vol. 52, no. 2

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aclu news


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Permit No. 4424


San Francisco, CA


Volume LIl


March 1987


No. 2


Democratic Convention Suits


~Demonstrators Win


`Damages from City


Three demonstrators who sued for


injuries suffered at the hands of the police


during protests at the 1984 Democratic


National Convention in San Francisco


received monetary settlements as a result


of negotiations finalized in February


between the ACLU-NC and the City of San


Francisco. In addition, the Police Depart-


ment has agreed to change its regulations


regarding the use of motorcycle police and


horses during demonstrations.


The demonstrators, two of whom were


teenage girls, were represented by


ACLU-NC cooperating attorneys Robert A.


Mittelstaedt, Edward V. Anderson, and


James D. Petruzzi of the San Francisco law


firm of Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro and


ACLU-NC staff attorneys Edward Chen,


Amitai Schwartz, and John Crew.


Attorney Mittelstaedt said, "The message


of these lawsuits and the City's agreement


to pay substantial sums to settle them is


that the San Francisco police must permit


peaceful demonstrators to exercise First


Amendment rights without fear of being


falsely arrested or injured by the police."


The civil rights lawsuits filed in 1985


charged that the three plaintiffs, Jorin


Hawley, Lucretia Bermudez, and Ella


Tideman, were victims of unwarranted


brutality by the police who used horses and


motorcycles to disperse demonstrators


during the DNC protests.


Fractured Skull


Hawley, an art student who was 16 at


the time of the demonstration, suffered a


fractured skull when police horses trampled


her and kicked her in the head at a


demonstration in front of the Hall of Justice.


Ironically, the demonstration had been


called to protest police misconduct during


Convention week.


Bermudez was handcuffed and arrested


while trying to help a friend who had been


hit by a police motorcycle during the anti-


Moral Majority protest near Union Square.


Tideman, who was 14, was pinned to the


wall by a mounted policeman's horse


following the "Rock Against Reagan"


concert.


Mittelstaedt noted, "This litigation forced


the City to review its crowd control


procedures, specifically the dangers involved


in using horses and motorcycles.


"There was no excuse for the indiscrim-


inate way the police used horses to disperse


demonstrators or the way motorcycles were


used to herd demonstrators," he added.


The new city policy states: "The Honda


unit of the Tactical Division will no longer


San Francisco police attacks


on demonstrators at the 1984


Democratic National Con-


vention generated several


successful lawsuits and new


regulations for police motor-


make physical contact with people with their


motorcycles in an effort to move them in


directions where the police want them to


go.


"The mounted unit of the Tactical


Division is being trained not to ride their


horses over passive demonstrators who are


sitting or lying down. They are trained to


stop their horses in front of the subject and


allow foot officers to make the arrest."


Charges Dropped


Nearly 450 demonstrators were arrested


by the SFPD during the 1984 Convention


week. Virtually all of the charges, including


those against Hawley, Bermudez, and


Tideman, were dropped in the weeks


following the Convention.


cycle and mounted squads.


(Photos by Paul Winternitz)


A related lawsuit filed by National


Lawyers Guild Demonstrations Committee


attorney Mark Coby also resulted in a


monetary settlement. The suit involved the


clubbing on the head of Naomi Shapiro


by an officer who had ridden his horse onto


a crowded sidewalk during the anti-Moral


Majority demonstration. Shapiro, a Peoples'


Medic identified by a yellow T-shirt with


ared cross, was trying to help demonstrators


off the street and away from baton-swinging


officers.


The monetary damages paid to the


demonstrators totaled $125,000.


Crew, who coordinated that ACLU-NC


Democratic Convention Project in 1984,


spoke of the effect this settlement will have


on police forces in other cities where national


political conventions are held: "Now, New


Orleans and Atlanta, the sites for the 1988


party conventions, must also realize that


they are legally obligated to respect the First


Amendment rights of demonstrators who


wish to use the occasion of the conventions


to express and publicize their views."


Police Must


Release Tape


In another victory in a separate case


stemming from the Democratic National


Convention, the state Court of Appeal


ruled on February 13 that the San


Francisco Police Department must turn


over to the ACLU a videotape related


to the police refusal to allow a Ku Klux


Klan demonstration during the 1984


Convention.


According to ACLU-NC staff attorney


Ed Chen, "We feel the public has a right


to know whether the police surveillance


in this instance was typical treatment of


controversial groups.


"We hope to learn from the documen-


tation whether the police were conduct-


ing political surveillance or intelligence


gathering of the Klan, and whether this


is in accordance with department


guidelines," Chen added.


Public Records Act


The ACLU filed suit under the


California Public Records Act seeking


information pertaining to an incident in


which members of the Klan were


escorted by the police across the Bay


Bridge, arrested, and taken to the Hall


of Justice where they were told by the


Chief of Police that they could not


demonstrate in San Francisco.


The ACLU-NC sought the videotape


of the meeting, police department


guidelines on intelligence gathering and


memos prepared about the planned Klan


demonstration, materials which the


police department refused to disclose.


When the documents were refused by


San Francisco Superior Court, the


ACLU-NC appealed the decision in


November 1986.


The appellate court determined that


the police must turn over the videotape


and an index of the other contested


records. The superior court will decide


whether the other records must be


disclosed.


aclu news


2 march 1987


Supervisors Hearing


OCC "F ailing at Watchdog Role"


"The Office of Citizen Complaints, under


its current leadership, has failed miserably


in pursuing the `watchdog' role assigned to


it by the voters of San Francisco," testified


ACLU-NC Police Practices Project attorney


John Crew at a highly charged hearing of


the San Francisco Board of Supervisors


Human Services Commiittee on February


26.


The hearing, spurred by the outrage over


the OCC's Annual Report from numerous


community and civil rights organizations,


was chaired by Supervisor Willie Kennedy.


In addition to testimony from almost a


dozen organizations including the ACLU,


the San Francisco Bar Association, the


NAACP, the Asian Law Caucus and the


Harvey Milk Lesbian and Gay Democratic


Club, publicity around the hearing drew a


number of irate citizens-who had been


stymied in their attempts to get a response


from the OCC about their complaints of


police misconduct.


It also drew OCC Director Frank


Schober and a full complement of OCC


staff members who attempted to defend the


agency which recently has come ae


intense criticism.


Three Missions -


Crew's testimony noted that in the


November 1982 election, San Francisco


voters resoundingly endorsed the need for


independent civilian oversight of their police


- department. The City Charter assigned


- three basic missions for the OCC:


(c) to "promptly, fairly and impartially"


investigate


misconduct;


cent to prepare statistical "summaries" of


complaints received; and


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_1989 ACLUN_1989.MODS ACLUN_1990 ACLUN_1990.MODS ACLUN_1991 ACLUN_1991.MODS ACLUN_1992 ACLUN_1992.MODS ACLUN_1993 ACLUN_1993.MODS ACLUN_1994 ACLUN_1994.MODS ACLUN_1995 ACLUN_1995.MODS ACLUN_1996 ACLUN_1996.MODS 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 to prepare policy and practice recommen-


dations based on these complaints.


complaints of police


In its 1986 Annual Report, released on


February 5, the OCC revealed that out of


1,267 complaints filed against police


officers, only 162 were fully investigated,


only 19 were sustained and only 8 resulted


in any disciplinary measure being applied


to the officer(s) involved.


"In other words," Crew said, "if you filed


a complaint with the OCC in 1986, you


~had less than a 2% chance that your


allegation would be sustained and less than


a 1% chance that the officers involved would


be disciplined!


Appalling Statistics


"These appalling statistics, when coupled


with the rare use of the investigative hearing


process, betray a stubborn unwillingness on


the part of the OCC to pursue aggressively


allegations of misconduct. The public is left


without a credible avenue for pursuing


complaints while potentially hundreds of


legitimate allegations of police misconduct


go unexposed and unredressed," Crew said.


Crew also reminded the Supervisors that


the OCC had promised bold hearings on


six "high public interest" complaint inci-


dents, including allegations of brutality


during police crowd control of Democratic


Convention demonstrations, the vice squad


raid of Lord Jim's, and illegal street sweeps


of the homeless. Holding up a copy of a


January 1985 San Francisco Examiner with


a banner headline proclaiming "POLICE


WATCHDOG HEARINGS," Crew stated


ANNUAL REPORT


1986


OFFICE OF


Citizen COMPLAINTS


THE POLICE COMMISSION FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO


Ne Z


that "to our knowledge, none of these


hearings have been held."


Fatal Shooting


Finally, Crew briefly addressed the


lingering doubts over the OCC investiga-


tions of the fatal shooting of Larry


Fundraising Campaigns Set Record High


by Martha Kegel


ACLU-NC Associate Director


ACLU-NC volunteers raised a record


$417,000 for civil liberties in 1986-an


achievement which Development Commit-


tee Chair Davis Riemer called "almost


heroic, given the obstacles we had to


overcome."


The additional funds helped the


ACLU-NC mount massive court challenges


to drug testing, prepare for the hiring of


a fourth staff attorney in 1987, computerize


all of its programs, and renovate its offices


to accommodate an expanded staff. The


annual campaign also supports the


ACLU-NC's ongoing work on hundreds of


civil liberties issues and the work of


underfunded ACLU affiliates in the South


and around the country.


The 1986 campaign faced unusual


obstacles, ranging from the departure of


associate director Michael Miller to Board


leaders being struck with an array of


personal calamities from a broken hip to


bouts of pneumonia, to enormously high


goals being set for the campaigns due to


expansion in the civil liberties program.


"We prevailed because of the sheer


commitment of our volunteers to meeting


the needs of the ACLU," Riemer said. He


also commended Executive Director


Dorothy Ehrlich and the ACLU-NC staff |


for their hard work. =


A major accomplishment in 1986 was the


creation of the Founders Circle, an organ-


ization for individuals making a special


financial commitment to the ACLU-NC.


One hundred and twenty-two people


became charter members in 1986-each


making an unrestricted annual gift of $1,000


or more.


"The Founders Circle is bringing together


people who are alarmed by attacks on civil


liberties and who see the critical need for


an even stronger ACLU," said Julius Young,


co-chair with Leonard Karpman of its


Steering Committee, which secured


$116,000 in contributions.


Committee members soliciting the gifts


were William Gerber, Andrew Grimstad,


Bonnie Grossman, Michael Herz, Anne


Jennings, Jack Londen, John Rutherford,


Dan Siegel, Sarah Stewart and Fran


Strauss.


The Strategic Gifts Committee, which


solicited the largest Founders -Circle gifts,


raised $214,000. Davis Riemer chaired the


committee; members are Barbara Brenner,


Milton Estes, Nancy Pemberton, Fran


Strauss and William Tamayo.


The Bill of Rights Campaign, chaired by


Richard Grosboll, organized 100 volunteers


from eight ACLU-NC chapters to partic-


ipate in fifteen "Phone Nights." The


campaign, which culminates in the Bill of


Rights Day Celebration in December raised


$87,000. Committee members were Rose


Bonhag, Kathy Cramer, Marlene deLancie,


Suzanne Donovan, Lisa Honig, Bob O'Neil,


Tom Reilly Tom Sarbaugh. Field Represen-


tative Marcia Gallo and Membership


Coordinator Sandy Holmes staffed the


Campaign.


"It was a great committee effort,


Grosboll said. "We reached more people and


raised more money than ever before."


Grosboll cited the Monterey and North


Peninsula chapters for their special efforts,


and gave special thanks to the law firms


and other groups that donated their offices


and phones for the Phone Nights.


399


Lumpkin, including questions as to why the


OCC's report on the shooting of a Black


man by two white officers was suddenly


and inexplicably delayed.


Members of Larry Lumpkin's family also


addressed these questions in their testimony.


One sister asked, "How could they bring


the audio tape to my mother's house, have


us positively identify Larry's voice, and then


bury it?"


Another sister said tearfully, "When they


brought the tape, we really had hopes that


the OCC would help us."


Lumpkin's uncle, Reverend Eugene


Lumpkin, after hearing testimony from


many groups, a woman cab driver, an


elderly man, and an engineer who had been -


physically abused during a peaceful dem-


onstration, asked, "Is there anybody in this


city who is satisfied with the OCC?"


Drucilla Ramey, executive director of the


San Francisco Bar Association, said, "We're ~


concerned that the OCC increasingly has


the appearance-as well as the reality-of


being a public relations arm of the San


Francisco Police Department.


"The OCC appears to be more and more


a captive of the Police Department and less


and less the type of agency that was


proposed by the voters in 1982," Ramey


added.


i|


Members


WHY YOU RECEIVE INVITATIONS


TO JOIN THE ACLU WHEN YOU'RE


ALREADY A MEMBER...


In our efforts to strengthen and enlarge


the membership of the ACLU of Northern


California, we use the mailing lists of


organizations and publications whose


subscribers are most likely to join our efforts


to preserve the Bill of Rights.


Members of the ACLU, as committed


supporters of civil liberties, are frequently


on more than one of these lists. To prevent


errors, we maintain a computer system to


delete the names of our members, but


sometimes names and addresses are spelled


slightly differently, or some individuals join


or renew their memberships after the list


has been mailed.


We regret the inconvenience you may


experience as a result of this system but .


we hope you will understand that we do


all we can to avoid duplications. And,


should you receive a membership invitation


in the future, please pass it on to a friend...


Elaine Elinson, Editor


aclu news


8 issues a year, monthly except bi-monthly in January- February, June-July,


August-September and November-December


Published by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California


Nancy Pemberton, Chairperson Dorothy Ehrlich, Executive Director cas


Marcia Gallo,


1663 Mission St., 4th floor, San Francisco, California 94103. (415) 621-2488


Membership $20 and up, of which 50 cents is for a subscription to the aclu news


and SO cents is for the national ACLU-bi-monthly publication, Civil Liberties.


Chapter Page


aclu news


march 1987 3


Kegel Brings Rich Experience


to ACLU-NC Post


The ACLU-NC's new Associate Director


is no stranger to civil liberties emergencies.


In her last post as executive director of the


Louisiana ACLU, she presided over an


affiliate in what the national ACL.U long


had designated a civil liberties "crisis area."


Although the national ACLU no longer


uses that category, Martha Kegel's descrip-


tion. of her former affiliate is still chilling.


"In 1965, the president of our affiliate Board


had his car bombed, the church in which


the Board met was bombed, and the home


of the pastor of that church was bombed.


Twenty years later, hate calls and hate mail


are still routine.


"In fact, for many years," Kegel says


calmly, "the Red Squad of the New Orleans


Police Department had a permanent tail


on the ACLU director.


With only 1000 ACLU members in the


whole state, in an area where few organ-


izations deal with the intractable problems


of racism and poverty, and where the ACLU


is commonly considered a "communist


organization," Kegel honed her leadership


ability, her organizational skills and her


fighting spirit.


Kegel reactivated the affiliate, recruited


new members, hired new staff, and through


- ambitious fundraising campaigns tripled the


annual budget.


Oakdale Immigration Jail (c)


Because of the political situation in the


state, the work of the small Louisiana


affiliate, including efforts against the death


penalty and creationism, often had national


proportion. One such effort was the lawsuit


to stop the construction of the Oakdale


federal immigration jail-targeted to hold


Central American refugees awaiting depor-


tation-in the middle of rural Louisiana.


"The ACLU is the only civil rights


litigator in the state," explained Kegel, "so


we hooked up with the national ACLU and


the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights


to challenge the Oakdale center. We argued


that the facility would violate the refugees'


right to counsel-as this jail was completely


isolated from any legal or support services.


"Because we wanted to add an environ-


mental impact claim to make the suit


stronger, we needed to find a local taxpayer


plaintiff. I spent 3 to 4 months looking for


an Oakdale resident who would stand up


Tracy Brown


a Kegel


a


to the local officials-an almost impossible


task because Oakdale's Mayor had lauded


the project as a cure to the incredibly high


unemployment rate. In addition, Oakdale


is famous for violence against organized


labor and Blacks-with a notorious history


of cross burnings and attacks on union


organizers.


"We did find a plaintiff, with the help


of the state NAACP, an elderly Black man


-who was sympathetic to the plight of the


refugees. But the day after the suit was filed,


several city officials came to this man's


house, where he lived alone, and threatened


him if he did not withdraw from the suit,"


said Kegel.


Fearing for his safety, the man withdrew;


the suit was dismissed by the courts a year


later.


Will the ACLU of Northern California


A Call to Maintain Abortion Funding


For nine years the California Legislature


has approved a state budget barring Medi-


Cal funds from being spent on abortion


except in cases of rape and incest. In 1981,


the California Supreme Court ruled that


such a bar is in clear violation of the state


Constitution. Today, with the ouster of three


pro-choice members of the Supreme Court


and the appointment of three new justices,


the future of abortion funding is uncertain.


Right now, abortion activists face a


tremendously difficult challenge: we must


ensure that the Legislature approve full


funding-without restriction-for abortion.


Our efforts will include: postcard,


mailgram and phone campaigns, and


meetings with our representatives in


Sacramento and their district offices. We


must also write letters to our local news-


papers expressing our support for full


funding of abortion and our opposition to


any measure which limits access to abortion.


New legislation has been introduced in _


Sacramento which would require young


women to obtain parental consent before


they could have an abortion. One measure


would make it a misdemeanor for a medical


practitioner to provide an abortion without


such consent. A second measure, considered


the "liberal" alternative, would also erect


serious barriers to minors' access to abortion


services.


The time to act is now. We urge you


to come to a meeting on March 25 at the


PRO-CHOICE TASK FORCE


ORGANIZING MEETING:


|


|


|


|


|


Wednesday, March 25, 1987 7


6:00 pm |


ACLU-NC office, 1663 Mission, Suite 460 |


San Francisco |


7 : !


Guest Speakers: l


|


|


|


|


|


|


|


MARGARET CROSBY


ACLU-NC Staff Attorney


DAPHNE MACKLIN


ACLU Legislative Advocate


RSVP by March 20 to Marcia Gallo, 415-621-2494


ACLU-NC office (see box), sponsored by


the ACLU-NC Pro-Choice Task Force. The


agenda will include a legal overview of the


current funding situation and a discussion


of strategies for the pro-choice movement.


From San Francisco to Sacramento-


from Sonoma to Monterey-we need your


help. Of particular concern is the involve-


ment of ACLU members in those districts


beyond the Bay Area.


Work with us now to save reproductive


rights for poor women, for young women,


for women of color, for all of us.


For further information, please contact


Marcia Gallo at 415-621-2494.


i will act now


to maintain reproductive freedom, for all women.


seem tame after five years in the crisis zone?


"It was a difficult decision to leave the


Louisiana affiliate," explained Kegel, "and


there was probably no where else I would


have gone except the ACLU of Northern


California, an affiliate whose staff and


Board I have admired for many years.


"The ACLU-NC is one of the strongest.


and boldest affiliates in the country. Now,


with the departure of three progressive


justices from the California Supreme Court,


its work becomes even more crucial."


Sets a Standard


"The rights that have been won here set


a standard for the whole country-the


specter of losing them has tragic propor-


- tions. This is what is at stake," Kegel added.


As Associate Director, Kegel is respon-


sible for the fundraising campaigns which


support the ACLU-NC's legal, legislative


and program work, and will help conduct


public education campaigns. "My goal is


to make the ACLU as strong and effective


as possible to cope with the crisis precip-


itated by Governor Deukmejian's packing


of the California Supreme Court-some-


thing which puts all our rights in jeopardy.


"As I help build the ACLU-NC, I feel


Tam still part of the work I left in Louisiana:


not only does California have an impact


on civil liberties work around the country,


but, more specifically, the funds we raise


here also directly benefit the small, Southern


`crisis area' affiliates through the sharing


program," Kegel said.


Kegel, a former Iowa journalist who


changed careers in 1980 because "I panicked


at the ascendency of Moral Majority forces,"


also plans to institute a planned giving


program and to continue working on


issues-like the death penalty, race discrim-


ination, and lesbian and gay rights-on


which she left her mark in Louisiana.


ACLU-NC Executive Director Dorothy


Ehrlich, in welcoming Kegel to the affiliate


staff, expressed deep appreciation not only


for Kegel's fundraising skills but also for


her rich experience in broader civil liberties


battles. "Martha was on the frontlines of


_ the struggle in Louisiana and we want to


keep her on the frontlines here. Given the


dangers we face in the coming years with


a hostile state administration and an


uncertain Supreme Court, we couldn't have


asked for a better-or tougher-Associate


Director," Ehrlich said.


| can help with:


L] phone campaign CL] Speakers' Bureau


O1 letter writing O postcards U1 mailgrams


CX lobbying (11 Sacramento District offices


Name


Address


Zip


Telephone (day) (eve)


Please return to: Pro-Choice Task Force, ACLU of Northern California,


1663 Mission Street, Suite 460,


San Francisco, CA 94103,


415-621-2488.


aclu news


4 march 1987


Gay Rights Chapter


Celebrates First Decade


San Francisco.


The Gay Rights. Chapter of the


ACLU-NC, founded ten years ago this year,


is celebrating its first decade of existence


with an ambitious recruitment campaign


and a highly visible presence in the gay


community on major civil liberties issues.


According to Chapter chair Doug


Warner, "We of the Gay Rights Chapter


are proud of the ACLU's efforts to protect


our civil liberties. The ACLU has success-


fully challenged police abuses, censorship,


discrimination, and other violations


directed against lesbians, gay men, and gay


rights organizations. The ACLU's commit-


ment to individual liberty, personal privacy


and equal treatment for all makes the


organization our natural ally."


The Chapter's successful recruitment


effort began last May when the Chapter


board launched an aggressive "Turn in a


Friend," campaign to attract new members.


"Because we wanted to promote awareness


around the importance of protecting civil


liberties, we started by asking current


Chapter members to encourage friends and


neighbors to join the ACLU," Warner


explained.


After sending out nearly 500 letters,


chapter members took their message to the


streets, leafleting the Castro and Folsom


Street Fairs with a specially printed


recruitment brochure. The Chapter's


information booth during Gay Freedom


Day also heightened the visibility of the


recruitment campaign. By mid-October the


results were overwhelming. Over 100 people


joined the Gay Rights Chapter as new


members of the ACLU and another 75


current ACLU members transfered into the


Gay Rights Chapter members meet monthly at the ACLU-NC offices in


Chapter, swelling their ranks to more than


double the previous membership.


The Gay Rights Chapter maintains an


active and highly visible presence within the


legal community. In November, they


distributed a special alert urging members


to give their strong and united support to


the No on 64 Stop La Rouche Initiative.


Simultaneously, they worked in coalition


with Bay Area Lawyers for Individual


Freedom and the National Lawyers Guild


to monitor other proposed AIDS legislation


which would jeopardize the rights of people


with AIDS.


Last year, with the assistance of Gay


Rights Chapter attorneys and physicians,


the ACLU of Northern California gained


national attention by compiling the first


comprehensive policy on AIDS and Civil


Liberties.


"From our founding ten years ago, the


Gay Rights Chapter continues in its vitality


and dedication to preserving the rights of


the community we represent," said Warner.


Gay Rights Chapter members receive the


"Bulletin," a Chapter publication that lists


on-going ACLU activities and other events


of particular interest to the gay community;


monthly Chapter board meetings (listed in


the ACLU News Chapter Calendar) are


open to all Chapter members. Through local


organizing, public education, and lobbying


members are encouraged to engage in


activism for a wide variety of civil liberties


issues.


Anyone wishing to join the Gay Rights


Chapter should call or write to the ACLU


office, 1663 Mission Street, San Francisco,


CA 94103 (415) 621-2493.


Field Committee Sets Priorities


Over 40 ACLU-NC activists attended the


annual Field Committee Priority Setting


session on January 31 to select issue areas


for concerted membership action this year.


"The activists represented 11 of our 16


chapters, members of five issue committees, '


Board members, and other members


showing the wide range and depth of interest


in the work of the Field Committee," said


Committee chair Anne Jennings.


The three priority issues selected were


reproductive rights, the right to know/right


to dissent, and immigrant and refugee


rights.


"Designation of `issue priority status'


means that the time, energy and resources


of the Field Department would be assigned


accordingly," explained Jennings, "but that


chapters are certainly free to take on local


issues of importance as well."


Some of the other issues that chapters


will work on include the death penalty,


privacy (like drug testing), and economic


justice issues.


The Field Committee also addressed


public education around the Bicentennial


of the U.S. Constitution. The Field and


Public Information Departments are


currently developing resources for chapters


to use for local activities.


If you are interested in joining the Field


Committee activities, please check the


meeting schedule under Chapter Calendar


on page 4 or call Field Representative


Marcia Gallo at 415-621-2494.


Tracy Brown


Chapter Calendar


Board Meetings


B.A.R.K. BOARD MEETING: (Usually


fourth Thursday) Volunteers are needed to


staff hotline. Contact Florence Piliavin,


415-848-4752 or 415-848-5195.


EARL WARREN BOARD MEETING:


(Third Wednesday) March 18 and April 15,


7:30 pm prompt, Sumitomo Bank, 20th and


Franklin Streets, Oakland. Contact Rose


Bonhag, 415-658-7977.


FRESNO BOARD MEETING: (Usually


third Wednesday) Contact Mindy Rose for


details: 209-486-7735.


GAY RIGHTS BOARD MEETING: (Usu-


ally first Tuesday) April 7 and May 5, 7:00


pm, ACLU-NC, 1663 Mission Street, Suite


460, San Francisco. Contact Doug Warner


for more information: 415-621-3900.


MARIN COUNTY BOARD MEETING:


(Third Monday) 7:30 pm. Citicorp Bank, 130


Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley. Contact


Jack Butler, 415-453-0972 or June Festler,


415-479-7317.


MID-PENINSULA BOARD MEETING:


(Usually fourth Wednesday) All Saints


Episcopal Church, 555 Waverly, Room 15,


Palo Alto. Contact Harry Anisgard,


415-856-9186.


MONTEREY BOARD MEETING: (Usu-


ally fourth Tuesday) March 24 and April 28,


7:30 pm. Monterey Library, Pacific and


Jefferson Streets, Monterey. Contact Richard


Criley, 408-624-7562.


MT. DIABLO BOARD MEETING: (Usu-


ally third Wednesday or third Thursday)


Schedule for 1987 is March 19, April 15, May


21, June 17, and July 16. Contact Andrew


Rudiak, 415-932-5580.


NORTH PENINSULA BOARD MEET-


ING: (Second Monday) March 9, April 13,


and May 11, 8:00 pm. Bank of America, 3rd


and El Camino, San Mateo. Contact Bob


Delzell, 415-343-7339.


THIRD ANNUAL CIVIL LIBER-


TIES AWARD CHAMPAGNE


BRUNCH: Sunday, May 3, | pm. Villa


Hotel, 4000 S. El Camino Real, San


Mateo. Honoree: Marlene DeLancie.


Keynote Speaker: James Brosnahan on


"Civil Liberties in 1987: Foreign and


Domestic." Tickets (including cham-


pagne brunch): $25; limited income: $15.


For more information, contact Juanita


Clark, 415-593-1260. oo


SACRAMENTO VALLEY BOARD


MEETING: (Usually second Wednesday)


7:30 pm. County Administration Building,


7th and I Streets, Main Floor Conference


Room, Sacramento. Contact Joe Gunter-


man, 916-447-8053.


SAN FRANCISCO BOARD MEETING:


(Usually fourth Tuesday) March 24 and April


28, 6:00 pm, ACLU-NC, 1663 Mission Street,


Suite 460, San Francisco. Contact Marion


Standish, 415-863-3520.


SANTA CLARA BOARD MEETING:


(Usually first Tuesday) Contact Michael


Chatsky 408-379-4611.


SANTA CRUZ BOARD MEETING:


(Second Wednesday) Contact Bob Taren,


408-429-9880.


SONOMA BOARD MEETING: (Usually


third Thursday) Chapter meets at the


Roseland Law Center, 1611 Sebastopol Road,


Santa Rosa. Contact Colleen O'Neal


707-575-1156.


STOCKTON BOARD MEETING: (Third


Wednesday) Contact Eric Ratner,


209-948-4040 (evenings).


YOLO COUNTY BOARD MEETING:


(Usually Third Wednesday) Contact Dan


Abramson, 916-446-7701.


Field


Committee Meetings


PRO-CHOICE TASK FORCE: Special


Meeting, March 25, 6:00 pm; and Wednesday,


April 1, 6:00 pm. ACLU-NC, 1663 Mission


Street, Suite 460, San Francisco. Contact


Marcia Gallo, 415-621-2494.


RIGHT TO KNOW/RIGHT TO DIS-


SENT: Reorganization meeting, Thursday,


March 26, 6:00 pm. ACLU-NC, 1663 Mission


Street, Suite 460, San Francisco. Contact


Marcia Gallo, 415-621-2494.


CDIRR (COMMITTEE TO DEFEND


IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE


RIGHTS): General Meeting, "Update on


Proposed Immigration Regulations," Thurs-


_ day, March 5, 7:00 pm. ACLU-NC, 1663


| Mission Street, Suite 460, San Francisco.


- Blanche Greenberg


ACLU activist Blanche Greenberg, a


stalwart of the Santa Cruz Chapter, died


on February 18 at the age of 74.


Greenberg's involvement in the ACLU.


spanned several decades, and included


Board membership in the ACLU affil-


iates of Northern and Southern Califor-


nia and in the Santa Cruz chapter. In


1983, Greenberg was awarded the Civil


Liberties Award by the Santa Cruz


chapter for her deep concern about civil


liberties and her energetic efforts in.


fundraising and recruitment for the


chapter.


"It was Blanche who made our chapter


work," said Santa Cruz chapter chair Bob


Taren. "In fact, if we weren't working


at our greatest capacity, she let us know


about it.


"Because of her concern and activism,


her death is deeply felt in the ACLU


community in Santa Cruz," Taren added.


_A native of England who came to the


United States as a child, Greenberg was


always concerned about national, state


and local civil liberties issues. She was


particularly sensitive to government


withchhunting, and was incensed at the


idea that the government could label


people subversive and cause them to lose


their jobs, the right to travel or other


liberties.


A Soquel resident active in the


Womens International League for Peace


and Freedom and the Womens Demo-


cratic Club of Santa Cruz County,


Greenberg was also a talented jewelry


designer and artisan who enrolled in the


art department of Cabrillo College for


the last 14 years. Last year, she and her


husband Len Greenberg established a


perpetual scholarship at Cabrillo, to


make funds available to promising


students in art fields. On her death, the


scholarship was renamed in her honor.


A memorial service was held on


March 8 at Cabrillo College. Donations


may be made to the Blanche Gootkin


Greenberg Memorial Arts Scholarship,


Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive,


Aptos, California 95003.


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