News & Commentary
Jun 06, 2013
ACLU of Rhode Island Responds to Controversial Domestic Surveillance Program of Verizon Customers
The ACLU of Rhode Island issued a statement today in response to the breaking news story that the U.S. government is secretly collecting records of calls made by Verizon customers.
Jun 05, 2013
ACLU Report Says Black & Hispanic Youth Bear Brunt of School Suspensions in RI
The ACLU of Rhode Island issued a report today, analyzing eight years of data, showing that in all school districts across Rhode Island, black and Hispanic students are suspended at rates substantially higher than their representation in the student population, while white students are suspended much less often than their representation predicts. Worse, the disproportionate suspensions are often for minor behavioral infractions and begin in elementary school. The ACLU’s examination of school discipline data collected by the Rhode Island Department of Education between 2004 and 2012 also concluded that suspensions are routinely overused as punishment against students statewide.
Jun 04, 2013
ACLU Report Shows That Blacks Are More Likely to be Arrested for Marijuana than Whites
According to a report released today by the ACLU, blacks in Rhode Island were arrested for marijuana possession at 2.6 times the rate of whites in 2010, and were seven times more likely to be arrested for this offense in the counties with the smallest minority populations. The report also shows that racially disparate arrest rates for marijuana possession have existed in Rhode Island throughout the ten-year period studied (2001-2010). These major disparities exist even though national studies show that blacks and whites use marijuana at roughly similar rates. ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown said today: “Enforcement of marijuana laws adversely impacts the lives of too many Rhode Islanders in too many ways. Even more disturbing is the racial impact of the enf
May 21, 2013
Groups Continue to Push for End of "High Stakes Testing"
The ACLU of Rhode Island has joined two dozen community organizations in asking the Rhode Island Board of Education to rescind the regulation that conditions the receipt of a high school diploma on passing a "high stakes test." Although the groups have diverse reasons for opposing the measure, they all agree that the mandate is poor policy and will likely have devastating effects for thousands of students who deserve a diploma.
May 20, 2013
ACLU Holds Membership Drive
"So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a democracy."
May 16, 2013
Open Government Groups Decry Governor's School Safety Secrecy Bill
Four open government organizations today called on Governor Lincoln Chafee to amend legislation he has introduced that would make secret a wide array of government documents and discussions relating to school safety. In a letter to the Governor, the R.I. Press Association, the New England First Amendment Coalition, the ACLU of Rhode Island, and Common Cause Rhode Island called the legislation “a major step backward for parental involvement in critical school matters and for the public’s right to know.”
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