ACLU San Diego

INTERNATIONAL PRESS REPORTS ON EL CAJON ARRESTS FOR FEEDIING HOMELESS IN PARK; ACTIVISTS THREATEN LAWSUIT AS CITY STANDS BY ITS BAN

 

By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2018 (El Cajon) – The arrests of a dozen activists at Wells Park in El  Cajon for defying the city’s ban on feeding homeless people on public property over Martin Luther King Jr.'s  birthday weekend has made news around the world.  Headline stories have been reported in the BBC in England and Canada, Britain’s the Guardian newspaper,  MSN,  Huffington Post, and other national and international media.

A national petition on the Care2 site calling on El Cajon to end the ban has been signed by 37,000 people.

Yesterday the city has issued a statement standing behind its actions as appropriate to prevent spread of Hepatitis A during a countywide health emergency. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)has also issued a statement condemning the arrests as “unconstitutional and “cruel.” Activists arrested and their attorneys also held a press conference denouncing the ban and threatening legal action.


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READER’S EDITORIAL: WHITE SUPREMACIST VIOLENCE IS NOT FREE SPEECH

 

 

Statement by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California

 August 17, 2017 (San Diego) -- Our country’s greatest strengths are the diversity of its people and the principles of equal dignity and inclusion that unite us all. There are troubling events planned in our state in the coming weeks. This is an incredibly painful and difficult time for millions of Californians. 

For those who are wondering where we stand – the ACLU of California fully supports the freedom of speech and expression, as well as the freedom to peacefully assemble. We review each request for help on a case-by-case basis, but take the clear position that the First Amendment does not protect people who incite or engage in violence.


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KALASHO THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER EL CAJON’S PROPOSAL TO LIMIT NUMBER OF ITEMS A COUNCIL MEMBER CAN ADD TO AGENDA

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

View video:  This agenda item can be viewed from 1:06:16 through 1:57:45

March 17, 2017 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council spent a full hour Tuesday debating a proposal by Mayor Bill Wells that aims to save Council time and staff resources by limiting how many items a Council member could place on an agenda single-handedly to just one per quarter, a maximum of four a year.  To bring forth any additional item, a Council member would have to gain support of one additional member. 

But that raises potential Brown Act violations andconcerns over suppressing citizen’s representation, the American CIvil Liberties Union (ACLU) warns in a letter sent to the City's attorney, Mayor and  Council members..

Newly elected Councilman Ben Kalasho strenuously objected to the proposal, leading to a testy exchange in which he threatened to sue Wells and fellow Council members to protect what he views as his right to represent his constituents.  Several members of the public also spoke out,  all opposed to sttifling their representatives’ ability to put items of concern on the agenda.


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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: JONATHAN MARKOVITZ, ACLU, ON POLICE USE OF FORCE AGAINST MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE

 

Hear our interview with Jonathan Markovitz:  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/sites/eastcountymagazine.org/files/au...

March 7, 2016 (San Diego) –Last month, the American Civil Liberties Chapter of San Diego sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department signed by 25 community leaders asking for an investigation of the San Diego Police Department’s use of force against mentally ill people.  We sat down with Jonathan Markovitz from the San Diego ACLU for an interview on KNSJ, the Network for Social Justice.  You can hear our interview at the link in this story.

The letter was prompted by recent shootings including the fatal shooting of Fridoon Rawshan Nehad (photo, left), an Afghan army veteran who has suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome.  The officer was mistakenly informed by a dispatcher that Nehad had a knife. But surveillance video showed that he was unarmed, walking down an alley carrying only a pen, when he was shot and killed.

Audio: 


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SETTLEMENT TO HALT FORCED DEPORTATIONS

 

East County News Service

November 6, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A hearing is set for February 9, 2015 to approve a final settlement in the American Civil Liberties (ACLU) lawsuit to halt forced deportations by the U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The ACLU won a class action lawsuit filed in 2013 after demonstrating that officials threatened, lied and intimidated undocumented immigrants, forcing them to sign “voluntary” deportation papers even if they had strong claims to remain in the U.S.


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SAN DIEGO ACLU SUES IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS FOR EXPULSION OF U.S. CITIZEN

 

East County News Service

June 29, 2014 (San Diego)--The San Diego ACLU has filed suit against top immigration officials for unconstitutionally preventing a born-and-raised U.S. citizen from returning to the United States from Mexico. Like Joseph K. in Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial, Oscar  Olivas, a 45-year-old natural-born U.S. citizen, has been detained but does not know why. He is unable to access the court before which he stands accused, and has not been allowed to view any evidence used against him.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Diego, naming the port director of Calexico, the San Diego field director of  U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and  Secretary of State John Kerry. The suit asks the court to allow Olivas to return to the United States, declare that he is a United States citizen, and affirm that the order exiling him violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.


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A NEW PATH ORGANIZES EVENT FOR INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY (AUGUST 31) TO REMEMBER LIVES LOST AND EDUCATE ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO OVERDOSE CRISIS

 
Accidental Overdose Remain Leading Cause of Injury Death for Adults Ages 25-64
 
Moms United to End the War on Drugs Partners are creating events in several cities to bring attention to the need for Naloxone.
 
August 28, 2012 (San Diego) --  (A New PATH) will join the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), and dozens of organizations in the U.S. and abroad participating in the 12th annual International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. The day honors and remembers those who have lost their lives to an accidental overdose. The occasion is also an opportunity to educate policymakers and the public about the growing overdose crisis in the United States and abroad – and to offer concrete solutions that save lives.

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WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS DURING A DISASTER? FIND OUT ON OCT. 7

September 10, 2011 (San Diego) – This week’s blackout reminded many San Diegans of the importance of being prepared before disaster strikes. On October 7, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties will provide training on your rights to help during a major disaster such as a wildfire or earthquake.

 


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SAN DIEGO ACLU SUIT CHARGES FBI & JUSTICE DEPT. WITH DODGING DOMESTIC SPYING FOIA: SEEKS IMMEDIATE PROCESSING OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS

April 21, 2009 (San Diego)--The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department are illegally dragging their feet in responding to a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records from the Camp Pendleton domestic spying case sent in July 2008, according to a complaint filed late yesterday by the San Diego ACLU and the law firm Fish & Richardson The suit in U.S.


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