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We stand up against all forms of discrimination. We believe that women, people of color, immigrants, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people – all people – are entitled to equal treatment under the law.
We are particularly sensitive to how those invested with the power of government perpetuate injustice and inequality when they do not live up to their duties.
Take James Terry, for example. His story demonstrates the importance of due process of the law, especially in times of emergency and crisis.
James Terry was smoking a cigarette on the balcony of his apartment a few days after Katrina when a member of the National Guard saw him. They arrested him for looting. Terry had no prior criminal record. There was no evidence he had committed a crime.
He had not been seen doing anything illegal. He was in his own home.
“I already survived the storm. I thought the hard part was behind me,” Terry said. “I assumed everything would be dismissed. I’d be let go at some point. There was no way I could possibly imagine I’d be here for 6 ½ months.”
All that time, James Terry sat in jail without being charged, without seeing a lawyer, without any chance to plead his case before a judge. When the ACLU got his letter, we started asking questions until he was released.
In 2007, the ACLU issued a report called Broken Promises that chronicles the breakdown of justice and law during Katrina, and the increases in human rights violations that have occurred since. You can watch a video of James Terry telling his story and read the report at www.aclu.org/brokenpromises. Today, we have an obligation to reevaluate the systems that were in place leading up to the disaster, and to assess whether those systems have improved.
We respond to complaints of police brutality.
We stand up to prejudice against Vietnamese immigrants in the New Orleans area.
We go to bat for gay students who are denied the right to bring a date to prom, be open about who they are, or start a Gay-Straight Alliance in school.
Our government, our police, our protectors should never be allowed to trample on the rights of those who are most vulnerable. If you believe your rights have been violated, click here.
We believe that the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights are for all of us – rich or poor, regardless of skin color or ethnic origin or the size of one’s wallet.
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