vol. 56, no. 6

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Volume LVI

November - December 1992

20th Annual Bill of Rights Day Celebration |

Abolitionists Farrell and Holdman to be

Honored at Rights Day

n Sunday, December 6 the

ACLU-NC will honor leading

death penalty abolitionists Mike

- Farrell and Scharlette Holdman with the

Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award at the

20th annual Bill of Rights Day

Celebration at the St. Francis Hotel in San

Francisco. Holdman has long fought

behind the scenes as an investigator and

organizer on behalf of those condemned to

die, while Farrell's TV celebrity, including

his role as B.J. Honeycutt on the hit series

M*A*S*H, has helped him become an

extremely effective advocate for humani-

Mike Farrell

of the ACLU affiliates of Hawaii,

Louisiana and Florida, and worked for

more than 15 years in the South assisting

and training attorneys, investigators and

mental health professionals in the defense

of people on death row. As the Executive

Director of the Florida Clearinghouse on

Criminal Justice, she organized more than

200 volunteer attorneys to represent con-

demned inmates, many of whom faced

execution without legal representation. In

1990, Robert Harris's defense team con-

vinced her to join the effort against

California's resumption of state execu-

Scharlette Holdman

Margot Garey

tarian issues. Their diverse talents and tire-

less efforts came together this year in the

extraordinary campaign to save the life of

Robert Harris, the first person executed in

California in 25 years.

Bryan A. Stevenson, Executive

Director of the Alabama _ Capital

Representation Resource Center and one

of the most prominent death penalty attor-

neys in the country, will deliver the key-

note address. Long-time Monterey County

Chapter activist Katharine Stoner will be

presented with the- Lola Hanzel

Courageous Advocacy Award for her out-

standing leadership as an ACLU-NC vol-

unteer.

The Bill of Rights Day Celebration,

which marks the culmination of the

ACLU-NC's annual fundraising cam-

tions. She now is a mitigation specialist at

the California Appellate Project.

In working on individual cases through

the years, Holdman learned to investigate, .

document and present the many paths that

lead to death row. The people on whose

behalf she labored bore the permanent and

deep scars of racism, child victimization,

poverty, mental retardation and mental ill-

ness yet their stories in case after case, had

never been presented at their trials. Like

Robert Harris, their stories were never

seen, much less told, by court-appointed

trial attorneys. In some cases, where defen-

dants were fortunate to have committed

and competent counsel; they faced hostile

courts controlled by judges and county

commissions who were unwilling to pro-

tect constitutional rights and who did not

BY oe

Segoe Mra Tele aco cra

RTM ACT la ee

Holds Conferences for Teachers, Student Journalists

re Es 4-5

paigns, also will feature performances by

Paul Kantner's Wooden Ships with Tim

Gorman and NUBA Dance Theatre of

Oakland. For ticket information, see

page 6.

Earl Warren Award

"Scharlette Holdman is a champion in

the battle to ensure the rights of people

facing our society's ultimate. punishment,

and her work epitomizes the wisdom and

courage of Supreme Court Justice Earl

Warren, whom we commemorate with this

award," said ACLU-NC _ Executive

Director Dorothy Ehrlich. "We are very

fortunate Holdman has taken up the fight

in California."

Holdman served as Executive Director

allow the human stories of defendants to

be presented. Holdman became experi-

enced in uncovering the secrets not just of

condemned prisoners' lives, but of the

legal system that condemned them.

Holdman played a major role in the

intense battle to prevent California from

executing Robert Harris this year. She

spoke with everyone from high powered

attorneys, Robert's family members and

Baptist ministers to Italian TV producers,

prison inmates and members of the

Governor's legal staff. Everyone who met

her was touched by her commitment, her

intelligence, her wit, her wisdom, her com-

passion and passion.

Long before M*A*S*H become a

household word, actor and director Mike

Farrell was an advocate for justice and

social change. His activism has led him to

refugee camps in Thailand, Honduras, El

Salvador, and Somalia, to children's medi-

cal centers in the West Bank, to the trial of

sanctuary activists in Arizona, to besieged

labor union headquarters in Chile, to vete-

rans hospitals in the U.S. where Vietnam

vets suffer from the aftereffects of Agent

Orange, to America's Death Rows -

where he took up the fight for which the

ACLU-NC honors him with the Earl

Warren Civil Liberties Award.

In the late 1960's, Farrell became

involved with the Manhattan Project, a

Salvation Army funded rehabilitation pro-

gram, visiting prisoners in southern

California and calling for penal reform and

prisoners' rights. He also joined the

Southern Coalition on Jails and Prisons,

raising funds and fighting against the

- imminent return of the death penalty.

Under the aegis of the SCJP, he visited his

first death row at Tennessee State Prison.

That experience strengthened his

resolve to seek justice for death row

inmates. In the late 1980's, Farrell became

ae

Pear

fate nates

HONORING LEADING DEATH PENALTY OPPONENTS

MIKE FARRELL, (ACTOR FROM TV COMEDY SERIES "M*A*S*H") and

SCHARLETTE HOLDMAN, (ROBERT HARRIS DEFENSE TEAM),

WITH THE EARL WARREN CIVIL LIBERTIES AWARD

7

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

BRYAN A. STEVENSON

ALABAMA CAPITAL REPRESENTATION RESOURCE CENTER

oa

PRESENTING KATHERINE STONER, MONTEREY CHAPTER ACTIVIST,

WITH THE LOLA HANZEL COURAGEOUS ADVOCACY AWARD -

7

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 5PM

REFRESHMENTS and NO-HOST BAR 4PM

GRAND BALLROOM " ST. FRANCIS HOTEL cent UNION SQUARE

335 POWELL STREET SAN FRANCISCO

ce

PAUL KANTNER'S WOODEN SHIPS WITH TIM GORMAN

NUBA DANCE THEATRE OF OAKLAND

TICKETS: $20 ($8 FOR LOW INCOME/STUDENTS/SENIORS).

TO ORDER, PLEASE CALL NANCY OTTO AT 415.621.2493.

E vat! `

eG

No. 6

a leader in the successful campaign to seek

clemency for Joe Giarratano, a Virginia

inmate under sentence of death.

Farrell has also worked with the

NAACP Legal Defense and Education

Fund in attempts to halt executions in

Oklahoma and Utah and is a member of

the Board of Directors of Death Penalty

Focus in California.

Farrell's longstanding commitment to

abolish the death penalty had an extraordi-

nary impact this year in California.

Working with David Hinkley,

helped to create and produce the video-

taped clemency plea on behalf of Harris

that was sent to Governor Wilson.

Farrell's powerful narration and expla-

nation of Harris's disabilities stemming

from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and brutal

child abuse led to the tape being aired not

just for the Governor, but on television

news and documentaries around the world.

Keynote Speaker

Since 1989, Bryan Stevenson has

served as the Executive Director of the

Continued on page 6

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Farrell -

aclu news _.

nov - dec 1992

Key Bills on Civil Rights,

Police Reform Fail in Sacramento

by Margaret Pena

and Francisco Lobaco

ACLU Legislative Advocates

he stalled state Budget - though

perhaps the best known - was not

the only victim claimed by the

divisiveness in Sacramento this past legis-

lative session. Key civil liberties measures

also fell prey to the chaos which con-

sumed the Capitol. The most important of

those bills were the Civil Rights Act of

1992 and proposals to address police mis-

conduct.

Civil Rights Restoration Act

A major disappointment for the ACLU

and the civil rights movement was

Governor Pete Wilson's veto of the Civil

Rights Restoration Act of 1992 (AB 3825)

_carried by Speaker Willie Brown. This

was the omnibus bill which would have

returned California to its position as a

leader in civil rights. The measure would

have restored the power of the California

Fair Employment and Housing

Commission to provide relief to victims of

employment and housing discrimination,

prohibited English-only work place rules,

outlawed job and housing discrimination

against lesbians, gay men and persons

with disabilities, and strengthened the

Unruh Civil Rights Act.

Despite the Governor's veto, the

Legislature's passage of AB 3825 was a

major victory for the ACLU and the broad

coalition of civil rights, labor, and commu-

nity groups that supported and worked for

the bill. The ability of the statewide civil

rights coalition to mobilize effective grass-

roots lobbying was crucial in getting the

bill to the Governor's desk.

This was particularly ,evident in the

Senate where despite extensive opposition

from business and realtor groups we were

able to convince various politically conser-

vative Senators to cast a vote for "civil

rights."

The ACLU's efforts to enact the Civil

Rights Restoration Act had the intended

effect of heightening the public's and

media's awareness of the need to restore

civil rights laws gutted by _ recent

California Supreme Court decisions. The

political pressure put upon the Legislature

and the Governor to enact AB 3825 was

also a key factor in forcing the Governor

to sign some civil rights reforms carried in

separate legislative proposals. These

included: AB 2601 (fT. Friedman, D-

Sherman Oaks) which provides protec-

tion against job discrimination for gays

and lesbians (see article this page); AB

311 (Moore, D-Los Angeles) which reau-

thorized the Fair Employment and

Housing Commission to award damages

up to $50,000 for employment discrimina-

tion; and AB 1077 (Bronzan, D-Fresno)

which protects persons with disabilities

from discrimination in employment and

public accommodations.

Restoration of civil rights remedies

is a task which clearly remains unfinished.

The ACLU, in conjunction with a revital-

ized and effective civil rights coalition,

will continue to actively push for legisla-

tive solutions. -

Police Misconduct

In the area of police misconduct,

there were a variety of measures which

were either defeated, rearranged to insure

a veto, or diluted to the point where they

were rendered meaningless by the power-

ful police lobby. The ACLU was actively.

involved in all of these measures but was

only successful in delivering one to the

Governor's desk in a strong form.

Assembly Member Marguerite

Archie-Hudson (D-Los Angeles) carried

AB 2340, the only measure which made it

to the finish line in a form resembling the

original bill. AB 2340 would require all

police officers who witness other police

officers assaulting or battering a citizen

under color of authority to report the inci-

dent to their superiors. Although numer-

ous obstacles were placed in her path

along the way to the Governor's desk,

Archie-Hudson was diligent and coura-

geous in meeting the police lobby head-on

and successfully maneuvering her bill

through the numerous policy and fiscal

- committees.

After the measure had nearly cleared

both houses, Archie-Hudson received a

belated letter of opposition from the

California District Attorneys Association

indicating that they would be unable to

prosecute persons under the act based

upon recent changes in the bill.

Whether or not this had an impact on

the Governor's ultimate veto of the meas-

ure is unclear. What is clear is the power-

ful police lobby's hold on the Governor

and the Legislature. When asked whether

she would carry the legislation again next

year, Archie-Hudson responded, "We'll

do it until we get it signed."

- Independent Prosecutor

`Perhaps the most controversial piece

of police-related legislation, SB 1335, was

carried by Senator' Art Torres (D-Los

Angeles). This measure would have man-

dated an independent prosecutor to prose-

cute cases of felony police misconduct.

This measure was fiercely opposed by all

police groups and was the subject of four

separate hearings in the Senate Judiciary

Committee in which ACLU members

from the Northern and Southern affiliates

contributed compelling testimony.

Unfortunately, when it finally emerged

from that Committee, the guts of the bill

- the special prosecutor - had been

removed. The measure finally failed pas-

sage in the Senate Appropriations

Committee where even in its diminished

form it received only one vote.

SB 1949 (B. Greene, D-Los Angeles)

met its death in the Assembly' Committee

on Public Safety. In its original form, this

measure would have eliminated a special

exemption which allows peace officers the

right to sue citizens for defamation. The

bill was amended on the Senate side to

require police officers who file such an

action be subject to a motion to strike

unless they can show a reasonable and

substantial probability of success. Even in

this form there were not enough votes to

pass it from the Public Safety Committee.

It has been over a year and a half since

the LAPD beating of Rodney King, yet

the Legislature and Governor have yet to

address the problems of police misconduct

in any meaningful way. With the power-

ful police lobby opposing any measure

which hints of reform, absent a concerted

push from the grass roots, it is difficult to

see how any measure could be successful.

Governor Signs Gay Rights Act

by Matthew Coles

and Paul DiDonato

n September Uy

California became the

seventh state in the

nation to outlaw employment dis-

crimination against lesbians and

gay men. Just a month before

Governor Wilson signed AB

2601, Republican _ politicians

thought gay bashing could win

them an election. Voters in

Colorado and Oregon are being

asked to amend their constitu-

tions to prevent gay rights laws

from ever being passed.

California's new gay rights law

couldn't have come at a better

time.

The new law is straightfor-

ward, forbidding

discrimination ...in any

- aspect of employment or

opportunity for employ-

ment based on actual or

perceived sexual orienta-

-tion.

It protects employees and job

applicants. It covers hiring, fir-

ing, wages, job assignment, etc.

Like California's law on race,

gender, religion and disability

discrimination, this law covers

employers who have at least five employ-

ees and does not apply to religious organi-

zations.

Governor Wilson suggested that this

law's remedies are `much more limited

than those in California's other civil rights

laws. They are narrower, but not very

much.

A person' discriminated against

because of gender, for example, must

complain to the Department of Fair

Employment and Housing within a year.

After filing, she may either go to court, or

have the agency handle the claim.

A person' discriminated against

because of sexual orientation can either

complain to the Labor Commissioner

within 30 days, or go directly to court.

The Labor Commissioner's deadline is

short, but the Commissioner's process is

informal and much faster than the

Department of Fair Employment's. If you

miss the 30 day deadline, you have three

years, not one, to sue in court.

With a race or gender case, if you win at

the Fair Employment and Housing

Commission, it can give you back your job,

your lost pay and limited amounts for suffer-

ing. If you go to court and win there is no

limit on awards for suffering and courts can

give punitive damages and lawyers fees.

If you win a sexual orientation case

under the new "law, -the Labor

The largest state in

the nation says

discrimination against

lesbians and gay men

is illegal and there are

teeth behind the policy.

Commissioner can give you back your job

and lost pay. She cannot award damages

for suffering. If you win in court, you can

get the job, back pay and probably puni-

tive damages and damages for suffering,

although courts cannot order the other

side to pay your lawyer.

Both laws give the choice of an agency

or court and the basic remedy of your job

back and back pay.

It is not hard to understand why the

Governor implies there is a big difference

between the two laws. Last year he

vetoed a law which would have treated

sexual orientation discrimination

like race, gender and other dis-

crimination. He said he believed

discrimination against lesbians

and gay men was already illegal

under the Labor Codes's politi-

cal discrimination section. He

- implied the Labor Code would

be cheaper for business.

Assemblymember Terry

Friedman and the LIFE Lobby

put together a bill which handed

the Governor's veto back to him

by formally saying that the

Labor Code's political discrimi-

nation section prohibits discrimi-

nation against lesbians and' gay

men. To veto it, the Governor

would have to eat his words

from last year's veto. Instead,

he signed and pushed his line

that the Labor Code is cheaper

because it offers less.

We ought to handle discrimi-

nation against lesbians and gay

the same way we handle other

kinds of discrimination, with the

same law and the same reme-

dies. Either AB 101 or the 1992

Civil Rights Restoration Act

would have done all that if the

Governor had not vetoed them.

While we are not quite where we

should be yet, we should celebrate. The

largest state in the nation says discrimina-

tion against lesbians and gay men is ille-_

gal and there are teeth behind the policy.

- Matthew Coles is an ACLU-NC staff

attorney and helped write AB 2601. Paul

DiDonato is Director of Public Policy for

the AIDS Legal Referral Panel.

aclu news

6 issues a year: January-February, March-April, May-June, July-August,

September -October, and November-December.

Published by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California

Milton Estes, Chairperson

Dorothy Ehrlich, Executive Director

Elaine Elinson, Editor

Nancy Otto, Field Page

ZesTop Publishing, Design and Production

1663 Mission St., 4th Floor

- San Francisco, California 94103

(415) 621-2493 "

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

and 50 cents is for the national ACLU bi-monthly publication, Civil Liberties.

aclu news

nov - dec 1992 3

Student Threatened with Suspension for

Wearing Condoms Pinned to Clothing

ifteen-year old Brandi Miller wanted

to make a statement when she

pinned condoms to the outfits she

wore to Tracy High School four daysin a -

row in early September. Miller was was

protesting the lack of adequate sex educa-

tion at her school. "There are too many

teenagers walking around with diseases

and getting pregnant," said Miller, "I was

trying to get through to my friends to tell

them to use condoms and not be stupid."

School officials, however, deemed her

attire to be inappropriate and asked her to

remove the condoms or face suspension.

At that point, Miller and her family con-

tacted the ACLU-NC.

ACLU-NC staff attorney Ann Brick

wrote a letter to the school officials

informing them that Miller's decision to

pin condoms to her outfit is protected by

the First Amendement, as well as the

California Education Code.

"California law clearly protects her

right to free expression," said Brick. "And

that doesn't mean just talking - it means

buttons, insignia or whatever."

According to Brick's letter, there are

only three valid reasons for a school to

censor clothing - if it was libelous,

obscene or "created a significant danger of

imminent disruption." None of these crite-

ria would seem to apply, but the small

furor sparked by Miller's unconventional

attire have school officials reaching to sup-

port their position.

Assistant Principal Geraldine Forte

said, `We don't allow a student to wear

anything that personal, anymore than we

would allow a student to wear tampons on

her ears..." Forte explained the school's

stance insisting that banning the condoms

was no different than banning sexually

Brandi Miller

explicit drawings or t-shirts with obscene

language. "I'm not even going to consider

it as a decision that affects free speech, I

am looking at it as inappropriate attire and

I am not willing to make any exceptions."

Brick said the situation was not unlike

the famous Tinker vy.

Des Moines Com-

munity School Dis-

trict in which a

school in Iowa tried

to ban the wearing of black armbands by

students protesting the Vietnam war. In

1969, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in

favor of the students. "Basically, the high

court said that freedom of speech and First

Amendment. rights don't stop at. the

Enrique Gutierrez

"There is no meaningful

difference between wearing a

black armband to oppose a

controversial war and wearing

condoms to promote sex

education and AIDS awareness."

ACLU-NC staff attorney Ann Brick

schoolhouse door,' explained Brick.

"There is no meaningful difference

between wearing a black armband to

oppose a controversial war and wearing

condoms to promote sex education and

AIDS awareness." :

As Miller's wearing of the condoms in

protest of her school's sex education pro-

gram is clearly protected under Section

48907 of the California Education Code,

the punishment she faces is unjust.

ACLU Chapters Target Police Review |

by Nancy Otto

ACLU-NC Field Representative

he Los Angeles police beating of

| Rodney King in March 1991 thrust

the severe problem of police bru-

tality onto the national agenda. What also

came to light is that Los Angeles is among

several major cities which have no civilian

review boards where victims of police bru-

tality can bring complaints against police

officers for misconduct.

Over the past five years, the ACLU- -

NC Police Practices Project has worked to

strengthen the process of civilian review,

for example, fighting for more funds and

more effective procedures for San

Francisco's Office of Citizen Complaints.

This year, ACLU Chapters in Marin,

San Jose, Santa Cruz and Humboldt

County have spearheaded efforts to create

a civilian review process in their areas.

San Jose

The demands of an organized group of

San Jose advocates for the City Council to

implement a civilian review board was

strengthened by a report from the Santa

Clara Bar Association documenting the

need and a specific proposal for civilian

review. ACLU-NC Santa Clara Chapter

Chair John Cox noted, however, that the

resistance from the San Jose Police

Department is strong. "Police Chief Lou

Cobarruviaz proposed a `self measure-

ment' system whereby the police would be

in charge of tracking civilian complaints,

categorizing them, and statistically report-

ing on the status of their investigations.

Cobarruviaz said he would do the reports

every four months. In actuality, the

department does not disclose when the

reports are due, and it was only by my call-

ing them that we learned that they had

skipped their second report.

"My impression is that their system of

internal checks and balances is a low prior-

ity item, which only further supports the

-plea for an outside agency or group to

monitor what is going on," Cox added.

"In October, following a stormy City

Council meeting where the proposal for a

citizen advisory commission was postponed

until November 17, Chief Cobarruviaz reit-

erated a threat to resign if the Bar

Association's plan were to be adopted.

"Our Chapter is one of the community

forces helping the City Council to under-

stand the need for civilian review of police

activities. We are able to draw on the

strength of the ACLU name, give support

to other community groups, collect specific

examples of police abuse through our hot-

line, and review the statistics that are pub-

lished and interpret them," explained Cox.

Santa Cruz

After two years of intense lobbying by

the Santa Cruz Coalition for a Police

Review Commission, the Santa Cruz City

Council voted in September to create an

effective civilian review board. The

ACLU-NC Santa Cruz Chapter played a

key role in the Coalition, which was

endorsed by 35 local organizations and

garnered 4,000 individual signatures in

favor of police review.

While pleased with the victory, Chapter

Chair Simba Kenyatta said "The fight is

still far from over. What we succeeded in.

passing was a skeletal framework that still

has many shortcomings: complaints have

to go through the police department first,

there is no access to files of previous com-

plaint against an officer and there is no

independent investigators.

"Still," Kenyatta noted, "the level of

community support was so strong, that the

City Council could no longer stonewall the

proposal." :

The final ordinance will be voted on im

the next few months.

Humboldt County

The ACLU-NC Redwood Chapter has

been in the forefront of leading the charge

for civilian review. Chair Christina

Huskey says that through public testimony

and press coverage, the issue of civilian

review has become a "hot potato" in her

community. "Opponents of civilian review

complain that we are polarizing the com-

munity by attacking the police, while some

proponents claim we are not doing enough.

Two judges running for office are using

the issue in their campaign rhetoric.

"The general consensus seems to be

that something needs to be done, either we

need a community liaison or some sort of

appeals process for complaints in the

Sheriff's department."

The Virgil Payne Committee, formed

ten years ago to push for civilian review

after Virgil Payne, an African American

man, was killed by Sheriff's deputies, has

joined forces with the ACLU and gener-

ously donated funds for the Chapter to pur-

sue civilian review once again.

Marin County

After receiving many complaints of

police misconduct on their hotline, the

ACLU-NC Marin Chapter surveyed all

Marin County police agencies in 1990 to get

copies of their complaint procedures and

related statistical data. That information

confirmed the Chapter members belief that

some sort of review is sorely needed in their

county.

The Chapter designed a proposal for

civilian review, which, rather than focus-

ing on one agency, creates a joint powers

agreement incorporating eleven jurisdic-

tions and all types of law enforcement

agencies; the agreement would address

complaints both from the public and from

those within the agencies.

Eileen Siedman, Chair of the Chapter's

Law Enforcement Committee, explained,

"We want to change the behavior of the

police so we can reduce to the lowest

extent possible the number of the com-

plaints received. We are looking at the

whole panoply of law enforcement, and

not just civilian complaints, but also the

policies, procedures, and management of

the law enforcement agencies themselves."

Chapter leaders are now meeting with

elected officials about their proposal, tar-

geting the municipalities that appear to

generate the most complaints. The final

version of this proposal is the product of

many community groups working with the

Chapter in urging those municipalities to

adopt the joint powers agreement.

Other ACLU-NC Chapters including

Monterey, North Peninsula and

Sacramento, are also exploring the viabil-

ity of civilian review in their communities.

Six locations in northern California already

have civilian review boards: San

Francisco, Richmond, Oakland, Berkeley,

Rio Vista, and University of California at

Berkeley.

aclu news

nov - dec 1992

ACLU-NC Goes High Tech

New Computer |

Program for Students

Brings First

Amendment to Life -

Howard A. Friedman First Amendmen

6 6 E xpress Yourself: The First

Amendment," a new inter-

active computer learning

program designed to teach students about

First Amendment rights, was premiered at

a student journalists' conference on

October 5. The Macintosh-compatible

computer software, produced by the

ACLU-NC Howard A. Friedman First

Amendment Education Project, covers the

history of First Amendment rights, pro-

files important leaders and legal cases. in

the free speech and civil rights movement,

and provides contemporary examples of -

Current Issues

The innovative computer . program

allows students to browse through sec-

tions on current issues and profiles of his-

torical and contemporary individuals who 0x00B0

influenced First Amendment principles.

They range from abolitionist Frederick

Douglass and leaders of the Iroquois

Confederacy to political activists Emma

Goldman and Malcolm X, photographer

Robert Mapplethorpe, 2 Live Crew and

farmworkers' leader Dolores Huerta.

Students can click on a time line to check

other significant historical events of that

era, a glossary to

constitutional rights in action.

The software was written for eighth

grade and high school students, and is

being distributed on diskettes to students,

teachers, and educators for free.

"Our goal was to bring the First

Amendment into the lives of students,

using a tool that this generation is quite

comfortable with - the personal com-

puter," said Marcia Gallo, Director of

the Friedman First Amendment

Education Project. "Most students are

very aware of the controversy surround-

ing rap music, for example, but may not

understand how it fits into the funda-

mental issues of racism and censorship

that have existed in our country for cen-

turies."

1. Historical Context

2. What Happened and Why

3. QSutcome

4. Historical Significance

AEINICe

Hat IMFO TOOLS HELP QUIT ERD

define unfamiliar

words, or the

"Speak Out' sec-

tion, which con-

tains a bulletin

board, a reference

section, and an

electronic note-

book.

The program

includes a game

with questions

designed not only

to let students test

their knowledge of

the information

presented, but to

open up discussion

and analysis of

broader issues.- Complete with lively

graphics and sound effects, the diskette is

an innovative learning tool.

"Express Yourself'? was designed by

Red ~Dot Interactive, Inc., a San

Francisco-based computer software and

production team, under the direction of

Marcia Gallo, head of the ACLU-NC

Friedman First Amendment Education

Project. Red Dot Interactive is a profes-

sional team of interactive designers,

including Anita Bloch, Jim Locker and

Judith Banning, who use video, anima-

tion, music, graphics and text to create

interactive multimedia programs.

_ The diskette was underwritten by the

Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the

CrossRidge Foundation with assistance

"Don't be a marshmallow.

Walk the street with us

into history. Get off the

Sidewalk. Stop being

vegetables. Work for

justice. Viva the boycott!"

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IHFO TOOLS HELP QUIT BAER

RO

4 Student Newspaper

yen Books

yen Movies and Play

ones

No. In California, teachers. and other school authorities do not have

the right to censor a student production like a video, movie, or

play any more than they can censor a school newspaper.

Under the law of the state, they can only limit expression that is

(1) obscene; (2) known to be false and damaging to someone's good

name (libelous or slanderous) or (3) a cause of disturbances at the

However, sometimes exercising your free speech rights involves

risks, and "reasonable people"-like you and the principal, for

example-can disagree about what is "disruptive" or "obscene."

from the Howard A. Friedman First

Amendment Education Project.

"Our Project was launched in 1991

with the goal of bringing the Bill of

Rights to life for high school students.

Over the past year, we have held a number

of successful conferences for students and

teachers, and brought speakers into hun-

dreds of high school classrooms," said

Dorothy Ehrlich, ACLU-NC Executive

"The computer program opens up new

avenues and will give students a new

understanding of the First Amendment."

Student Review

A diverse team

of volunteers

helped shape the

program with their

comments, cri-

tiques and

research. Con-

stitutional scholars,

lawyers and teach-

ers provided accu-

rate descriptions of

California and U.S.

law and _ history,

including _ profiles

of still-contro-

versial

and eras. Activists

provided - insight

into how _ free

speech and civil

rights movements

have transformed

our understanding

of freedom of

expression. And

dozens of students,

some of them from

the SummerBridge

Program in San

individuals 0x00B0

Francisco and a national summer youth

encampment for citizenship, experimented

with different stages of the software.

"The input of the students was incredi-

bly valuable. They helped us come up

with the proper tone, and weren't afraid to

point out instances when the material was

boring, condescending or just didn't thrill

them," said Gallo.

The software was unveiled on October

5 at "Against the Tide: Student Journalists

and the First Amendment," a -conference

at San Francisco State University for stu-

dent editors and reporters organized by

the Friedman First Amendment Project.

"Student journalists often run into com-

plicated First Amendment questions that

school administrators are reluctant to deal

with," said Gallo. "Whether they' re writing

a story for the school paper critical of a

school policy, putting out an `underground'

newspaper, or describing an incident of

harassment. or racism on campus, they

come face to face with difficult issues and

often have trouble finding guidance."

After watching a demonstration of the

computer program conducted by Carmela

Jaravata of Lowell High School in San

Francisco, Josh Clark of Vallejo Senior

High School and Jessica Coffin of San

Francisco's Urban High School, confer-

ence attendees had a "hands on" practice

with the program and were given a free

copy of the diskette to take home.

`The "Express Yourself!" diskettes

are being distributed free to students

and teachers. For a copy or more infor-

mation, contact: Marcia Gallo,

Director, Howard A. Friedman First

Amendment Education Project, ACLU-

NC, 1663 Mission St., 460, San

Francisco 94103.

aclu news

nov - dec 1992 9

1ent Education Project

Against the Tide:

Student Journalists

Meet on First

Amendment

n high school, free speech is an

`iffy topic," said Josh Clark, a

senior at Vallejo Senior High

School. Clark knows from

where he speaks. The student editor at

Vallejo's Red and White has run 4-page

spreads on topics ranging from abortion to

AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

Clark shared his experiences at the

opening plenary of the "Against the Tide:

Student Journalists and the First

Amendment," a conference for high

school reporters and editors sponsored by

the Howard A. Friedman _ First

Amendment Education Project on October

66

5 at San Francisco State University. The

conference was attended by 100 students

from high schools around the Bay Area,

many accompanied by their journalism

advisors.

On October 19, the Project spon-

sored a second student journalists' confer-

ence in Carmel, for students from Santa

Clara County, the Monterey peninsula,

and the San Joaquin Valley. The featured

student speaker was Michelle Nickles,

Student Body President at Valley High

School in Tulare. She spoke passionately

of the fight she and other students waged

with the support of teacher Eric Moberg to

Josh Clark, a senior at Vallejo High School, told the plenary that in high school free

speech is an `iffy' subject.

Carmen Vazquez

Students from high schools throughout the Bay Area attended workshops on

investigative journalism, journalistic ethics and covering thorny issues.

Carmen Vazquez

produce a video on teen pregnancy,

Melancholianne.

At both conferences, Nick Ferentinos,

the journalism advisor for The Epitaph,

the _- prize-winning newspaper _at

Homestead High School in Cupertino,

spoke at the opening sessions. "January

13, 1988 began as an ordinary day at

Homestead High School," he said, refer-

ring to the date the U.S. Supreme Court

decided in the Hazelwood case that school

officials could censor student newspapers.

That very day, he and The Epitaph jour-

nalists clashed with their principal over a

story they planned to run about a student .

with HIV. Over the course of the day, the

principal refused to allow the story to

appear, the editor resigned, and Ferentinos

successfully invoked the protection of

California Education Code Section 48907

to prove that students in California

schools could not be censored despite the

U.S. Supreme Court decision.

"Section 48907 works, and it worked

for us," said Ferentino, adding that the

editor withdrew his resignation, the paper (c)

ran the story and The Epitaph staff was

subsequently honored with the Student

Press Freedom Award by the Student

Press Law Center in Washington, D.C.

ACLU-NC staff attorneys Ann Brick

and Alan Schlosser provided a detailed

legal analysis of the ramifications of the

Hazelwood decision and the California

Education Code; they also applauded the

September 30 enactment of AB 1115, a

new law authored by Senator Leonard

which extends freedom of expression pro-

tections to students in private schools in

California.

Conference participants also heard

presentations by- professional journalists

Pearl Stewart of the East Bay Express,

Gary Lindsey of KMST in Monterey and

Alex Hulanicki of the Monterey Herald.

They praised high school journalists for

courageous . reporting of difficult issues

and posed thorny questions to the audi-

ence about the limits of free speech.

Students also participated in `work-

shops led by the journalists, and high

school. journalism advisors Ferentinos,

Carolyn Stevens of Kingsburg High

School, Eric Moberg of Valley High

School, Steve O'Donoghue of Fremont

High School in Oakland, Pete Hammer of

San Francisco's Lowell High School and

David Payne, Principal of Homestead

High School in Cupertino. Simultaneous

workshops focused on _ investigative

reporting, journalistic ethics, and writing

about controversial issues. At the close of

the conference, the journalists saw a dem-

onstration of "Express Yourself!," the

computer diskette on freedom of expres-

sion (see article page 4).

"Voices That Have Been Silenced"

ACLU Sponsors Teachers' Conference

by Marcia Gallo,

Director, Howard A. Friedman

First Amendment Education Project

From the Commonwealth

the call rang out:

"Come Colored Men to Arms."

Amidst the ridicule and doubt

They answered war's alarm.

They came from city and the farm;

_ Left sweethearts, wives and mothers

To wear that Union uniform,

And free their shackled brothers.

From Blacks who fought to

free the slave,

For Justice and the Right -

- These soldiers who when

called on gave

New meaning to the Fight.

[excerpted from To the Massachusetts

54th: In Memoriam by Noah Griffin

1989.]

s journalist, historian, and poet

Ax Griffin's words symbolize,

the power of truly knowing our

shared histories and bringing to life the

many voices that have been silenced was

celebrated at the third Teachers'

Conference organized by the Howard A.

Friedman First Amendment Education

Project at San Francisco State University

on September 26.

Thirty-five high school and middle

school teachers spent a full day in discus-

sions on issues ranging from the patterns of

censorship in U. S. schools, addressed by

ACLU-NC staff attorney and students'

rights advocate Ann Brick to the politics of

bilingual education and "English Only"

laws given by attorney Deborah Escobedo

of Multicultural Education, Training, and

- Advocacy and ACLU-NC staff counsel a

Chen.

Noah Griffin's illuminating presenta-

tion on 19th and 20th century African

American civil rights leaders and struggles

highlighted the morning session. At the

closing plenary, conference participants

were treated to an inspiring testimonial by

Frank Wilkinson of the National

Committee Against Repressive Legislation

on his lifelong battle against the FBI's sub-

version of activists' First Amendment

rights.

The deep knowledge and rich experi-

ences of conference speakers was shown

also in the innovative teaching ideas and

specific lesson plans presented in work-

shops led by teachers. Lowell High School

teacher Barbara Blinick presented ideas for

incorporating the history of lesbian, gay

and bisexual people in high school

courses. Horace Mann Middle School

teachers Daisy Santos and Terry Kay out-

lined lessons to help middle school stu-

dents understand the United States'

"Manifest Destiny" policies from the point

of view of people in the countries affected

by them, such as the Philippines, Mexico,

Hawaii, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. John F.

Kennedy University librarian Janet

Tallman analyzed the use of children's lit-

erature as a tool for teaching cultural diver-

sity.

- "Tt am moved by the ACLU's willing-

ness to do this for teachers," one partici-

' pant noted. Another wrote, "I actually felt

like a valued, grown up professional!"

Almost all who attended suggested future

conferences provide more time to explore

in depth the wide range of First

Amendment issues touched upon in the

"Voices That Have Been Silenced" confer-

ence series.

The ACLU-NC's Howard A. Friedman

First Amendment Education Project spon-

sors conferences for educators twice

yearly; the "Voices That Have Been

Silenced" series was presented in two

parts, with the first session held in March

and the second in September. The next

Teachers' Conference is scheduled for

March, 1993.

Please contact Marcia Gallo at the

ACLU-NC's Friedman Project for more

information: 415/621-2493.

aclu news

nov - dec 1992

' Monterey

Chapter

Leader to be

Awarded at

Rights Day

hile a law student and polit-

ical activist at Monterey

College of the Law,

Katherine Stoner impressed ACLU

Monterey Chapter President Dick

Criley with her energy, leadership

and commitment to the rights of gays

and lesbians and others denied a

voice in our state. Criley made her

promise that if she passed the bar she

would join the Monterey Chapter

Board.

Stoner passed the bar and did not

renege on her promise - she has

played a major leadership role in. the

chapter ever since. This year, the

ACLU-NC recognizes her extraordi-

nary contributions with the Lola

Hanzel Courageous Advocacy

Award.

After law school, Stoner worked

in private practice and became a pro-

fessor of family law and community

property at the Monterey College of

Law. Since 1981, Stoner has been

with Stoner, Welsh and Schmidt in

Monterey, a firm she established with

her partner and fellow Chapter acti-

vist Michelle Welsh. A member of

the Chapter Legal Committee, Stoner

has been instrumental in revamping

the Chapter's complaint referral line

and drafted a manual for complaint

line volunteers which was later used

as the basis for other ACLU-NC

chapters as well. As an attorney for

the ACLU, Stoner has written her

share of letters to city councils,

school boards, and other government

officials and has also litigated cases.

A consistent chapter leader and

eloquent spokesperson for the ACLU

at city council meetings and other

public events, Stoner also carries an

enormously full agenda outside of the

ACLU. She is Secretary of the

Center for Community Advocacy, a

farmworker housing organization,

and a Board member of the Monterey

Bay Girl Scout Council. She also has

served as President of the Monterey

County Bar Association, Chair of the

Monterey County Women Lawyers

Association, and President of the

Legal Aid Society of Monterey.

The Lola Hanzel Courageous

Advocacy Award was established. by

the ACLU-NC Board of Directors in

1981 in order to honor and thank vol-

unteers who have provided strength,

dedication and leadership to the

ACLU-NC. It is named for Lola

Hanzel who, before her death in

1980, served as`a volunteer at the

ACLU-NC for more than a decade,

giving of her spirit and devotion in a

way that inspired others.

~

=

NUBA Dance Theatre

Bill of Rights ...

Continued from page 1

Alabama Capital Representation Resource

Center in Montgomery. The Center

recruits, trains and advises attorneys han-

dling capital cases in Alabama state and

federal courts and provides direct repre-

sentation to Alabama death row inmates.

He has represented death row prisoners

and capital defendants for over eight years

in the Deep South and formerly served as

staff attorney with the Southern Center for

Human Rights in Atlanta.

Before attending Harvard University,

where he received both his law degree and

a Masters in Public Policy from the

Kennedy School of Government,

Stevenson had never met a lawyer. Yet

only five years after his-1985 law school

graduation, he was named one of 20

Outstanding Young Lawyers by the

American Bar Association, and in 1991 he

was awarded the national ACLU Medal of

Freedom.

Though his work to prevent state exe-

cutions, which the New York. Times char-

acterized as "Sisyphean...uphill battles,"

might discourage less hearty souls,

Stevenson's tenacity and commitment are

legendary. "It used to be that if you took

these cases, the judiciary would congratu-

Bryan Stevenson

: Paul Robertson

When you give through the

United Way Campaign,

you can give to the ACLU!

This year it's easier than ever! Just find our name on the United Way's

list of agencies, and write in our code number - 0403. Or, write in

"The ACLU Foundation"

on the Donor Option Card.

late you on your commitment," he noted

wryly. "Now the Justices treat us as legal

terrorists abusing the federal courts

toward unlawful ends."

Music at the event will be provided by

Paul Kantner's Wooden Ships with Tim

Gorman. Singer and songwriter Kantner is

a founder of Jefferson Airplane, the band

that launched the San Francisco music

scene in the 60's. Keyboardist Tim

Gorman has worked with the Rolling

Stones and the Who. NUBA Dance

Theatre of Oakland, a nationally known

dance ensemble featuring performers of

all ages, also will appear at the event.

NUBA's original works combine modern,

ballet and jazz techniques with traditional

Caribbean and African dance.

The Bill of Rights Day Celebration will

be held at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on

Union Square in San Francisco on Sunday,

December 6. The program will begin at 5 PM

with a no-host bar and reception at 4 PM.

The hotel is wheelchair accessible and ASL

sign language interpretation will be provided.

Tickets are $20; $8 for low-income/students/

seniors. To order tickets, please send a check

and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Bill of Rights Day Celebration, ACLU-NC,

1663 Mission Street, #460, San Francisco, CA

94103 or Call Field Representative Nancy

Otto at 415/621-2493.

ACLU-NC Expands to Sixth Floor

on the sixth floor of 1663 Mission Street, which now houses the Legal

I egal assistants Leah Nestell (left) and Fran Beal are in the new ACLU-NC space

Department. The expansion to another floor allowed the Death Penalty Project,

which had been temporarily housed at the law firms of Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe

and Morrison and Foerster, to move back to the building after a year and a half. The

August 30 move also freed up the library - which had provided temporary office space

for legal interns and volunteers - for board meeetings and press conferences once again

and provides much-needed breathing room to other departments. Office Manager Mila

De Guzman and Receptionist Zelma Toro coordinated the moving process, and are over-

seeing the installation of the new voice mail system. De Guzman voiced her appreciation

to architect Darrell Hawthorne and the construction firm of Ryan and Associates and for

the cooperation of our landlord Stanley Speyer, and to the support of other building ten-

ants Ben Davis Manufacturing Company, Equal Rights Advocates, Immigration Law

Resource Center, and Employment Law Center.

Union Maid

, ATTENTION |

_ FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

If you work for the federal government,

you can designate the ACLU Foundation to

receive your gifts made through the

Combined Federal Campaign.

Call the ACLU office at 415/621-2493

and ask for Development Director Cheri

Bryant if you can't find us on the list of par-

ticipating Organizations.

Your tax-deductible gift will be used to

support our legal programs and public edu-

cation efforts to protect and preserve civil

liberties. Thank you!

aclu news

Physicians Campaign

Raises Funds for ACLU-NC

by Jean Hom

Development Department

C 6 I t was for times such as these

that the ACLU formed the

Physicians Committee for

Reproductive Rights," said Committee co-

chair Dr. Madelyn Kahn. "It is critical that

we, as physicians, be willing to speak out

for and financially support the ACLU's

reproductive rights efforts. When the state

decrees that a teenager must have the con-

sent of a parent or the juvenile court

~ before receiving an abortion, we know the

potentially devastating consequences this

could have on a young woman from a dys-

functional family. Or when the state man-

dates doctors to show pictures of fetal

development when a woman is seeking

abortion counseling, we know how much

an inflexible rule can damage the physi-

cian-patient relationship and result in

unsatisfactory health care," said Kahn.

The Physicians Committee, estab-

lished four years ago by ACLU-NC Board

members cardiologist Leonard Karpman

and family practitioner Milton Estes, ini-

tially recruited doctors closest to the

reproductive rights agenda: obstetricians

and gynecologists. Over the years, the

Committee has grown to encompass a

broad spectrum of health care providers.

"We believe that the battle to protect

reproductive rights must be fought in two

ways," explained Kahn, "by making our

voices heard as physicians and by support-

ing legal efforts to preserve reproductive

freedom. The fact that the Committee now

numbers more than 250 physicians and

other health professionals representing a

wide range of specializations demon-

Strates that many of us in the medical

community agree on this strategy."

This year, the Physicians Committee

agreed to raise $35,000 to support the

ACLU-NC legal program to protect repro-

ductive freedom. Kahn and her co-chair

Dr. Philip Darney provide leadership to

the all-volunteer Executive and Steering

Committees. Each volunteer health care

worker actively reaches out to colleagues

to tell them about the ACLU's work and

solicit their financial support. Committee

members receive year-round updates on

reproductive rights issues, and may partic-

ipate in legislative advocacy and public

speaking on the behalf of the ACLU

reproductive freedom agenda.

This year, in addition to co-chairs

Philip Darney and Madelyn Kahn, the

Executive Committee includes Susan

Bronstein, Cheri Forrester, Len Karpman,

and Ann Lanzerotti. Joining them on the

Steering Committee are

Applebaum, Hallie Beacham, Mitchell

`Dr. Madelyn Kahn co-chairs the

Physicians Committee for Reproductive

Rights.

Photo courtesy of San Francisco

Medical Society

Michael -

Creinin, Nona Cunningham, Milton Estes,

Nora Goldschlager, Sanford Goldstein,

Reva Gould, Timothy Hillis, Mark Jacobs,

Sarah Kilpatrick, Susan Kutner, Jan

Maisel, Marlene Mills, Barbara Newman,

Rhoda Nussbaum, and Donna Wiggins.

In August, the Physicians Committee

held two fundraising sessions to launch its

campaign featuring presentations -by

Kahn, Dr. Cheri Forrester, Dr. Leonard

Karpman and ACLU-NC staff counsel

Margaret Crosby. The subsequent `three- .

week intensive fund drive has already

raised $34,500.

"Though the Committee is not the sole

source of funds of our reproductive rights

work, the financial support it provides is

critical to our efforts to protect reproduc-

tive freedom," said ACLU-NC Board

Chair Milton Estes.

In addition to financial support, the

Committee assists with public education,

legislative activism, and community out-

reach, lending the persuasive force of pro-

fessional medical opinion to the ACLU's

messages about reproductive rights. "At

this pivotal time for the future of repro-

ductive rights, the Physicians Committee

for Reproductive Rights is an integral part

of the nationwide movement for women's

reproductive rights," added Estes. "Even

though our California Constitution offers

us some measure of protection; we cannot

afford to be complacent."

For further information or to partici-

pate in the Physicians Committee,

please contact Jean Hom, Development

Department at 415/621-2493.

"English Only" Rule

Challenged in

Ninth Circuit

n November 3, ACLU-NC staff

attorney Ed Chen argued before a

three-judge panel of the Ninth

Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco

that an "English Only" rule, used to disci-

pline two Spanish-speaking workers at a

South San Francisco meat packing plant,

violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of

1964.

In October 1991, U.S. District Court

Judge Robert Schnacke ruled in Garcia v.

Spun Steak Company that the meat plant's

"English only" rule discriminates illegally

on the basis of national origin and issued

an injunction to halt the discriminatory

policy. The company appealed the ruling.

The ACLU-NC and the

Employment Law Center of the Legal Aid

Society of San Francisco represented two

Spun Steak employees, Maricela Buitrago

and Priscilla Garcia, who challenged the

rule. Both had received warnings not to |

speak Spanish while at work, even though

fluency in English is not a requirement for

nov - dec 1992 7

Honors for

ACLU-NC Leaders

Ehrlich Awarded

Fellowship

Executive Director Dorothy Ehrlich

was awarded a fellowship by the Gerbode

Professional Development Program in

honor of her leadership and commitment

to the ACLU-NC. The Gerbode

Foundation fellowship was presented to

Ehrlich and four other community leaders

in June.

The major objective of the Gerbode

fellowship program is to offer opportuni-

ties for professional development to exec-

utives of non-profit community service

organizations. Ehrlich received a grant of

$5000 to be used in any way that she

chooses for her professional development

over a two-year period. The ACLU-NC

will receive an additional $2500 to offset

costs the organization may incur because

of the professional development program.

"The Gerbode Foundation works with

literally hundreds of remarkable nonprofit

organizations and associated individuals,"

said Tom Layton, Executive Director of

the Foundation. "With the help of the

U.C. Berkeley School of Social Welfare,

we have the opportunity to recognize a

very few number of these individuals each

year with our professional development

award. With these fellowships, we wish to

express our appreciation and admiration

as well as to provide for a highly flexible

opportunity for professional develop-

ments as defined by our awardees.

"We cannot think of a more deserving

awardee than Dorothy Ehrlich. Her contri-

bution to the ACLU and to civil liberties

has been extraordinary," Layton said.

Ehrlich, who has been involved for

over twenty years in the effort to abolish

the death penalty and who played a major

role in educating the public about the

injustice of the execution of Robert Harris

earlier this year, plans to use her fellow-

ship to learn more about international

opposition to capital punishment.

This is the third year of the fellowship

program. Also awarded this year is Eva

Jefferson Paterson, Executive Director of ~

the San Francisco Lawyers Committee for

Urban Affairs, who served the ACLU-NC

as a student intern and a national board

representative.

ABA Awards

Young

ACLU-NC Board member Doug

Young was honored by the American Bar

Association in August with the 1992 Pro

Bono Award for Legal Services. Young, a -

partner with Farella, Braun and Martell,

was nominated for his representation of -

indigent persons appealing death sen-

tences.

their jobs. A successful complaint with the

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission (EEOC) had been filed ear-

lier on their behalf. In addition to Chen,

the attorneys representing the workers are

Christopher Ho of the Employment Law

Center of the Legal Aid Society of San

Francisco and cooperating attorneys

William Orrick III and Ruben Inigues of

Coblentz, Cahen, McCabe and Breyer.

The attorneys, joined by the EEOC,

argue that without a demonstrable busi-

The award was presented by the ABA

Committee on Lawyers' Public Service

Responsibility to attorneys who help

increase legal services for the poor.

Laurence Cited

for Death

Penalty Efforts

Attorney Michael Laurence, Director

of the ACLU-NC Death Penalty Project,

was honored. with the Ceil Podoloff

Award for enduring and significant devo-

tion to the cause of civil liberties by the

ACLU of San Diego. Laurence was

awarded along with attorneys Charles

Sevilla and Michael McCabe for their

work on the death penalty appeal of the

first person to be executed in California

in 25 years.

The award was presented at the San

Diego affiliate's Bill of Rights Day

Banquet in October. Also honored at the

event were University of Oklahoma law

professor Anita Hill as Civil Libertarian

of the Year and Dolores Huerta as the

Norman Pliscou Award. winner for her

long-time efforts on behalf of farmwork-

ers, women and civil rights.

CARAL Honors

Crosby and AAP |

Legal Team

The California Abortion Rights

Action League honored ACLU-NC staff

attorney Margaret Crosby and the other

attorneys. and plaintiffs in the American

Academy of Pediatrics v. Lungren case

with a Champions of Choice award.

Crosby, Abigail English of the National

Center for Youth Law, and cooperating

attorneys Linda Shostak, Lori Schechter,

Annette Carnegie and Monique van

Yzerlooy from Morrison and Foerster rep-

resented a coalition of medical organiza-

tions in the successful challenge which

overturned California's parental consent

law. In May 1992, San _ Francisco

Superior Court Judge Maxine Chesney

declared the 1987 law restricting teenag-

ers' access to abortion unconstitutional

because it violated minors' rights to pri-

vacy and equal protection of the laws.

The award was presented at CARAL's

August 13th annual dinner, where the

AAP team was commended for its excep-

tional efforts to preserve freedom of

choice for women of all ages. Also hon-

ored at the event were the San Jose

Women's Community Clinic and Latinas

for Reproductive Choice.

ness justification, such a rule needlessly

disadvantages persons who speak other

languages than English by creating isola-

tion and an oppressive work environment.

According to Chen, "It is likely that

_this case or an ACLU of Southern

California challenge on behalf of a Filipina

nurse to an English-only workplace rule at

a Pomona hospital will result in a key deci-

sion determining whether Title VII of the -

Civil Rights Act of 1964 affords protection

against such workplace rules."

aclu news

sept - oct 1992

Joseph Dorst - Chapter Activist

Veteran ACLU-NC activist Joseph Dorst, who served on the Board of the

ACLU Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-Kensington Chapter, died in June of lung

cancer. In addition to his responsibilities as a Board member, Dorst was con-

stantly involved with the everyday activities of the chapter: he took charge of all

the mailings and was an enthusiastic fundraiser.

As an activist dedicated to social change, Dorst also worked in Central

American solidarity organizations and environmental groups. He served on the

Boards of the Berkeley Ecology Center, the East Bay League of Conservation

Voters and the Solo Sierrans of the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.

A graduate from Ohio State University, he was a World War II veteran.

Dorst worked as an engineer at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab for 21 years.

The First Amendment Committee

the Earl Warren Chapter

join the

California College of Arts and Crafts

to present

| Speakers:

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-_ ACLU-NC staff attorney.

Field Program

Monthly Meetings

Chapter Meetings

(Chapter meetings are open to all

interested members. Contact the Chapter

activist listed for your area.)

B-A-R-K (Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-

Kensington) Chapter Meeting: (Usually

fourth Thursday) No meetings in

November and December. Volunteers

needed for the chapter hotline - call

Florence Piliavin at 510/848-5195 for

further details. For more information

on meetings, contact Julie Houk, 510/

848-4752.

Earl Warren (Oakland/Alameda

County) Chapter Meeting: (Usually

second Wednesday) Meet on

Wednesday, November 11 and December

9. The Earl Warren Chapter will be co-

sponsoring with the California College

of Arts and Crafts a panel on Censorship

and the Arts on Wednesday, November

18 at 7:30 PM .at Nahl Hall, California

College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.

(See ad this page.)

Chapter Hotline, 510/534-ACLU is

now available 24 hours. For further

information, call Irv Kermish at 510/836-

4036.

Fresno Chapter Meeting: (Usually

third Monday) Meet at San Joaquin Law

School. New members welcome! For

more information call Nadya Coleman at

209/229-7178 (days) or A.J. Kruth at

209/432-1483 (evenings) or the Chapter

Hotline at 209/225-3780.

Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter

Meeting: (Usually first Thursday) Meet

on Thursday, December 3 at 7:00 PM at

North Valley (Shasta, Siskiyou,

Tehama and Trinity Counties)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually - third

Wednesday) For more information con-

tact interim Chairperson Tillie Smith at

916/549-3998.

Redwood (Humboldt County

Chapter Meeting: (Usually third

Monday) Meet Monday, November 16 at

7:15 PM at the Arcata Library. December

meeting date to be announced. The

Redwood Chapter is looking for volun-

teers to participate in the Bill of Rights

Phone Nite Wednesday, November 18

from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. For more

information contact Christina Huskey at

707/444-6595.

Sacramento Valley Chapter

Meeting: (Usually second Wednesday)

Meet on Wednesday, November 11 at

7:00 PM at the Sacramento County

Administration Building, Meeting Room

1, Sacramento. The December 9 meeting

will be at a different location. For more

information, contact Ruth Ordas, 916/

488-9956.

San Francisco Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Tuesday) Meet on

Tuesday, November 17 and December 15

at 7:00 PM at ACLU Office, 1663

Mission, 460, San Francisco. For more

information, call the Chapter Information

Line at 415/979-6699.

Santa Clara Valley Chapter

Meeting: . (Usually first Tuesday) Meet

on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:00 PM at

the Community Bank Building, 3rd Floor

Conference Room, corner of Market/St.

John Streets, San Jose. Contact John Cox

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the ACLU - Office, 1663 Mission, #460,

San Francisco. For more information,

contact Tom Reilly, 510/528-7832. Santa Cruz County Chapter

Meeting: (Usually third Tuesday) Meet

Marin County Chapter Meeting: |" Tuesday, November 17 and December

(Third Monday) Meet Monday, !5- Chapter will continue to work on

November 16 and December 21 at 7:00 Combatting Hate Crimes. Contact Simba

PM, Westamerica Bank, 64 East Kenyatta, 408/476-4873 for further infor-

Blithedale, Mill Valley. For more infor- ation.

mation, contact Richard Rosenberg at

415/434-2100. e

at 408/226-7421, for further information.

Sonoma County Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Wednesday) Meet on

Wednesday, November 18 and December

16 at 7:30 PM at the Peace and: Justice

Center, 540 Pacific Avenue, Santa Rosa.

Call Steve Thornton at 707/544-8115 for.

further information.

Mid-Peninsula (Palo Alto area)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually last

Thursday) No meeting in November.

Meet Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 PM

at the California Federal Bank, El

Camino Real, Palo Alto. New members

welcome! For more information, con-

tact Harry Anisgard, 415/856-9186 or

call Chapter Hotline at 415/328-0732.

Yolo County Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Thursday) Meet on

Thursday, November 19 and December

17. For more information, call the

Chapter Hotline at 916/756-ACLU.

Monterey County Chapter

Meeting: (Usually third Monday) Meet

Tuesday, November 17 and December 15

at the Monterey Library, Community

Room, Pacific and Madison Streets,

Monterey. Annual Meeting on Sunday,

January 24, 1993 at 1:00 PM. Election of

Board and award for high school essay

contest given. For more information,

contact Richard Criley, 408/624-7562.

Field Action Meetings

(All meetings except those noted will

be held at the ACLU-NC Office, 1663 -

Mission Street, 460, San Francisco.)

For more information call A NC Field INIT oa Neca o

Nancy Otto at 415/621-2493.

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Student Outreach Committee: Meet

on Saturday, November 21 from 10:30 AM

to 12:00 PM. Contact Marcia Gallo at

ACLU-NC 415/621-2493, for additional

information.

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Mt. Diablo (Contra Costa County)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually _ third

Thursday) For more information, call

Hotline at 510/939-ACLU.

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First Amendment Committee: Arts

and Censorship Roadshow, cosponsored

by the California College of Arts and

Crafts, Wednesday November 18 at 7:30

PM, Nahl Hall, CCAC, Oakland (See ad

this page).

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North Peninsula (San Mateo area)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually third

Monday) Meet on Monday, November

16 at 7:30 PM. at Planned Parenthood.

No meeting in December. Note: The

North Pen Chapter has a new Hotline

number: 415/579-1789. For more infor-

mation, contact Audrey Guerin at 415/

574-4053.

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Pro-Choice Action Campaign: For

information, call Nancy Otto at ACLU-NC

415/621-2493.

1 bend cheek and order to ACLU U of Sonoma County,

4 PO Box 14181, Santa Rosa, cA 94502.

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