vol. 60, no. 5
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NEWSPAPER OF THE AMERICAN Civil LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
aclu news
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San Francisco, CA
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VOTE NO on 209
Vote for Equal Opportunity
he ACLU-NC is urging its members
a and supporters to vote for civil liber-
ties on the November 5 ballot. The
ACLU is playing a key role in the campaign
to defeat Proposition 209, the anti-affirma-
tive action initiative, and is also urging
voters to support measures allowing for
the medical use of marijuana and raising
the minimum wage.
Calling on voters to reject Proposition
209, ACLU-NC Executive Director Dorothy
Ehrlich said, "This is a historic election for
California and the nation: we cannot let
Proposition 209 turn the clock back on
equal opportunity for women and people of
color. We must stop this measure in its
(ORRECTION
Ss - -GUT-OUT = =
ACLU-NC Ballot
Recommendations
November 5.
Jail Bonds
Set es eee eae eet 7
Cut out and take with you to the polls on
The ACLU-NC urges you to vote on the
following ballot initiatives
tracks, and send an important message
around the country that we will not accept
the politics of division."
Below are the ACLU-NC positions on
California ballot measures.
The ACLU-NC SUPPORTS the
following measures:
Proposition 210/Increases Minimum
Wage - SUPPORT
The Living Wage Act of 1996 would
increase the minimum wage from $4.25 per
hour to $5.00 per
hour on March 1,
1997 and then to
$5.75 beginning
March 1, 1998.
All employees in
Eliminates Affirmative Action
Increases Minimum Wage
Campaign Limits
Limits Access to Courts
Medical Marijuana
private industry are covered by the initia-
tive.
Recognizing that the poor suffer viola-
tions of their civil liberties to a greater
extent than other segments of the popula-
tion, the ACLU-NC supports this initiative
because it addresses the inequality that
exists in the workforce and in society due
to the current, inadequate minimum wage.
Proposition 215/Medical Marijuana -
SUPPORT
The Medical Marijuana Initiative
ea
2
aS =
cS)
would legalize the growing and smoking of
marijuana for medicinal use in California
upon a doctor's recommendation. The
patient would be able to cultivate and
smoke the amount deemed necessary for
"personal use."
Currently, under California's complete
prohibition of marijuana, patients who
would greatly benefit from the medicinal
effects of marijuana, like those suffering
from AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and migraine
Continued on page 8 .
ACLU-NC ANNUAL
BILL OF RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION |
EARL WARREN CIVIL
LIBERTIES AWARD
DOLORES HUERTA
CO-FOUNDER, UNTTED
FARM WORKERS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
WADE HENDERSON
EXEGUTIVE DIRECTOR,
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
ACLUN_1981.MODS ACLUN_1981.batch ACLUN_1982 ACLUN_1982.MODS ACLUN_1982.batch ACLUN_1983 ACLUN_1983.MODS ACLUN_1984 ACLUN_1984.MODS ACLUN_1984.batch ACLUN_1985 ACLUN_1985.MODS ACLUN_1985.batch ACLUN_1986 ACLUN_1986.MODS ACLUN_1986.batch ACLUN_1987 ACLUN_1987.MODS ACLUN_1987.batch ACLUN_1988 ACLUN_1988.MODS ACLUN_1988.batch ACLUN_1989 ACLUN_1989.MODS ACLUN_1989.batch ACLUN_1990 ACLUN_1990.MODS ACLUN_1990.batch ACLUN_1991 ACLUN_1991.MODS ACLUN_1991.batch ACLUN_1992 ACLUN_1992.MODS ACLUN_1992.batch ACLUN_1993 ACLUN_1993.MODS ACLUN_1993.batch ACLUN_1994 ACLUN_1994.MODS ACLUN_1994.batch ACLUN_1995 ACLUN_1995.MODS ACLUN_1995.batch ACLUN_1996 ACLUN_1996.MODS ACLUN_1996.batch ACLUN_1997 ACLUN_1997.MODS ACLUN_1998 ACLUN_1998.MODS ACLUN_1999 ACLUN_1999.MODS ACLUN_ladd ACLUN_ladd.MODS add-tei.sh create-bags.sh create-manuscript-bags.sh create-manuscript-batch.sh fits.log CONFERENCE ON CIVIL RIGHTS
PLUS: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ART SHOW
DISPLAY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' WORK
STUDENT PRESENTATION ON IMMIGRATION FIELD TRIP
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TICKETS CALL FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Lisa MALDONADO 415/621-2493.
EB RSEBES Vote! in the ACLU-NC Board Elections ll Students on Trip to the Border
Big Changes in the Capitol
Bode Ill for Civil Liberties
BY FRANCISCO LOBACO
ACLU LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR
Brown left town. The Assembly
| t was a wild year in Sacramento. Willie
Republicans finally got their act
together and took control of the lower |
house - a year after their Gingrichian
clones did the same in Congress. They
wasted little time in dumping old-time
Democratic staffers, taking control of all
the Committees, and pushing a legislative
anti-civil liberties agenda to make even
Newt feel proud. The Senate remained in
Democratic hands, demonstrating a sur-
prising amount of backbone by thwarting
much of the legislative "blitzkrieg" sent to
them by the Assembly.
Term limits became a reality this year.
Institutional brain-drain run amok.
Dozens of politicians voted on their last
bills in August. After the November elec-
tions, almost no one in the Assembly will
have been in office for more than four
years. Less sense of commitment to the
institution, less expertise on important
public policy issues, more bad bills - wel-
come to the end of the Millennium.
The principle objective of the ACLU
Legislative Office was to stem the assault on
basic civil liberties being pushed primarily
by the radical right. The assault was impres-
sive, even by Sacramento standards.
Attacks on the constitutional rights of crim-
inal defendants were high on the agenda,
albeit with typical bi-partisan solidarity. Yet
with vigorous lobbying efforts and joint
works with the criminal defense bar, we
were able to defeat numerous proposed
measures, including efforts to eliminate
unanimous jury verdicts (ACA 18 Rainey-
R, Walnut Creek and SCA 10 Calderon-D,
Montebello), to overturn the 1996
California Supreme Court decision in
Romero granting judges discretion to strike
prior convictions under our "Three-Strikes"
law (SB 331 (Hurtt-R, Garden Grove),
and to gut state habeas corpus law (AB
2462 Morrow-R, Oceanside).
Scores of bills were introduced seek-
ing to "get tough" on juvenile crime. These
bills attempted to make it easier to prose-
cute juveniles as adults, reduce confiden-
tiality in the juvenile justice system,
recriminalize status offenders, and gener-
ally toughen penalties on juveniles.
Despite a well-orchestrated push by the
Governor's Office and prosecutors, these
counterproductive measures were defeat-
ed in the Senate, after most had been
passed by the Assembly.
We were less successful on another
issue that received high media exposure.
The Legislature passed and the Governor
signed the nation's first law mandating
chemical castration of certain child moles-
ters regardless of possible side effects and
whether the drug is effective in the first
place. The momentum of a child molesta-
tion measure in an election year cannot be -
underestimated as is evident from the vote
counts on the floor of each house: 26:1 in
the Senate (Marks-D, San Francisco was
the only "no" vote) and 51:8 in the Assembly.
Remarkably, two women were the only peo-
ple willing to stand up and voice their oppo-
sition in the Assembly to California's
forcible medication affecting an individ-
ual's reproductive system: Shiela Kuehl (D-
Santa Monica) and Carole Migden (D-San
Francisco). They deserve lots of kudos.
WAR ON DruGs
The never ending War on Drugs dealt anoth- -
er blow at civil liberties. The Governor
signed SB 1754 (Calderon-D, Montebello)
which permits any private entity (e.g.,
employers or insurance companies) and
public hospitals to sue any person convict-
ed of drug sales (of any amount) within a
county without requiring that the drug
defendant cause the damages allegedly suf-
fered by the plaintiff. The legislation is
essentially an asset forfeiture statute for
private parties. This novel and Draconian
statute is constitutionally suspect.
RIGHT TO CHOOSE
The ACLU defeated legislation that would
have prohibited late-term abortions, crimi-
nalized maternal drug addiction, required
"informed consent" and a 24-hour waiting
period for women seeking abortions, and
created the crime of vehicular manslaugh-
ter of a fetus. These bills had passed the
policy committees and were defeated on
the Assembly floor only after strong lobby-
ing by ACLU members and other advocates
convinced Democrats and a few moderate
Republicans to oppose them.
GAY MARRIAGE
Few bills were more important to the radi-
cal right than AB 1982 (Knight-R,
Palmdale), legislation which would have
prohibited California from recognizing
marriages in other states between couples
of the same sex. The mean-spirited and
homophobic testimony by its proponents
during this bill's winding road through the
legislative process was pathetic. Strongly
opposed by the ACLU and the gay and les-
bian community, the bill was passed by the
Assembly. Subsequently the Senate
Democrats amended the bill to include
domestic partnership provisions - "poison
pill" amendments opposed by Republicans
and the Governor resulting in the bill's
well-deserved defeat.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Assaults on minorities and immigrants
continued unabated.
The ACLU led the fight to defeat legisla-
tion which would have permitted private
clubs to discriminate against women and
minorities. Efforts to enact anti-affirmative
action laws similar to Proposition 209 on the
November ballot also failed on the Assembly
floor. We defeated the Governor's attempts
to once again defund prenatal care for
undocumented women, as well as efforts to
mandate "English Only" requirements on all
state and local entities and employees. @
We need your help as the
ASSAULTS CONTINUE ON
CIVIL LIBERTIES!
To join the fight, call:
Field Representative Lisa Maldonado at
415/621-2493 or e-mail FFPIACLUNC @aol.com
Lungren Lashes Out at Cannabis Club, Cartoon
Doonesbury
BY GARRY TRUDEAU
HAP, bas side see, ay tp tet
ARS AAT CAT
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| REPUBLICANS.
| are
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
Attorney General Dan Lungren's raid on the Cannabis Buyers'
Club - a site which also served as the San Francisco headquar-
ters for the Proposition 215, the Medical Marijuana Initiative
- hit the national headlines in September and was widely con-
demned by the ACLU-NC, the Board of Supervisors and Mayor
Willie Brown who compared the raid to Gestapo tactics.
But the Attorney General's actions reached an even more
widely-read section of the papers in October, when cartoonist
Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury" featured a week of stories about
the raid.
While Lungren lashed out with a press conference blasting
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the comic strip and accusing the newspapers, including the
San Francisco Chronicle of "cower[ing/ behind the First
Amendment," the ACLU applauded editor William German
both for continuing to run the strip and for endorsing
Proposition 215. "Medical maryuana makes an invaluable
contribution in alleviating the suffering of many people for _
whom conventional therapies provide no relief," wrote ACLU-
NC Executive Director Dorothy Ehrlich in a letter to the
Chronicle. "In talking about this vitally important issue,
Doonesbury gives your readers the opportunity to engage in
the debate on this question. I commend your steadfast commit-
ment to freedom of expression"
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Court Rules City-Owned Cross legal
he massive city-owned Christian
cross in a public park, on the highest
peak of San Francisco's seven hills,
violates the Constitutional guarantee of |
government neutrality in religion ruled the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on August
20. The City must divest itself of its owner-
ship of the towering religious symbol the
court concluded.
In a fourteen page opinion, the court
stated, "The No Preference Clause requires
more than mere longevity. A display's his-
torical significance must be independent
of its religious symbolism. The Mount
Davidson Cross history is intertwined with
its religious symbolism."
The ACLU-NC originally filed the case,
Carpenter v. City and county of San Fran-
cisco, in 1990, on behalf of a Baptist preach-
er, a Unitarian minister, a Jewish rabbi and
a Buddhist priest, as well as several people
who live and work in San Francisco charg-
ing that City's ownership, subsidy, mainte-
nance and display of the religious symbol
violates state and federal Constitutions'
guarantees of religious liberty.
"The cross is a divisive presence in a
pluralistic society that makes the Bay
_ Area's many residents of minority faiths
feel diminished and unwelcome," said
ACLU-NC staff attorney Margaret Crosby
who argued the case before the Ninth
Circuit. "The cross has the effect of turn-
ing the open space area of Mt. Davidson
into an open-air church."
San Francisco Deputy City Attorney
Mara Rosales argued that the cross was a
cultural and historical symbol, not a reli-
gious one. The panel of judges consisting
of Ninth Circuit Judges Diarmuid
O'Scannlain and Harry Pregerson and
Eighth Circuit Judge Donald P. Lay, dis-
agreed. Judge O'Scannlain wrote in the
opinion, "The Mount Davidson Cross car-
ries great religious significance.... Indeed,
to suggest otherwise would demean this
powerful religious symbol."
While claiming that the cross was a
San Francisco landmark, the -City also
argued that the cross was scarcely visible
from most parts of San Francisco.
O'Scannlain was not persuaded: "The City's
AGLU News = NovemsBer/DECEMBER 1996 = Pace 2
video-taped "Visibi-lity Study" may show |
that spotting the Cross is difficult on a fog-
gy day; however, constitutional guarantees
should not depend on the weather, espe-
cially in San Francisco."
The successful appeal followed a 1992
US. District Court judge decision that the
City's ownership of the Mt. Davidson cross
was constitutional. However, in 1993, a
2
federal appeals court in similar cases -
involving public crosses in San Diego ruled
that government maintenance of crosses
in public parks violates the California
Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court
refused to hear the government's appeals
of the San Diego cases.
The plaintiffs are represented by the
ACLU-NC's Crosby, Fred Blum of the
American Jewish Congress, and Thomas
Steel attorney for Americans United for
the Separation of Church and State. Hl
1996 ACLU-NC ANNUAL ACTIVIST CONFERENCE
Elirting with Disaster:
Race, Sex and Affirmative Action
py MARIA ARCHULETA
ACLU-NC Board member Martha Jimenez, Regional Counsel for Mexican
Ccent | ffirmative action means making the `we' in `we the people' include all of us," said
American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), at the opening ple-
nary of the 1996 ACLU-NC Annual Activist Conference, "Flirting with Disaster: Race, Sex and
Affirmative Action."
On September 7, more than a hundred
civil liberties advocates from throughout
northern California gathered at San Jose
State University to focus on plans to defeat
the biggest threat to equal opportunity for
minorities and women in California:
Proposition 209, the deceptively-named
"California Civil Rights Initiative." The
activists also discussed other critical
ACLU lobbyist Francisco Lobaco (r.) and
Paul Johnson of the Santa Cruz Chapter
share effective lobbying techniges.
issues including immigrant rights, police
practices, censorship on the internet, the
threat of the radical right, and shared
ideas on how to make the affiliate more
effective through legislative activism and
chapter development.
A highlight of the conference was the
presentation of the George Moscone Award
for Legislative Advocacy to Assemblyman
Tom Bates (see sidebar).
The opening plenary, introduced by
Field Committee Chair Michele Welsh and
ACLU-NC Board Chair Dick Grosboll, and
two workshops were dedicated to dis-
cussing Proposition 209 and sharing strate-
gies on how to inform voters of its true
intent of dismantling civil rights efforts
and legalizing discrimination. Moderating
the plenary, ACLU-NC Executive Director
Dorothy Ehrlich said, "The proponents of
- the initiative want us to ignore the smoke
from the burning churches, ignore the pain
of discrimination, ignore the divisiveness
of the measure. This will be a historic vote.
If we can win, we can send the message
around the nation that the politics of divi- _
sion has lost political capital." In addition
to Ehrlich and Jimenez, the plenary
included ACLU-NC Board member and
University of Santa Clara Law Professor
Margaret Russell, and Golden Gate
University. Law Professor David
Oppenheimer.
ORGANIZING AGAINST 209
In the workshops "The California Civil
Wrongs Initiative: We CAN defeat
Proposition 209," NO on 209 Campaign
Coordinator Erica Teasley gave pointers on
disseminating information to the media,
organizing the ACLU chapters in the cam-
paign, fundraising and tabling. ACLU
Monterey Chapter Executive Director Dick
Criley provided detailed examples of the
steps his chapter has already taken to for-
ward the campaign, including organizing a
full-page ad in the Monterey Herald in
support of affirmative action with hun-
dreds of signatories from numerous civil
rights, religious, women's and community
organizations. The veteran organizer
emphasized, "If chapters do nothing else
this month but organize against
Proposition 209, their energies are well
_ expended."
DEFEATING THE RADICAL RIGHT
The plenary on "Defeating the Agenda of
the Radical Right" included presentations
by Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst with
Political Research Associates and ACLU
National Lesbian/Gay Rights and AID/HIV
`Rights Projects Director Matt Coles. An
expert on the "theocratic right," Berlet out-
lined reactionary fundamentalist theology
and the expansion of its political influence
in many spheres of American life. "Their
vision is to restore the past - which is to
restore power to privileged Protestant
white men. Given the power, they would
impose their faith on all people.
"And they make up the single largest
voting block in the country," Berlet
warned.
Board member Margaret Russell at the
plenary on affirmative action - "The
law has never been colorblind."
Both Berlet and Coles discussed ways
to combat the conservative agenda of the
radical right. Coles described strategies
from his new lesbian/gay rights activist
handbook, 7ry This At Home which helps
community organizers and grass-roots
groups pass non-discrimination and
domestic partnership laws and policies.
Noting that he often finds himself on |
panels with religious opponents whose |
deep-seated homophobia makes it difficult |
to engage in rational debate, Coles |
advised, "You have to respect the people on
the other side, but don't make the gen- |
tlepersonly assumption that everyone is |
polite and not trying to attack anyone."
Workshops on police issues with Cathy |
Wiehe of the Santa Clara Chapter, Eileen |
Siedman of the ACLU Marin Chapter and |
ACLU-NG Police Practices Project Director -
John Crew and on civil liberties in cyber- |
space with Lori Fena of the Electronic |
Frontier Foundation and ACLU-NC Board -
member John Schweizer, is the Director of |
Consumer Affairs for Pacific Bell, allowed |
activists in these arenas to share their -
experiences and learn from the experts.
In "The Struggle Continues - Fighting |
for Immigrant Rights," Solange Echeverria |
of the California Latino Civil Rights
Network drew the links between the cur-
rent hostile attitude towards immigrants
and the U.S. economy and foreign policy.
Moderator Luz Buitrago, an attorney and
an ACLU-NC Board member outlined the
codification of this attitude in laws such as
Proposition 187 (which is still enjoined by
the courts because of an ACLU-NC law-
suit), and the federal anti-terrorism, wel-
fare and immigration reform laws.
_Activists who want to lobby on these
and other issues learned some useful
strategies and effective techniques from
ACLU-NC Legislative Director Francisco
Lobaco and ACLU-NC Board member
Political analyst Chip Berlet combined a
discourse on the radical right with fire
and magic.
Rachel Richman, legislative aide to
Assemblyman Tom Bates.
The Bill of Rights Reception kicked off
the annual drive to support the ACLU-NC
legal and public education programs with
the help of a mariachi singer Enrique
Mendez Flores and white wine.
At the closing dinner, seven high
school students presented "Stories From
the Border" (see article p.4-5) which high-
lighted their experiences on the immigra-
tion field trip sponsored by the Howard A.
Freedman First Amendment Project and
Global Exchange.
The day-long event was organized by
the Conference Committee, headed by
`
Mariachi Enrique Mendez Flores at the
Bill of Rights fundraising campaign
reception.
Field Committee Chair Michele Welsh,
ACLU-NC Field Representative Lisa
Maldonado, former Program Secretary
Jennifer Green and current Program
Secretary Rini Chakraborty. Conference
Committee members include Marna
Cohen, Philip Mehas, Marlene De Lancie
and Fran Strauss. The Santa Clara
Chapter hosted the Welcome Breakfast;
and the Committee and staff were assisted
by volunteers Lourdes Pollard and ~
Fernando Gutierrez. @
CONFERENCE PHOTOS BY: ROBERT STERN
ACLU News =a NovemBern/DEcCEMBER 1996 = Pace 3
View from the
Border
BY BRYANT TAN
stuck my finger through the chain-link
fence and my finger was in the United
States. I stuck my foot underneath the
fence and part of my shoe was in the
United States. A rush went through my
body as less than 1/1,000 of my body was in
a land of "familiarity." | was homesick,
except the type of homesickness I felt was-
n't that of longing to return to my room and
my bed in my house. | felt lost in Mexico
and | felt different-like an unwanted out-
cast.
lam American and I have a role in soci-
ety in the United States. | am a foreigner in
Mexico, an invader without a role. What |
was | doing here? I just. stopped thinking
about the world around me and began
painting the wall that separated me from |
my country. I let myself loose, I let myself
free, and I made a masterpiece. Leo
DeVinci and Pablo Picasso probably would-
nt consider it one, but I did. The artwork I
made didn't have to have meaning and did-
n't. It just represents [present tense
because it's most likely still where I left it]
the first time in my life I felt relaxed, wor-
ryless, and free.
Immigration -A
Quick History
BY Pat LAPID
merica is a nation of immigrants.
Surely you've heard this phrase
before. Sounds cliched, doesn't it? But it's
true; the multitudes of Native American
tribes win the honor of being the first resi-
dents of this land. Everyone else is a new-
comer, from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin
America and elsewhere.
And who are we? Chinese, German,
Asian Indian, Arab, Filipino, Italian,
Mexican, Jewish, Irish, African... we are a
(pictured Ogat Haider and Susana
Telles) "I thought it was cool until I had
to hold one of the poles of the largest ban-
ner. Over an hour of standing and getting
an upper arm workout while burning in
the sun is not too fun. The blockade was
successful. A few cars were bold enough
| todrive up to the banners, but none
passed." -Bryant Tan
Courtesy: S.TELLES
Immigration Hands On
Student Journey Reveals Realities of the Border
diverse bunch of people. Almost every |
nation on planet Earth has some represen-
tation on U.S. soil.
As much as we would like to believe
that our nation has welcomed "your tired,
your poor, your huddled masses' the reality |
is much more sobering. Whenever econom-
ic times have been rough, the message to
immigrants has been, "You people are
stealing our jobs," and "Get out!" Study |
after study tells us that immigrants always
have helped boost the economy, but as
always, rhetoric is heard over reason.
Discrimination toward immigrants in
this country has been just as rampant as it
has been toward African Americans and
Native Americans. Hotels and restaurants
would not serve Asians; signs saying "No
Filipinos Allowed" could be found through-
out California. Citizenship to Chinese and
Japanese immigrants was prohibited for
some time. Many white intellectuals
espoused theories showing immigrants
from non-Anglo ethnic groups as being less
intelligent, only suitable for menial labor.
Yes, it sounds crazy; yet such beliefs were
"In" up until modern times.
Immigrant bashing is nothing new; it
happened in our past, and will occur in our
future, unless we see immigrants as peo-
ple, rather than a nameless, faceless
"them." They do have names, they do have
faces, and they have millions of stories that
we should all hear.
Because, in the end, we are all immi-
grants.
The Naturalization
Ceremony
BY SHAFFY MOEEL
L ately I've been thinking a lot about my
immigration status. I am, to the
United States, a permanent resident. On
my greencard, however (which is actually
pink) is written ALIEN RESIDENT. Alien.
Alien. It sounds weird.
I've been thinking a lot about my immi-
gration status because of this trip. Because
as a part of this trip we were going to get a
chance to cross over to Mexico but those
who were not citizens of the U.S. were rec-
ommended to remain within the United
States. Just so there was no unnecessary
confusion on our way back in hassling with
| rainbow and others."
greencards and other such documents.
Needless to say, | was quite disappointed.
But alas, life goes on and indeed it did go
on today.
Today we visited the Los Angeles
Convention Center where about 5,000 peo-
ple were being sworn in as citizens. I got a
chance to interview some people whose
family members were being sworn in. |
talked mainly to youth whose parents, girl-
friends or friends were being sworn in.
There were one or two people who were
excited by their newfound citizenship but
on the whole people seemed very blase
about the whole affair. I asked them if their
loved ones felt as if they were betraying
their country of origin by becoming U.S. cit-
izens, but all responded, "No, because I still
have my culture rooted in me, no ceremony
and no flag can take that away from me."
That set me to thinking. How would I
feel about becoming a U.S. citizen? Right
now I am a citizen of Turkey and Iran.
Would I be slapping my countries of origin
in the face if I joined those 5,000 people?
Perhaps. But becoming a citizen to this
country seems so beneficial to me. Hasier
to get visas to most countries, qualify for
_. (pictured Susana Telles) "That afomnben a we went on the beach "La Playa" to paint
murals on the wall of the Mexican side of the border. We painted different messages like
"No human being ts illegal" and "Unity" along with our ON images of the world, the
- Nikki Vo
more scholarships, financial aid, and the
list seems to go on. Well, 11 years in this
country and I am still feeling unsure about
officially belonging here. But I guess it
would be nice to be able to vote....
View Of the Wall
BY VERONICA ZAMARRIPA
was overwhelmed with sadness, being
on the Mexican side of "the Wall."
Looking through a rusty old chain link type
fence. A piece of metal holding back fami-
lies from coming together or a chance for a
so-called better life. | encountered two
men who came from deep within Mexico
and hadn't slept or eaten in three days just
to get to the border, to have just a chance
to try to get into the States. When | asked
ACLU News = November/DEcEMBER 1996 5 Pace 4
them why they were trying to get to the
United States they said because they need
to get a better paying job, because they
. only get paid four dollars for an eight-to-
twelve hour work day. When I asked them
why didn't they try to get to the United
States legally, their response was "money."
[ also met a little girl on the United States
side named Mariana. She and her family go
every Sunday to the "wall" to visit her
Grandma and aunt. They see them through
a damn fence, how much sadder can that
get?
La Paz
BY OGAI HAIDER
` W: arrived one night at La Paz, head- -
quarters of the United Farm Workers _
Union, confused and emotional from the |
last few days. Being in La Paz was a spiritual |
experience, a haven. Technically we were in _
the U.S., but emotionally we were some- |
where else. We were safe and for a brief |
while in the comforting arms of La Paz.
In the morning we went to Radio |
Campesino where we met Carlos Ortiz. |
Carlos took us to grape fields in |
Bakersfield to meet farm workers. These |
people worked all day in groups of four or |
five filling a box with one ton of grapes.
We were actually in 100 degree heat, |
breathing in dust and pesticides, not just |
reading about it. Many of us felt as though |
we were invading their privacy, although |
that was not our intent We thought, these
" people don't know us and here we are ask- |
ing them questions and taking pictures.
I stepped back and watched. These |
conditions seemed unbearable, but the |
people had beautiful smiles on their faces. -
They held up their grapes, their pride. This _
was their life. I thought there is no differ- _
ence in what they do and what a doctor |
might do, except for the wages and bene- |
fits. These people deserve the standard of
living just as much as anyone.
I left the fields with the feeling of dev-
astation. The hardships now had a human |
face for me. I could barely stand being out -
there, away from the air-conditioning for .
that brief time; they were doing backbreak-
ing work all day, being paid next to noth- -
ing, yet smiling.
We left and headed back for La Paz. Not
even La Paz erased the memory of the inhu- |
_manity we saw today. Later that night we
went on a tour of La Paz with:a member of
the Cesar Chavez Foundation, seeing pic-
"Student Shaffy Moeel interviews United Farm Workers leader Dolores Huerta at protest
outside the Republican Convention.
tures of Chavez and UFW workers, Dolores
Huerta's office, and lastly walking into
Chavez's office to see his desk untouched,
Just as it was the day he passed away.
Chavez's life was devoted to the justice
of others and being in La Paz was a privi- |
lege. I truly realized what Cesar Chavez
meant when he wrote, "Let the Spirit flour-
ish and grow so that we will never tire of
the struggle."
Anti-Ilmmigration
Rally
BY BRYANT TAN |
"Ge home immigrant!" shouted a man
shrouded in red, white, and blue.
"You realize | am home," I whispered to
myself. I was born and raised in America
and I've only stepped out of American soil
once in my life. This is my home so stop
shouting at me."
At the anti-immigration rally held at
the Federal Building in Los Angeles, there
were silly people in silly hats waving silly
flags. Any passerby would have thought
that these people were a month and a half
too late except for the obvious signs the
"picnickers" held. Their signs said, "GO
HOME IMMIGRANT," "CLOSE THE BOR-
DER," "MEXICANS ARE DIRTY," "THIS IS
AMERICA, NOT AZTLAN," and "THEY RE
STEALING OUR WELFARE" among even
nastier signs.
These people don't realize that.whatev-
er they're trying to convey about illegal
immigration will eventually trickle down
into legal immigration. What's next? Close
off America? Not to allow anyone to travel
freely across any of America's borders even
for vacations? Everyone in the United
States to be deported back to their "origi-
nal" country except Caucasians who don't
belong here in the first place? Only time
will tell.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing,
but at the same time I was very confused.
After speaking to some, I understood their
point of view and where they were coming
| Student Arlen Gomez ts interviewed
Pat LAPID
about the immigration field investiga-
tion at Radio Campesino in Bakersfield.
from. In a way | actually felt similar to |
what they felt. On the other hand, they :
could have been pretending and lying to
this teenage Asian male who was sticking a _
tape recorder in their faces. |
The pro-immigration side of this |
protest who stood on the public sidewalk -
waving red flags representing the
Communist Party confused-me even more. -
Though | "supported" these people and |
chanted along with them "Down, down, -
down with the Fascists. Power, power, pow- |
er to the workers," I didn't quite know if |
this was actually the type of crowd I want- |
ACLU eae = NovEeMBER/DECEMBER 1996 = Pace 5
Nancy Otro
ed to be affiliated with. | am 100 percent
positive I am not Communist. So where did
I belong? I didn't belong on the grass. | did-
nt belong on the sidewalk. I turned into a
harmless spectator keeping my feelings
and beliefs to myself.
Conclusion
BY LAUREN TOKER
a everything comes to an end I've
asked myself what did I learn. This
trip educated me on both immigration and
human nature in general. There are so
many instances where | stopped and asked
myself where does all this hatred come
- from? In what way are we so different that
we must be separated? We are all put on
this land to live our life successfully and
peacefully. I still cannot fully comprehend
why it matters where a person is originally
from, what religion they practice, what
language they speak, or what color their
skin is. If we are all here for the sole pur-
pose of living our lives why does it make a
difference where we do it or what fashion
we go about living? I believe these are
questions every individual should answer
for themselves. It doesn't take a visit to the
border to realize these questions exist.
Most importantly, I realized that my
opinion does make a difference. Together,
those of the same opinion can strive
toward the political and social freedom
people have been fighting to achieve for
hundreds of years. I will not let the fight
stop here.
ACLU Boarp oF DirREcTORS ELECTION
Robert Capistrano |
A crucial part of the defense of civil liber-
ties focuses on the rights of poor people
and immigrants in this country. | am proud
of the ACLU's participation at the forefront
of this protracted struggle.
While this scapegoating has served to
divert attention away from the overall
stagnation in the wages and job security of
middle America, these attacks also under-
score that the opportunity of poor people
and many immigrants to meaningfully
exercise civil liberties will require defend-
ing their right to a minimum standard of
living. In the coming years, this interplay
of civil and economic rights will pose new
challenges and some dilemmas to the
ACLU.
As a lawyer with the San Francisco
Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foun-
dation, | have spent years trying to resolve
the problems of low-income clients. I hope
my experience can help our organization
CANDIDATES STATEMENTS
meet these challenges, and am excited to
have been nominated to serve another
term.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: Yes
Darwin Farrar
As a graduate student in public policy I
studied the organizational structure of the -
ACLU, as a public: interest attorney |
applauded the ACLU's leadership on many
key issues, as an advocate I worked with
the ACLU-NC in opposition to laws that
encroach upon our rights and civil liber-
ties. As a perspective Board member I look
forward to the opportunity to work directly
with the ACLU-NC on some of the most
pressing issues of our time. | bring to the
Board broad-based legal and advocacy
experience, and a life-long commitment to
social justice. In addition to my current
youth advocacy work, I have worked on
issues in juvenile justice, homelessness,
violence prevention and poverty law. I have
participated in successful lawsuits to
enforce voter initiatives, statewide public
education campaigns and worked in the
academic, private and government sectors.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: No
Aundre M. Herron
We stand at a precipitous juncture in
human history which calls upon us to
decide, finally, whether we shall govern
ourselves by reason or by fear. Over the
past fifteen years, my work in academia, as
a DA and, currently, as a criminal defense
lawyer specializing in death penalty
appeals, has intensified my understanding
of the need to champion those values
underpinning democratic principles and
' the cause of human liberation.
The ACLU represents the voice of rea-
son in a world torn asunder by fear and
stands at the vanguard of those who value
principle over political expediency. I con-
sider it an honor to be nominated to the
Board and will deem it a privilege to serve.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: No
David Kirp
My first year on the ACLU Board of
Directors has been both a confirmation
and a revelation. As a long-time civil liber-
ties advocate - first as a lawyer working
on education rights cases, more recently as
a public policy professor and journalist
focused on social justice issues - I've
been a supporter (and card-carrying mem-
ber) of the ACLU for a quarter of a century.
I've appreciated the powerful role the
organization plays in defending civil liber-
ties in court; participating in the Board's
discussions of which lawsuits to partici-
pate in has been a real honor. The ACLU's
grassroots efforts, especially the organiza-
tion's reaching out to high school students,
have been a revelation and an inspiration, -
for I'm convinced that the future of civil
liberties depends on this kind of work. At a
time when civil liberties are under threat
in sO Many areas, and most especially in
Pete Wilson's California, | hope to continue
and expand my involvement in the ACLU's
critically important work..
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: Yes
Dennis McNally
Being able to serve on the Board for the
past two years has been one of the special
ACLU News = NovemsBer/DECEMBER 1996 = PacE 6
privileges of my life, and I would very much
like to continue doing so. I believe that as a
non-lawyer (in "real life" I am publicist for
Grateful Dead Productions), I bring a dif-
ferent - and useful - point of view to the
Board. My work on the Development |
Committee has been challenging and very
satisfying.
I've always thought that the Bill of
Rights was among the most beautiful and
important pieces of writing in history. Few
Americans seem to appreciate its glory.
That is the special honor of the members of
the ACLU, and I am proud to be a part of
that. :
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: Yes
David
Oppenheimer
I am honored to be nominated to serve on
your Board of Directors. | was a member of
the Board from 1989-95, and continue to
serve on the Legal and Development
Committees.
I am a law professor at Golden Gate
University in San Francisco. Through the
ACLU-NG, I have been active in the past
two years in the campaign to defeat
Proposition 209, the Orwellian-named
"California Civil Rights Initiative."
If elected to the Board | will support'
our continuing efforts to raise sufficient
funds to actively protect our civil liberties
in all of the areas to which we are commit-
ted. We must continue our vigilance in pro-
tection of the First Amendment rights to
free speech, press, assembly, petition and
religion, and separation of church and
state; our Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Ninth
Amendment rights to privacy, family and
reproductive freedom, freedom from
unreasonable police conduct, the right to
counsel, and freedom from cruel and
unusual punishment such as the death
penalty; our Fourteenth Amendment right
to equality and non-discrimination based
on race, ethnicity and gender, and sexual
orientation.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: No
Millicent
Rutherford
It would be a pleasure to continue on the
ACLU-NC Board. As a Board member |
have been particularly interested in sepa-
ration of church and state, censorship
issues, freedom of choice, the education of
students on their Bill or Rights heritage
and in affirmative action.
Previously, as an educator and union
leader, | dealt with dress codes, uniforms,
demands for school prayers, flag salutes
and textbook censorship. As a founding
member of a Commission on the Status of
Women, | was able to remedy inequities |
had uncovered through research on educa-
_ tion for women.
Presently, on the Development Com-
mittee, I work to keep the ACLU financially
secure and to help civil liberties support-
ers give generously to the cause we believe
in.
By experience and commitment I am
prepared to serve on the Board and eagerly
look forward to this opportunity.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: Yes
Ethan Schulman
I am honored to have been nominated to
serve a second term on the Board. In the
ee a
| Ballot
I
I
The following are the candidates I
I for the ACLU-NC Board of Directors. I
j Please vote in the squares provided.
| You may vote for up to nine candi- |
I dates. Joint members use both I
I squares. I
CO Robert Capistrano
O (c) Darwin Farrar
O (c) Aundre Herron
O (c) David Kirp
O (c) Dennis McNally
(c) (c) David Oppenheimer
1 (c) Millicent Rutherford
O00 Ethan Schulman
OO Carl Stokes, Jr.
Please cut out and mail to ACLU-
j NC Board Elections, 1663 Mission |
I Street, Suite 460, San Francisco 94103 |
I CA. Ballots are due in the ACLU-NC I
I office by noon on December 12, 1996. I
past three years, I have attended the
Biennial Conference; served on the
Legislative and Legal Committees; and
actively participated in fund-raising at the
Board and Lawyers Council levels. I also
authored an amicus curiae brief in support
of the ACLU's position before the California
Supreme Court challenging the constitu-
tionality of the state law requiring parental |
consent or judicial authorization for
teenaged mothers seeking abortions.
As a practicing lawyer, I believe that
attorneys have a special responsibility to
support and defend civil rights and civil lib-
erties, and believe that the ACLU's role:is
_ increasingly important. I welcome the
opportunity to continue to contribute to
that fight.
Nominated by: Board of Directors
Incumbent: Yes
Carl B. Stokes, Jr.
I have been keenly aware of racial injustice |
_since I was age five, when I became the
first black student at an all white school.
Years later, the sufferings of poor HIV+ per- |
sons who cannot access health care still
shocks my sensibilities. As a robust 38-year
old gay man in my 16th year of living with |
HIV, these realities have evoked in me a
passion for social justice, and have
informed my career choices and the volun-
teer commitments | keep.
For over six years, I have provided direct
services to socially marginalized groups as a
mediator, counselor and administrator. For
example, I serve as a client advocate,
accompanying HIV+ clients from residence
hotels to appointments at St. Mary's Medical
Center; a substance abuse/HIV/mental
health counselor at Baker Place; volunteer
conciliator with Community Boards of San
Francisco, and Board member of the New
Conservatory Theater Center which offers
professional acting instruction to young
people. | co-founded "Creating Political
Fire" Dialogue which received ACLU
endorsement and sent five youth to partici-
pate in Detroit Summer. I am a consultant
specializing in conflict management train-
ing and mediation.
As a result of these experiences | feel
exceptionally well qualified to help move
the Board forward in new and exciting ways.
Nominated by: Board of Directors |
Incumbent: No
You're Wanted on the
Phone...
Join the 1996 Bill of Rights Campaign
lively "Happy Hour" reception at the
Avis ACLU-NC Activist Confe-
ence launched the 1996 Bill of
Rights Campaign. A party in San Francisco
on Tuesday, November 12 kicks off 3 weeks
of intensive phoning by volunteers in a
regional effort to raise $150,000 to support
the legal and public education programs of
the ACLU-NC.
Five phone bank nights will be held 6
PM to 9 PM at the ACLU-NC office in San
Francisco. Additional phone nights will be
held in Santa Clara and San Mateo. This
year, at each phone night guest speakers
will update volunteers on current civil lib-
erties issues (see list below); in addition,
complimentary dinner is provided, and all
phone volunteers receive either an ACLU
writing pen or a special "Cup Carrying
Member" ACLU travel mug.
Spaces are still available on the follow-
ing phone bank dates:
Tuesday, November 12 (kick-off)
Guest speaker - Francisco Lobaco,
Legislative Director ACLU - "An overview
of civil liberties victories and challenges in
Sacramento"
Monday, November 18
Guest speaker - Lucas Guttentag,
Director, Immigration Rights Project of the
ACLU - "Update on the struggle for immi-
grant's rights"
Monday, November 25
Guest speaker - Matt Coles, Director,
Lesbian/Gay Rights, HIV/AIDS Projects of
the ACLU -The implications of the
Supreme Court's ruling defeating
Amendment II in Colorado"
Wednesday, December 4
Guest speaker - Ann Brick - ACLU-NC
Staff Attorney "The ACLU Challenge to the
Communications Decency Act."
Tuesday, December 10
Nancy Otto, Director of the Howard A.
Friedman First Amendment Education
Project - "Report back from the student ~
field trip to the Mexican border"
Sign up today! Call development
assistant David Blazevich at 415/ 621-
2493.
Those Year-End Appeals
ith roughly one million charities |
operating in the United States -
and most of them seeking year-
end contributions - it's no wonder your
mailbox bulges with appeal letters as the
calendar year winds down. Seems like
everybody wants your money!
Sorting through the mail, you find
some organizations you don't even recog-
nize. You wonder, "How did these people
selmyname?
And to add to the onslaught of mail,
your telephone rings more often. "Please
help us meet our financial crisis!" "We'll
have to close our: doors if you don't
increase your support!" "The sky is falling!
The sky is falling!" It's downright confus-
ing...and irritating.
As you consider these financial appeals
you receive, we hope you will remember at
least five things about us here at the ACLU
Foundation of Northern California:
1. We count you as part of our family.
Whether you are a recent friend of the
_ ACLU, or a long-time supporter, we value
your interest and involvement. We consid-
er you a partner with us in this great enter-
prise. You are part of our family. And
together, we share a common commitment,
a common mission.
2. We remain true to our mission.
As you know, our mission is to safeguard
our constitutional heritage - to protect
ACLU News = NovemBer/DEcENBER 1996 = Pace 7
and expand those fundamental individual
rights promised to all of us by the Bill of
Rights and the California Constitution. We
want you to know that we have not veered
from this, nor do we intend to. We develop
our strategies, build our budgets, and moni-
tor our results to better achieve this mis-
sion. The ACLU has been around for over 75
years, and you can have confidence that we
are "staying the course."
3. We depend on your faithful giving.
Whether a small annual gift or a large
bequest, we rely on your financial support
to help us accomplish our important mis-
sion. The more you give, the more we can
do. It's that simple. On the other hand,
without you and our other supporters, we
could not exist. Remember, the ACLU
receives no funds from government pro-
grams or grants.
4, We pledge financial fidelity.
We wince when we hear in the news of
a scandal about a nonprofit organization,
because this casts a shadow over all chari-
ties. And so we want to affirm to you that
financial integrity is extremely important
to us. We maintain strict accounting and
reporting rules. Our audited financial
statements are available for your scrutiny.
Please know that your contribution to the
ACLU Foundation of Northern California is
treated with a keen sense of stewardship.
5. We offer personalized service.
Do you have appreciated stock or
mutual funds that would make a tax-wise
gift? Do you need to receive lifetime
income as part of your gift to the ACLU
Foundation? For these and similar ques-
tions, we employ a charitable gift planner
to assist you. Robert Nakatani will meet
with you personally to talk about your giv- -
ing goals and to show you various options.
He will guard your confidences and
respect your freedom. He is also available
to consult with your professional advisors.
As the year-end appeals come and
your thoughts turn more toward charita-
ble giving, remember the ACLU
`Foundation of Northern California. And
please call Robert Nakatani at 415/ 621-
2493 to learn more about year-end gift
planning. @
_ Tom Wicker
enowned journalist
Tom Wicker, former
New York Times
political columnist and
author of the new book,
Tragic Failure: Racial
Integration in America,
headlined the ACLU San
Francisco Chapter Annual
Meeting on September 17
at Fort Mason Center.
Introduced by out-going
Chapter Chair Phillip
Mehas, Wicker outlined the
growing fear in American
society stemming from
recent terrorist acts and the
perceived rise in violent
crime, and he warned that
- when governments make
policy decisions in a state of
fear, civil liberties will be
sacrificed. Wicker was also
critical of the way the current presidential
campaigns are touting a tough-on- crimi-
nals solution for society's ills, "We are
deluding ourselves if we think prisoners
are being coddled. Not only must prisoners
combat violence and drug abuse, but they
also, in many situations, are being deprived |
of basic educational materials so essential
for their reintegration into society."
Wicker lauded the ACLU for address-
ing these unpopular issues and called on
ACLU members to continue to bring atten-
tion to many social injustices the main-
stream media ignores.
Tom Wicker and Chapter Board member Jeannie Maher.
The evening opened with an impas-
sioned reading by performance artist
Deborah Edwards of Karen Gooden's poem
"Dear Uncle Clarence Thomas, We Did Not
Invite You." The poem expresses the out-
rage many African-Americans feel at the
anti-civil rights opinions of Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas.
ACLU-NC Chair Dick Grosboll followed
with a review of efforts to defeat
Proposition 209, a chapter priority. Hf
Reporting by Public Information
intern Marianna Laczo.
TRvING HOCHMAN
Chapter Meetings
(Chapter meetings are open to all interest-
ed members. Contact the Chapter activist
listed for your area. )
B-A-R-K (Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-
Kensington) Chapter Meeting: (Usually
fourth Thursday) Volunteers needed for
the chapter hotline - call Tom Sarbaugh
at 510/526-6376 for further details. For
more information, time and address of
meetings, contact Jim Chanin at 510/548-
4752 or Rachel Richman at 510/540-5507.
Earl Warren (Oakland/Alameda County)
Chapter Meeting: (Usually first
Wednesday) Meet at 7:30 PM at Claremont
House/Activity Room, 4500 Gilbert Street,
Oakland (nr. Rockridge Shopping Center).
We encourage new members to join us as
we continue our work on the Oakland civil-
ian review board, affirmative action, and
ending drug prohibition. For more infor-
mation, call Grover Dye at 510/580-1712.
Fresno Chapter Meeting: For informa-
tion on date and time of meetings, call
Nadya Coleman at 209/229-7178.
Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter
Meeting: (Usually first Thursday) ACLU-
NC office, 1663 Mission Street, Suite 460,
San Francisco. Mailings and other activi-
ties start at 6:30 PM. Speakers at 7:00 PM.
Business meeting starts at 7:30 PM. For
more information, contact Jeff Hooper at
510/460-0712 or Burton Weiss at 510/524-
6078.
Marin County Chapter Meeting: (Usually
third Monday) Meet at 7:30 p.m. at the
Corte Madera Town Center, Community
Meeting Room. For more information,
contact Arnie Scher at 415/332-
8704.
Mid-Peninsula (Palo Alto area) Chapter
Meeting: (Usually fourth Thursday) Meet -
at 7:30 PM. For information on meeting
locations, contact Les Earnest at 415/941-
8984 or the Chapter Hotline at 415/328-
0732.
Monterey County Chapter Meeting: Meet
at 7:15 PM, Monterey Library. For more
information, contact kichard Criley at
408/624-7562.
North Peninsula (San Mateo area)
Chapter Meeting: (Usually third Monday)
Meet at 7:30 PM, at 700 Laurel Street, Park
Tower Apartments, top floor. For more
information, contact Marshall Dinowitz
at 415/595-5131. :
Redwood (Humboldt County) Chapter
Meeting: (Usually third Wednesday) Meet
at the Office of Paul Gallego at 320 2nd
Street in Eureka at 7:30 PM. For informa-
tion on upcoming meeting dates and
times, contact Christina Huskey at
707/444-6599.
Sacramento Valley Chapter Meeting:
(Usually first Wednesday) Meet at 7:00 PM
at the Java City in Sutter Galleria
(between 29 and 380, J and K Streets) in
Sacramento. For more information, con-
tact Ruth Ordas at 916/488-9958.
San Francisco Chapter Meeting: (Usually
third Tuesday) Meet. at 6:45 PM at the
ACLU News a= NovemsBer/DecemBer 1996 "= Pace S
Nov. Ballot ...
Continued from page |
headaches, can be criminally prosecuted
for using the drug even if advised to do so
by a medical professional. The Medical
Marijuana Initiative would end the sense-
less criminalization of people seeking
relief from suffering due to illness.
In recent years, the California
Legislature has passed two proposed
statutes and a resolution easing the use of
marijuana for medical uses, with support
from the ACLU and from both liberal and
conservative legislators. Governor Wilson
vetoed the two statutory measures.
The ACLU-NC OPPOSES the
following measures:
Proposition 205/Jail Bonds -
OPPOSE
This measure provides for a bond issue
of $7 million for juvenile and adult correc-
tional facilities. The measure also allows -
but does not require - the Board of -
Corrections to use some of the funds for oth- |
er services such as prevention programs.
The ACLU-NC opposes the expansion
of jails or prisons and instead supports the
use of alternatives to incarceration.
Cognizant of the current problems of over-
crowding and bad conditions in juvenile
halls and other correctional facilities, the
ACLU believes that allocating funds to
increase the capacity to lock up greater
numbers of people is not the solution to a
failed criminal justice system.
Proposition 209/Ends Affirmative
Action - OPPOSE
The California Civil Wrongs Initiative
would eliminate affirmative action pro-
grams in state employment, contracting
and education and turn the clock back on
equal opportunity for women and people of
color.
The ACLU is committed to racial jus-
tice and gender equality and has played a
leading role in the statewide campaign to
defeat this divisive, mean-spirited mea-
sure.
Proposition 212/Campaign Spending
- OPPOSE
The "good government" title of this
measure obscures the danger that it would
do to participatory democracy.
This initiative would limit contribu-
tions from out-of-district donors to 25% ofa
candidate's donation; ban contributions
from non-profit agencies, unions and busi-
nesses; and includes new caps on individ-
ual contributions.
The ACLU-NC opposes this initiative
because it would hinder the participation
in the electoral process of under-repre-
sented candidates - e.g., minority and
gay/lesbian - and severely sap the ability
of these candidates to successfully mount
campaigns in many parts of the country
due to lack of funding. For example, in the ~
up-coming election in North Carolina
where Jesse Helms is challenged by Harvey
Gantt - an African American committed to
civil rights - Gantt would not be able to
raise sufficient funds without.contribu-
- tions from people outside the state inter-
ested in encouraging the participation of
under-represented groups.
Proposition 213/Denies Equal Access
to Courts - OPPOSE
This passage of this measure would
mean that access to our court system for
restitution on legitimate claims would be
foreclosed based on the status of an indi-
vidual. The measure denies recovery of all
damages to convicted felons for injuries
sustained during the commission of or flee-
ing from a crime and denies non-economic
damages (e.g., pain and suffering) and to
uninsured motorists and drunk drivers if
convicted for injuries sustained in auto
accidents even when these drivers are not
at fault.
The ACLU-NC is concerned that this
proposition could encourage vigilantism
against alleged criminal suspects; the
proposition would allow private individu-
als to escape liability for injuries they neg-
ligently cause to any alleged suspect. The
laws would also limit the liability of police
officers who are negligent when pursuing
or arresting afelon. In addition, this initia-
tive targets poor persons (who may not be
able to afford auto insurance) and denies
them access to fully recover damages from
those who injure them. :
NEUTRAL POsition
In addition, the ACLU Board of
Directors decided to take a neutral posi-
tion on Proposition 208/Campaign Spend-
ing Limits.
ACLU-NC Office, 1663 Mission Street,
Suite #460, San Francisco. Join us for a |
Wine and Cheese Benefit on Thursday,
November 14, at 6:30 PM with guest
speaker Tom Ammiano. For more infor- _
_ Natalie Wormeli at 916/756-1900 or the
mation, call the Chapter Information Line
at 415/979-6699.
Santa Clara Valley Chapter Meeting:
(Usually first Tuesday) Meet at 7:00 PM at
the Community Bank Towers, 8rd Floor |
Conference Room, 111 West St. John
Street, San Jose. For further chapter infor-
mation contact Bob Obrey at 405/293-2554.
Santa Cruz County Chapter Meeting:
(Usually third Thursday) Meet at 7:00 PM.
Annual Meeting on November 20 at 7:30
p.m. at the Louden Nelson Community
Center, Santa Cruz. For information on
meeting locations, contact Lucille
DesJardins at 408/425-6828.
Sonoma County Chapter Meeting:
(Usually third Wednesday) Meet at 7:30 0x00B0
PM at the Peace and Justice Center, 540
Pacific Avenue, Santa Rosa. Call Judith
Volkart at 707/526-2893 for more informa-
TO
' Yolo County Chapter Meeting: (Usually
third Thursday) Meet at 7:30 PM, 2505 5th
Street #154, Davis. Join us for a Winter
Social/Fundraiser - for more informa-
tion on this event, please call George
Grossman at 916/752-0243. For more infor-
mation on general chapter activities, call
Chapter Hotline at 916/756-ACLU.
Chapters Reorganizing
If you are interested in reviving either the
Fresno Chapter or Mt. Diablo Chapter,
please contact Field Representative Lisa
Maldonado at 415/621-2493.
Field Action
Meetings
(All meetings except those noted will be
held at the ACLU-NC Office, 1663 Mission
Street, #460, San Francisco. )
Student Outreach Committee; Meet to
plan outreach activities. For more infor-
mation, contact Nancy Otto at 415/621-
2006 ext. 87.
Student Advisory Committee: For more
information, contact Nancy Otto at
415/621-2006 ext. 87.