News & Commentary

The ACLU of Rhode Island Tuesday said the investiagion into a Providence firefighter for silently gesturing in support of an anti-racism protest was troubling on a number of levels and raised a number of questions. Executive Director Steven Brown said:

If a dog is declared vicious, does a town have the right to seize the animal and potentially euthanize it solely because the pet owner lives within one mile of a school or daycare facility? The ACLU of RI has entered its appearance in a court case in order to challenge the enforcement of a North Kingstown ordinance that orders just that, and that has placed a local family in the position of losing their pets despite complying with all relevant state laws. The case also raises fundamental due process concerns since the town had already agreed in a legal proceeding that the animals could be kept if the owners took steps, which they did, to better confine the pets.

The ACLU of Rhode Island has issued the following statement in response to recent events in Ferguson, Missouri: “Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri highlight the vast gap that often exists between the police and communities of color. Certain policing practices can unnecessarily antagonize communities by casting a blanket of suspicion over entire neighborhoods. These practices are responsible, at least in part, for the vast racial disparities we see in our criminal justice system. The discussion generated by Michael Brown's death must lead to constructive resolutions. In that regard, the ACLU of Rhode Island will continue to work to promote transparency and accountability in police conduct, to roll back the militarization of local police departments, and to end racial profiling in the state."

Many police departments across Rhode Island disproportionately arrest black individuals at rates that eclipse the racial disparity of arrests found in Ferguson, Missouri, newly reported data shows.

The ACLU of Rhode Island has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a URI graduate student who was denied summer employment this year at a fabrics company because of her status as a registered medical marijuana user.

Tomorrow, you will choose between your constitutional rights or an expensive fantasy.

The ACLU of Rhode Island and the RI Disability Law Center today issued the following statements in response to a settlement agreement issuing a diploma to Barrington resident Molly Coffey: "The ACLU is very pleased that Molly has finally been given the diploma she rightfully earned. We commend the Coffey family for refusing to take 'no' for an answer. Thanks to their fight, thousands of students will be spared the stress, anxiety and unfairness of a high stakes testing regime," Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island said. Anne Mulready, supervising attorney at the RI Disability Law Center, said: "Students with disabilities face many obstacles in getting the public education that they deserve and that the law entitles them to. Molly's perseverance in seeking fair treatment from the school department and the state is an inspiring lesson for us all."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Youth Pride Inc. today commended the RI Department of Health for adopting new “vital records” regulations this week that will make it easier for transgender people to revise the gender designation on their birth certificate.