ACLU of Northern California Takes Listeners Behind the Scenes in Fight for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties with New Podcast MAKE the CASE

SAN FRANCISCO — From threats to voting rights to privacy concerns caused by automated license plate readers, attacks on immigrants of color and unchecked police brutality, some of California’s most consequential battles for freedom are unfolding right now.

The ACLU is at the forefront. And today, we launched a four-part podcast giving listeners the opportunity to hear directly from our attorneys and organizers on the ground doing this critical work.

Make the Case is hosted by Carmen King, a senior communications strategist at the ACLU of Northern California. New episodes follow every Tuesday through October 27.

“We want listeners to hear how this work actually gets done — the choices, the doubts, and the reasoning behind them,” King said. “Everyone has a place in this conversation. Listeners can join without legal knowledge or an existing allegiance to the ACLU.”

Every case starts with someone who was harmed. How it ends can shape everyone’s rights for years. Each episode reveals what’s at stake, why the ACLU stepped in, and the strategy behind the fight. Listen now at www.aclunorcal.org/make-the-case and wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode lineup

October 6 — Voting Rights: The Myth of Voter Fraud
How do you distinguish a rule that promises election security from a rule that protects the people already in power? In this inaugural episode of MAKE the CASE, Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California, discusses attacks on free and fair elections in California and nationwide, and how the ACLU is working to defend this critical constitutional right.

October 13 — Safety Through Mass Surveillance is an Illusion
What can go wrong when a private company builds a nationwide mass surveillance network that records billions of license plate scans per month? Nick Hidalgo, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, examines claims that Flock cameras fight crime—and the consequences of tracking millions of people as they go about their daily lives.

October 20 — Vallejo Badge Bending: A Terrifying Case of Police Misconduct
What happens when police fail to honor the code to serve and protect? Avi Frey, deputy director of the ACLU of Northern California’s Criminal Law and Immigration Project, discusses the Vallejo police badge bending scandal and the ACLU lawsuit that forced the city to release its hidden investigation into officers accused of bending the tips of their badges to mark killing a civilian in the line of duty.

October 27 — How White Supremacy is Driving Trump’s Immigration Policy

What happens when the government considers America a country club for which they control membership and not a democracy that is supposed to welcome all? Join Emi MacLean, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, in a discussion about the repercussions of a recent Supreme Court ruling and the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Listen here or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Tuesday in October.