.  Even today in California, 65 percent of those seriously injured by attack dogs in 2021 were people of color.  No state or national standards govern the use of police attack dogs. AB 742 would change that by restricting the practice of using attack dogs for apprehension, arrest and crowd control. Police attack dogs have seriously injured 186 people in the state within the last two years – more than batons or tasers. This needs to change. It can with AB742.

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Treatment does not begin with trauma, and healing does not begin with harm. - Eve Garrow, Senior Homelessness Policy Analyst and Advocate Today, Gov. Newsom’s court-ordered treatment program (or “CARE Court”) rolls out throughout Los Angeles County. Non-compliance with a treatment plan can result in conservatorship, which strips people of almost all their rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Treatment should begin with trust, and trust is built on proven solutions like community-based care and permanent supportive housing.   IMPORTANT: Counties are well-positioned to provide the state with feedback on the shortcomings of the new court system. And they should continue to call for state and federal dollars necessary to fund what works: meeting the affordable housing and voluntary mental health care needs of their community members. via @60 Minutes

“When they wrote the words ‘We the People’, so many of us were invisible to them.” - @Kerry Washington, 2015 Bill of Rights Awards Honoree. Every year, we come together as an ACLU SoCal community to honor changemakers, artists and activists who embody our mission to advance our civil liberties and civil rights. We’ll announce this year’s honorees very soon.

Los Angeles public defenders are carrying workloads nearly TWICE as heavy than a recent national study recommends. These excessive workloads impact those less likely to be able to afford to hire an attorney. L.A. County, are you paying attention?