American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
We're resolved. It may be the start of a new year, but when so many of our battles today mirror the ones of yesteryear, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference. To mark the New Year, we've come up with a few resolutions we hope government officials adopt, so that 2011 is not a rerun of 2010.
Restore public trust in law enforcement. We discovered that police departments across the state often misdirect members of the public trying to file complaints against officers, eroding their trust in law enforcement (as we have seen in Newark). We're currently producing tools to help police departments train officers to handle internal affairs complaints properly. Working with residents to root out corrupt officers protects our rights as well as our neighborhoods.
Keep government open. As the media landscape continues to shift, the number of traditional government watchdogs - reporters - has decreased. The ACLU-NJ has filled in part of that void with the Open Governance Project. We've stayed busy prying public records out of the dark, keeping public meetings open and making sure government is transparent. We hope in these tough economic times, our officials will turn over documents that belong in public view rather than wage expensive legal battles at the expense of taxpayers.
Respect all people's religious beliefs. When officials try to entangle government with religion - any religion - we fight back, as we did successfully in December in Point Pleasant Beach. In 2011, we urge officials to recognize how alienating it can be to their neighbors and fellow citizens when the government endorses one religion over another.
At the ACLU-NJ, we're resolved every day to defend and preserve individual rights and liberties. We hope there will be less of a need to repeat these resolutions again in 2012, but either way, the ACLU will be here to defend your rights. Let your government officials know what resolutions you expect them to keep, and be sure to help the ACLU-NJ keep ours.
Happy New Year!
On the Frontlines of Freedom
Get your copy of the book chronicling the history of the ACLU-NJ. Author Mary Jo Patterson provides an exclusive front row seat to clashes waged in defense of civil liberties in New Jersey. More »
S.B. 1070 at the Supreme Court
The ACLU has filed lawsuits challenging Arizona’s controversial, anti-immigrant law, charging that it encourages racial profiling. Five other states have passed copycat laws. Federal courts have blocked major provisions of each state’s law from going into effect. More »
Department of Justice: We Need Your Help
On September 9, 2010, the ACLU-NJ filed a petition asking the DOJ to provide federal oversight of the troubled Newark Police Department. The petition outlined more than 400 cases of misconduct and abuse by police. More »
Laughter & Liberties
Visit our cartoon page to take a lighthearted look at the serious business of civil liberties. More »
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NEWS: #StandYourGround law in #FL does not protect domestic violence survivor: sentenced to 20 yrs in prison. http://t.co/LJsDy4YD
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