News & Commentary

At least eleven municipalities in the state ask job applicants a question on their application forms that is prohibited by law, according to the ACLU of Rhode Island and Direct Action for Rights and Equality. As a result, the two groups have sent letters to those municipalities – from Burrillville to Warwick to Narragansett – asking them to promptly remove the question, which asks job applicants about their criminal record.

BLACKLISTED: Children of color in Rhode Island are being suspended at the highest rate in a decade, our latest report has found. These growing racial disparities must be addressed if we are to stem the flow of students into the school-to-prison pipeline. Read about our report and ask your legislators to support ACLU-drafted legislation limiting the use of suspensions.

By Johanna Kaiser, Communications & Development Associate

Racial disparities in suspensions at Rhode Island’s schools reached their highest rates in a decade last year, according to a new report issued today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island. The report, “Blacklisted: 2013-2014,” found that while white students experienced a ten-year low in suspensions during the 2013-2014 school year, the combined suspension rate for Hispanic, black and Native American students was at its highest level.

ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown issued the following statement in response to recent news reports addressing a “change” in Motel 6’s policy of handing over its guest list to Warwick police:

The ACLU of Rhode Island has asked the Pawtucket City Council to "forcefully and publicly reject any future efforts to intimidate members of the public who are exercising their First Amendment rights at City Council meetings" after a recent council meeting was halted because a member of the public refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. 

By Hillary Davis, Policy Associate

Our Latest Case: The ACLU on Thursday filed a lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of a North Smithfield resident, seeking the return of lawfully possessed weapons that were seized from him over six years ago by the local police department and which the department still refuses to return to him. Jason Richer, who was not facing any charges, has repeatedly requested the return of the weapons, but he has been consistently rebuffed--at one point he was told to get a court order in order to have his property returned to him. The ACLU is arguing that the department’s holding of Mr. Richer’s property without just cause violates his right to due process and his right to keep and bear arms. We successfully filed a similar lawsuit against the Cranston Police Department three years ago.