News & Commentary
2 Years After George Floyd, We Need Legislative Change to Confront White Supremacy
The movement following George Floyd’s murder suggested the great potential for confronting discrimination and police violence in communities of color, with communities pooling together the one resource most capable of creating change: political will. Decisive action is more essential now than ever.
By Jim Sullivan, Karen Thompson
How the Pandemic Turned New Jersey into a Laboratory for Housing Policies that Helped Tenants – and What We Need to Do Next
The COVID-19 pandemic forced New Jersey to reckon with longstanding issues within the landlord tenant court and novel issues caused by the pandemic itself. Ultimately, we can use these lessons to create a more level playing field, where fewer renters are taken advantage of or wrongfully evicted.
By Joe Johnson
New Report Illustrates How Right to Counsel Prevents Evictions and their Discriminatory Impacts on Communities
An ACLU and National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel investigation confirms legal representation for renters facing eviction is a critically important intervention to keep people in their homes and prevent the long-term harms of eviction.
Communities Should Decide How Cannabis Revenue is Spent
New Jersey begins its process to repair harms by reinvesting in communities harmed by the drug war – but people impacted most must lead the way.
With Reproductive Freedom in Danger, New Jersey Must Expand Protections and Access
When Texas banned nearly all abortions, it showed us that what happens on the state level can reach far beyond state lines. Just as starkly, it has shown the grim reality that when reproductive freedom comes under threat, people of color and those on the economic margins will undeniably bear the brunt of the harms caused by abortion restrictions.
By Alejandra Sorto
Prison populations are down in New Jersey. Let’s keep it that way.
Reducing our prison population was necessary to save lives from COVID-19. Keeping our prison population down is necessary to save lives from an unjust criminal legal system.
By Amol Sinha
A lesson from Juneteenth: ‘We must shine a light in hidden places’
Juneteenth is clearly a celebration of freedom for Black people in America. It is also a glaring example of obstructed information being released and thus serves as a cautionary tale for this moment.
By Karen Thompson
ACLU-NJ Letter to County Jails on Coronavirus Response Planning
Incarcerated people, including immigrants in detention, are among the most vulnerable when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 16, 2020, the ACLU of New Jersey sent a letter to every county jail in New Jersey with recommendations to prevent an outbreak and minimize the virus’s impact.
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