By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate
Racial Discrimination in East Providence: This week East Providence Mayor Thomas Rose told the Providence Journal that “there is no racial discrimination here,” Yet in March we wrote the Mayor and many other city officials raising serious concerns about the City’s hiring practices around minority applicants and its failure to adequately address allegations of discrimination. Public officials should always be open to discussions about equality and discrimination in their communities, but in this case the City never responded to our concerns.
Bristol Delays Medical Marijuana Requirement Vote: After the ACLU and the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition raised concerns about undue burdens and patient privacy, the Bristol Town Council called for further discussion on a proposed ordinance that would have required medical marijuana patients and caregivers who grow marijuana to obtain approval from the Zoning Board, making their addresses, and likely, their identities public. The ACLU, in written comments, told the Town Council: “[T]he harm to patients could be even larger than the loss of their privacy. The publicizing of the locations where medical marijuana is being grown may make patients the targets of burglars and others engaged in criminal activities.”
Giving Every Day: After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday offered us all an opportunity to give back. Tuesday may have passed, but you can still show your support for the ACLU by making a tax-deductible donation. We are funded solely by members and donors, and your gift—no matter the size—will help us finish 2015 on strong footing for the many challenges that lie ahead.
Tis The Season: The sights and signs of the holiday season often remind individuals of the importance of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. For us, these issues are not seasonal topics. Take a look at just some of the work we’ve done over the years to defend the freedom of and freedom from religion.
Students Are Not Suspects: We have filed a federal lawsuit against the Tiverton police and school officials over an incident in which an 8-year-old girl was removed from a school bus, had her belongings searched, was taken alone to the police station without her parents’ knowledge, and then held and questioned at the police station for several hours before being released. The seizure, detention and interrogation of the young child were based solely on unsubstantiated claims from another child that the girl was carrying “chemicals” in her backpack, and occurred even after the police found nothing in the backpack.
