News & Commentary

Starbucks. Colorado State College. Air B&B. Nordstrom Rack. Yale University. Grandview Golf Club. Oakland's Lake Merritt. In the last month, “incidents” in each of these locales have made headlines, incidents in which white people have called the police on people of color—either African American or Native American—accusing them of everything from burglary to acting suspicious to golfing too slowly. What is remarkable is not that these “incidents” are happening, but that they are being covered by national news outlets, documented by passers-by, and spread on social media.  People of color know these kinds of “incidents” are not unusual. They happen every day. It is also remarkable that in every one of these cases, no person of color was shot by the police. Instead, apologies are issued, CEO’s promise to make changes and/or require training, and they assert that “what happened does not represent the culture of our company/university/community, etc.”

In neighborhoods across California, law enforcement agencies are deploying secret and invasive surveillance technologies to collect sensitive location and biometric data, target local activists, and feed ICE’s deportation machine.

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California is committed to fighting against spurious legal claims that threaten free speech. Especially when corporations and other powerful entities attempt to strong-arm people who have less resources at their disposal. 

Central Valley residents in Porterville spoke truth to power and defeated an anti-immigration resolution that was up for a vote at the city council.

My local school board will soon decide whether to adopt a sex ed curriculum that makes it clear: LGBTQ+ people are equally deserving of respect and love.

In the past month, the Department of Justice has issued a series of stunningly senseless, wasteful, and cruel immigration policies

A bill in the state legislature would help ensure that police officers use deadly force only as a last resort.