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Let’s Stop the Scapegoating During a Global Pandemic

Apr 16, 2020
Just like tens of millions of people sheltering in place in the U.S., I’m adjusting to the new realities and worries of day-to-day life during the COVID-19 pandemic. But on top of worrying about my elderly family members, U.S. hospitals’ shortage of basic medical equipment, or where I can find toilet paper and eggs, I have another fear. Like other Americans of East Asian descent (including citizen... Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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Northern California Indian Development Council Hires Indigenous Education Advocate

Mar 12, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO — In March, the Northern California Indian Development Council (NCIDC) hired an Indigenous Education Advocate. This newly created position is part of a larger collaboration between NCIDC and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California, aimed at advancing educational equity for Native American students in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties and adjacent tribal lan... Read More
Gold Miner
Blog

California, a "Free State" Sanctioned Slavery

Feb 27, 2020
In a late-night raid in April 1852, three formerly enslaved black men who had built a lucrative business hauling mining supplies during the California Gold Rush, were rousted from their cabin by armed white men. They were forcibly taken before a justice of the peace in Sacramento County who ordered them deported to their former “owner,” a white man in Mississippi. Read More
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Homeless Californians Win New Protections in Caltrans Settlement

Feb 18, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO – Under a proposed settlement announced today between the California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”) and a class of homeless people whose property was taken by Caltrans crews in sweeps of their encampments, Caltrans will establish a $1.3 million fund to compensate people for the loss of property that was destroyed in the sweeps. In addition, Caltrans will be required to ado... Read More
settled, SFPD held accountable for racial bias
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ACLU Reaches Settlement With City of San Francisco in Case of Racially Biased Arrests

Feb 13, 2020
SAN FRANCISCO – The City of San Francisco has agreed to financially compensate seven black men and women who were purportedly arrested for selling small amounts of drugs by the San Francisco Police Department, which targeted them for federal criminal prosecution because of their race, while ignoring people of other races engaged in the same activity. In a $225,000 settlement, the City of San Fr... Read More
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ACLU Settlement Agreement Secures Governor’s Commitment to $14 Million in Added Support for Public Defense Systems Throughout California and Agency Expansion

Jan 10, 2020
SACRAMENTO — The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Northern California along with its other California affiliates, and the law firms Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Paul Hastings LLP have settled a lawsuit brought against the State of California and Fresno County. The settlement is a considerable step toward ensuring that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is upheld throughout all of C... Read More
Black lives matter everywhere
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ACLU Demands Del Paso Manor Elementary School Stop Censoring Black Lives Matter

Nov 21, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California sent a letter to the San Juan Unified School District on behalf of a student and parent who were censored and retaliated against by school officials for expressing support of Black Lives Matter. A teacher singled out and prohibited Black Lives Matter posters that were created in an art class about activism. The letter argues that the D... Read More
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ACLU of Northern California Launches Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California

Nov 14, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO – The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU NC), KQED, the California Historical Society, and the Equal Justice Society today launched “Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California,” a public education campaign that exposes chapters of California’s history that may come as a surprise, if not an outright shock, to many people. Little known is the fact that, while California en... Read More