vol. 58, no. 1

aclu news

Non-PRoeit

ORGANIZATION

U.S. PosTAGE

PAID

Permit No.4424

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Volume LVIII

Homeless Plaintiffs File Federal Suit to

January-February 1994

No. 1

Halt

-Mayor Jordan's Matrix Program

( slat that Mayor Frank Jordan's

Matrix program violates the consti-

tutional rights of homeless people

in San Francisco, homeless individuals,

represented by the ACLU-NC, the

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of

the San Francisco Bay Area, and the law

firm of Munger, Tolles and Olson, filed a

class action lawsuit on November 23 in

U.S. District Court in San Francisco. On

December 23, attorneys moved for a pre-

liminary injunction aimed at halting the

Matrix program.

Plaintiffs in the suit, Joyce v. San

Francisco, represent the class of homeless

people affected by the Matrix program,

which the City describes as a comprehen-

sive enforcement effort carried out by the

San Francisco Police Department against

sleeping in public parks, "lodging" any-

where on public property and "blocking

sidewalks." Thousands of homeless peo-

ple have been cited, arrested or otherwise

harassed by this program; over seventy

declarations were filed in support of the

suit.

"San Francisco is outlawing every-

thing but walking for homeless people -

then calling us criminals when we stop to

rest, sleep, eat or drink," said Paul Boden

of the Coalition on Homelessness.

Plaintiff Bo by oe J oyce was arrested for s eeping in Civic Center when he could not

get a shelter bed in San Francisco.

Meryl Schenker/The Recorder

"Of course, some homeless people are

guilty of these kinds of offenses, because

they have nowhere else to go," said

Marcia Rosen, staff attorney with the

Lawyers' Committee. "San Francisco has

1994-95 Board Elections

s provided by the ACLU-NC

A bylaws, revised in 1980, the

ACLU-NC membership is enti-

tled to elect its 1994-95 Board of

Directors directly. The Nominating

Committee is now seeking suggestions

from the membership to fill at-large

positions on the Board.

ACLU members may participate in

the nominating process in two ways:

1. They may send suggestions for

the Nominating Committee's considera-

tion by April 15, 1994. (Address sug-

gestions to: Nominating Committee,

ACLU-NC, 1663 Mission Street, #460,

San Francisco, CA 94103. Include your

nominee's qualifications and how the

nominee may be reached.)

2. They may submit a petition of

nomination with the signatures of 15

current ACLU-NC members. Petitions

of nomination, which should also

include the nominee's qualifications,

must be submitted to the Board of

Directors by May 22, 1994 (20 days

after the May Board of Directors meet-

ing.)

(Current ACLU members are those

who have renewed their membership

during the last 12 months. Only current

members are eligible to submit nomina-

tions, sign petitions of nomination, and

vote.)

ACLU members will select Board

members from the slate of candidates

nominated by petition and by the

Nominating Committee. The ballot will

appear in the July/August 1994 issue of

the ACLU News.

Article VII, Section 3: The final

report of the Nominating Committee to

nominate members-at-large to the Board

will be presented at the May Board of

Directors meeting [The May Board

meeting will be held on May 12, 1994.]

Members of the Board may propose

additional nominations. If no additional

nominations are proposed by Board

members, the Board, by a majority of

those present and voting, shall adopt the

Nominating Committee's report. If

additional nominations are proposed, the

Board shall, by written ballot, elect a

slate of nominees with each member

being entitled to cast a number of votes

equal to the vacancies to be filled; the

Board slate of nominees shall be those

persons, equal in number to the vacan-

cies to be filled, who have received the

greatest number of votes. The list of

nominees to be placed before the mem-

bership of the Union for election shall

be those person nominated by the Board

as herein provided, together with those

persons nominated by petition as here-

after provided in Section 4.

Article VII, Section 4: Any fifteen

or more members of the Union in good

standing may themselves submit a nom-

ination to be included among those

voted upon by the general membership

by submitting a written petition to the

Board not later than twenty days after

the adoption by the Board of the slate of

Board nominees. No member of the

Union may sign more than one such

petition, and each such nomination shall

be accompanied by a summary of quali-

fications and the written consent of the

nominee.

one of the highest rates of homelessness in

the nation. Yet the City funds at most

1,400 shelter beds to accommodate the

approximately 11,000 to 16,000 homeless

men and women in San Francisco.

"The Matrix program therefore has the

effect of criminalizing homelessness and

poverty," Rosen added.

ACLU-NC attorney Schlosser

explained, "The purpose of the Matrix pro-

gram is not to enforce misdemeanor

statutes. Rather, it is designed and intend-

ed to harass, intimidate, and detain home-

less San Franciscans in an attempt to drive

them from the city."

The lawsuit charges that the Matrix

program violates federal and state consti-

tutions by punishing individuals based on

their status of being homeless, burdening

their right to travel, discriminating against

the homeless as a group, depriving home-

less people of their right to due process

and unlawfully confiscating the personal

property of homeless persons.

"The Constitution promises homeless

people protection from this most blatant

form of persecution: punishment for the

mere act of living, as they must, in public

areas," said attorney Brad Phillips.

The four named plaintiffs are Bobby

Joe Joyce, Thomas O' Halloran, Jim Tullah

and Timothy E. Smith. They are represent-

ed by cooperating attorneys Brad Phillips,

Steve Kristovich, Jeff Bleich and Martin

Bern of Munger, Tolles and Olson; Marcia

Rosen and Diane Chin of the Lawyers'

Committee and ACLU-NC managing

attorney Alan Schlosser.

Depleted life savings

Plaintiff O' Halloran, a native San

Franciscan and the son of a police officer,

worked for 25 years at Pacific Bell and

raised eight children with his wife who

died in 1991. After depleting his life sav-

ings on medical care for his wife,

O'Halloran found himself homeless and

unsuccessfully playing the City's lottery to

win a bed for a night in a shelter.

Continued on page 6

Bill of Rights Day Celebration

More photos and story on pages 5 - 6

A throng of well-wishers, young and old, greet honoree Melba Beals (on podium

Shirley Nakao

left) and Aileen Hernandez at the Bill of Rights Day Celebration.

_Inside the ACLU News

Immigration: Myths and Facts: Part Il ...................... page 4

Three Strikes, You're Out

What the new crime proposals mean for your civil liberties...and

VOU SAIC oooh cee ee eee page 2

9 aclu news

january - february 1994

Playing Soft Ball with Crime:

No "Quick Fix'' Solutions

by Dorothy Ehrlich

ACLU-NC Executive Director

6 | hree strikes, you're out!" It's

an attractive political slogan

- unfortunately, that's all it

is. At last count there are four such crime

proposals either headed for the June

California ballot, or currently being debat-

ed by the Legislature. Each one is

designed solely for the purpose of insuring

that politicians are elected, or reelected to

public office. Not one of them will

respond to the genuine fear of crime on the

street that voters really feel. These dracon-

jan measures represent the most cynical

manipulation of those fears, in the most

incendiary atmosphere. -

Whether or not these irresponsibl

politicians prevail will largely depend on

whether the people of California find out

the truth about these initiatives: what they

will really do and to whom.

It is not a pretty picture. Most people

trust that when elected officials tell them

that these wide-ranging proposals will pro-

tect them from violent offenders, they

mean it. But even the most cursory reading

of the initiative or the copycat legislation

being debated in Sacramento, shows that

lawmakers are more interested in protect-

ing their future than your safety. This leg-

islation, for example, would require a

judge to sentence a burglar to a minimum

25-year to life sentence on a third convic-

tion for stealing a bicycle from a garage.

And it doesn't matter at what age the first

two bike snatchings occurred, nor does a

judge have the discretion to alter that

mandatory sentence.

The leading proposal, which is expect-

ed to appear on the June 1994 ballot, is the

initiative drafted by Mike Reynolds and

supported by Assemblymember Bill Jones

(R-Fresno) and Jini Costa (D-Fresno) as

AB 971. It focuses on "violent or serious"

felonies, as defined by the penal code.

That definition includes furnishing or sell-

ing controlled substances (e.g. cocaine) to

a minor; burglary of an inhabited dwelling;

and a list of many crimes for which perpe-

trators should be held accountable - but

surely not for a life term.

We could give the supporters of the

initiative the benefit of the doubt and

assume they didn't read it, and that's why

they are going along with this popular pro-

posal. But even then, why should the pub-

lic accept this notion that we have to wait

for three crimes to be committed before .

More people are behind prison bars

in the United States than anywhere in

the industrialized world.

we get. serious about the commission of

felonies? Shouldn't the goal be to prevent -

criminal activity in the first place so that

we can truly be safer on the streets?

Prison building frenzy

After a fifteen-year prison building

frenzy which resulted in a five-fold

increase in the prison population, and no

attributable decrease in crime, why

should elected officials rely solely on a

failed system to do the job? Moreover,

these lawmakers seem willing to forfeit

the lives of a whole generation of young

men mainly so they can be reelected.

And if the status quo is maintained, we

can expect young men of color to bear

the brunt of this injustice.

A further disappointment is that in fact

so much has been learned over the past fif-

natal care to community mental health ser-

vices to anti-violence school curricula, we

can begin to make a real difference in the

lives of many families for whom there is

currently so little support and so little

hope.

Support children

For the many children and young

adults who need support now, support

which could prevent a lifetime of crime or

a lifetime of costly incarceration, that help

will not be forthcoming. Those funds,

_ which are already entirely inadequate, will

be diverted to support the unrelenting

expenses of locking up our citizenry and

throwing away the key. We leave them not

even a glimmer of hope.

More people are behind prison bars in

the United States than anywhere in the

The ACLU and our allies are trying

to shift the debate from incarceration

to prevention; from punishment to

rehabilitation; and ultimately, from

retribution to justice.

teen years about the control and prevention

of crime, and yet the facts are being stu-

diously avoided. We know that if we com-

mit public funds to education, to rehabili-

tation, to job training,to drug treatment and

prevention, to programs ranging from pre-

please chet

Above your

please notify 1

IF you ARE AN.

would like to TRANS

call or write

ACLU-NC NN

166% Missi

SAN FRANCis

ACLU News mailing label.

Lesbian/Gay Rights Chapter

IF you are a member of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Chapter,

telephone: 419/621-2497

Please mention your membership number located on the

Fis printed

bel. IF not,

RTMENT.

California and

industrialized world. More than the former

Soviet Union, more than South Africa. In

fact, we imprison black men in America at

four times the rate of South Africa. This

dependence on incarceration has become

nearly insatiable: it literally drains all the

available resources, from the funds previ-

ously available to higher education or the

ones used to vaccinate children.

Stemming the tide

Fundamental civil liberties principles

are being torn apart under the Capitol

dome. The ACLU legislative advocates

and other civil rights and religious organi-

zations are working feverishly to stem the

tide of hysteria, and to remind our elected

officials of their sworn duty to defend the

Constitution, including its due process and

equal protection provisions, let alone the

prohibition against cruel or unusual pun-

ishment. They have had some limited suc-

cess. Working with Bay Area Assembly-

members Tom Bates (D-Berkeley) and

Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), amendments

have been introduced to require mandatory

drug treatment for all first time offenders

(currently very little treatment is even

available), coupled with mandatory inten-

sive supervision, counseling and job train-

ing for parolees.

The ACLU and our allies are trying

to shift the debate from incarceration to

prevention; from punishment to rehabili-

tation; and ultimately, from retribution to

justice.

The challenge is great, as is the enor-

mous cost of losing. While the powerful

interests of the lobby representing the cor-

rectional officers, along with the billion dol-

lar prison construction industry will gain

significantly, the rest of the state would lit-

erally be bankrupted by the proposals. The

loss of revenue will be felt by every sector

from services to protect children from

abuse, to relief for victims of crime.

The ACLU is often accused of wanting

to "tie the hands of law enforcement" or

ignoring public safety when we oppose

these measures. On January 6, the same day

that the Assembly Public Safety Committee

voted 7-1 (with only Assemblyman Bates

dissenting) to put the "Three Strikes,

You're Out" measure on the June ballot,

Nathan Cosby, an innocent Oakland man,

was shot dead in his own home by police

who were searching for his estranged

wife in a credit card fraud case. The

police used a battering ram to storm into

his home at 7:00 AM.

Was Nathan Cosby safe in his own

home? If we are really going to make

laws that make all of us safer, let us look

at all of the sources of violence and look

to comprehensive solutions.

Real answers to the problems of crime

do not emerge from political sloganeering.

The complex social and economic prob-

lems which result in violence require a

thoughtful consideration of proposals

which may or may not be politically popu-

lar. For civil libertarians, who surely care

about safety in our communities, we must

continue to remind elected officials that

the war against crime need not be a war

against civil liberties. While there are no

quick fix solutions, efforts to make our

streets and homes safer can - and must

- be developed without the need to com-

promise fundamental freedoms.

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

Lisa Maldonado, Field Page

ZesTop Publishing, Design and Layout

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 3

january - february 1994

Arrest Records to Be Destroyed

S.F. Agrees to Pay Arrested King (c)

Demonstrators $220,000

n December 9, the ACLU-NC and

() co-counsel Pillsbury, Madison and

Sutro announced that the City of

San Francisco agreed to settle the lawsuit

Brown v. Jordan by paying $220,000 as

well as destroying the records of the

almost 400 people swept up in a mass

arrest on May 8, 1992. The U.S. District

Court preliminarily approved the settle-

ment agreement on December 8.

The suit was filed on behalf of the

hundreds of demonstrators who were

arrested on May 8, 1992 while peacefully

protesting police brutality, racism and the

state court acquittals of the LAPD officers

in the heating of Rodney King.

The settlement agreement was approved

by the Police Commission in December

and must be authorized by the Board of

Supervisors before becoming final. That

vote is scheduled for January. Money

from the settlement will be divided

among the plaintiffs; $50,000 of the total

is allocated for attorneys fees and costs.

The ACLU will be notifying plaintiffs

about the settlement procedures.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the group

of people who on May 8, 1992 - ten

days after the verdict in the police beat-

ing of Rodney King and a week after the

lifting of the State of Emergency in San

Francisco - held a peaceful march from

Dolores Park to Duboce Park. The pro-

testers were first blocked off and then

encircled by police; they were never

given an opportunity to disperse before

being arrested.

"This settlement vindicates the consti-

tutional right to take part in peaceful

demonstrations without fear of arrest,"

said cooperating attorney Roxane Polidora

of Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro. "This type

of lawsuit helps to ensure that the police

will adhere to the First Amendment and

follow official crowd control procedures at

David Keenan

San Francisco demonstrators, arrested for protesting the acquittals in the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King, will have

their arrest records destroyed.

"This settlement vindicates the constitutional

right to take part in peaceful demonstrations

without fear of arrest."

-Roxane Polidora, ACLU-NC Cooperating Attorney

future demonstrations,' added Polidora.

"The ACLU brought this case because

there was no justification for the mass arrest

of hundreds of innocent people," said

ACLU-NC staff attorney Alan Schlosser.

"We hope that this lawsuit - and the

settlement - establish that San

Francisco will not pursue a `sweep the

streets' policy with respect to similar

protests in the future."

High Court Rules No

Notice Necessary for

sobriety Checkpoints

by Jean Field

ess than a month after hearing oral

arguments, the California Supreme

Court ruled on December 23 that

police do not have to give advance publici-

ty when they set up roadblocks to catch

drunken drivers.

On December 6, ACLU cooperating

attorney Amitai Schwartz argued that an

unpublicized roadblock violates the Fourth

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In its

5-2 decision in People v. Banks, the Court

ruled that although advance publicity can

soften the intrusion for drivers, and

increase the deterrent effects of the check-

points, such notice is not a constitutional

requirement.

The case grows out of a 1990 drunk

driving conviction from the town of Seal

Beach in southern California.

The ACLU affiliates of Northern and

Southern California participated as amicus

curiae in the case, which was the first

roadblock case to be considered by the

Supreme Court since its 1987 decision in

the ACLU-NC lawsuit Ingersoll v.

Palmer. The Ingersoll decision upheld the

right of law enforcement officers to stop

drivers without individual cause at drunk

driving roadblocks so long as the check-

points are conducted in a reasonable man-

ner with certain safeguards to protect the

motoring public. One of the safeguards,

the ACLU argued, is advance publicity,

which reduces the fear and surprise that

motorists feel when confronted by a police

stop, and also provides a strong deterrent

effect against drunk driving.

Schwartz, a former ACLU-NC staff

attorney who also argued Ingersoll,

explained that advance publicity provides

the deterrence which distinguishes this

type of police activity from ordinary

police activities meant to catch criminals.

"If roadblocks are simply meant to catch

drunk drivers, then under Ingersoll, stops

must be based on individualized suspicion.

In 1987," Schwartz added, we

warmed the court that it was starting down

a road that led to less and less protection

for the Fourth Amendment rights of inno-

cent drivers. The Banks decision removes

another important safeguard.

"It's a shame that the court was not

willing to take a stronger stand against the

erosion of the constitutional rights of

motorists."

The suit was filed on September 3,

1992 in U.S. District Court in San

Francisco by ACLU-NC staff attorney

Alan Schlosser, and cooperating attorneys

Robert A. Mittelstaedt, Roxane A.

Polidora, Shawn E. Hanson, and Melanie

Sherk, all of the San Francisco law firm of

Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro. The defen-

dants included Mayor Frank Jordan, for-

mer police chief Richard Hongisto, the

Police Commission and several high rank-

ing police officers

"The City's agreement both to offer

compensation to the victims of the May

8th mass arrests and destroy their arrest

records finally addresses some of the most

egregious civil rights violations in that

demonstration," said Schlosser.

State Supreme Court

Rules Drug Labels

Must Warn Only in

English

by Jean Field

English-speaking consumers, the

California Supreme Court ruled on

December 9 that manufacturers of non-

prescription drugs need not print warning

labels in languages other than English.

The unanimous decision in Ramirez

v. Plough came despite the efforts of a

coalition of civil rights and health-care

advocates, who submitted an amicus

brief on behalf of 8-year-old Jorge

Ramirez, who was severely disabled by

Reye's Syndrome after his Spanish-

speaking parents gave him St. Joseph

Aspirin for Children when he was a

baby. The aspirin label carried only an

English-language warning that use for

children under 2 should be under the

direction of a doctor.

"This is a tragedy for the Ramirez fam-

ily and all the other consumers who now

have no legal recourse when products that

are marketed in their language carry no

warnings in that language," said ACLU-

NC staff attorney Ed Chen. "When these

products hurt them, they can't turn to a

court of law for help."

"This is a failure of justice," said Rosa

Rivera, Jorge's mother. Jorge, who is

quadriplegic, blind and severely mentally

E: a setback to the rights of non-

impaired, lives with his family near

Modesto, and requires 24-hour supervision

and care.

Former California Supreme Court

Justice Joseph Grodin argued before the

high court on behalf of the coalition,

which included the ACLU affiliates of

Northern and Southern California,

Mexican American Legal Defense and

Educational Fund, Trial Lawyers for

Public Justice, and Public Citizen Health

Research Group.

"Multinational corporations like

Plough, Inc., which manufactures St.

Joseph Aspirin for Children, may use

Spanish to promote their sales and bring

them profits, but then use only English to

warn about the risk of their products," said

Justice Grodin. "At the very least, a jury

should determine whether a company's

failure to warn non-English-speaking con-

sumers was unreasonable under the cir-

cumstances."

In its decision, the court said that the

Legislature has the power to mandate

labels in languages other than English, but

since it did not do so, such warnings were

not required.

"The court has essentially punted the

whole issue to lawmakers," said Chen.

"That leaves consumers at risk until the

Legislature or other regulatory agency

takes action to protect them."

aclu news

4 january - february 1994

Confronting Anti-Immigrant Myths

The Political and

Social Impact of

Immigration

MYTH: Our cities are going bank-

rupt because immigrants don't pay

taxes.

FACT: THE FEDERAL GOVERN-

MENT COLLECTS THE VAST MAJOR-

ITY OF THE TAX REVENUE OF ALL

U.S. RESIDENTS (NATIVE AND FOR-

EIGN BORN) EVEN THOUGH LOCAL

GOVERNMENTS AND STATES PRO-

VIDE MOST PUBLIC SERVICES.

e In L.A. County, immigrants paid at

least $4.3 billion in taxes during the 1990-

91 fiscal year. But 60% of the tax rev-

enues contributed went to the federal gov-

ernment, while L.A. County got only 3%.

cent Over the past 10 years the federal

government has reduced its contribution to

refugee assistance in California by 90%,

placing enormous burdens on the state and

local governments.

cent Federal funds authorized by the

Immigration Reform and Control Act to

pay for health and education of recently

legalized immigrants have been deferred

for the last three federal budgets, costing

California an estimated $700 million.

MytH: We would save a lot of

money if we stopped paying for

free education and health care for

immigrants.

FACT: EDUCATION AND EMER-

GENCY HEALTH CARE ARE ESSEN-

TIAL SERVICES THAT WILL SAVE

MONEY IN THE LONG TERM.

e Earnings and work opportunities rise

significantly and dependence on public

assistance drops dramatically with educa-

tion. Education is the single most impor-

tant determinant of need for public assis-

tance among all populations.

e Because of fear and misinformation,

many immigrants avoid public health ser-

vices until they are seriously ill, ultimately

making treatment more expensive than if

ontroversy concerning immigrants and their place in our polit-

ical and economic life continues to rage throughout this state

and the nation. Even though the ACLU has throughout its

nearly 75-year history stood up to prevent the scapegoating and unfair

treatment of immigrants - especially during times of economic decline

- the current controversy has even our own members asking questions

about what ACLU policy should be in light of the current debate.

The ACLU criticism of the current immigration "reforms" being

touted by leading politicians must be understood in conjunction with a

number of facts about immigrants and immigration policy.

Unfortunately, there is a wealth of misinformation about the contribu-

tion which immigrants make to our nation, and our state in particular.

In the last issue of the ACLU News, we presented some common myths

and not-so-common facts on the economic impact of immigration. In

this issue, we will explore the political and social impact of immigra-

tion.

We hope that this information, adapted from materials provided by

our legislative staff, the national ACLU and the local Coalition for

Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Services will be helpful to our mem-

bers as we continue to fight civil liberties violations against immigrants.

We asked for your comments - and we received many. In the next

issue of the ACLU News we will print excerpts from the letters we have

received.

Paul Winternitz

proper preventive care was provided. For

example, every $1 spent on prenatal care

saves $3 in costs for babies born with ill-

nesses.

0x00B0 Lack of accessible sources of preven-

tion and treatment for communicable dis-

eases such as tuberculosis in immigrant

communities unnecessarily threatens pub-

lic health.

Paul Winternitz

cent Current federal requirements to pro-

vide emergency care to the undocumented

allows federal governments to share those

costs. Eliminating such federal require-

ments would only shift 100% of these costs

to state and local governments.

MytTuH: Our borders are out of

control; we are being over-

whelmed by immigrants.

FACT: IMMIGRANTS MAKE UP A

SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER PER-

CENTAGE OF THE U.S. POPULATION

THAN IN PREVIOUS DECADES; IN

1990 IMMIGRANTS WERE ONLY

EIGHT PERCENT OF THE U.S. POPU-

LATION. :

cent Eight out of ten immigrants who enter

the U.S. each year enter legally. Of these,

75% are admitted to be reunited with close

family members and ten percent are

refugees.

cent Of the 17.5 million political refugees

recognized by the U.N. worldwide, less than

1% find safe haven in the U.S. each year.

cent Immigrants entering the U.S. under

family reunification and refugee programs

fill the demand for labor at all levels of the

economy as well as immigrants admitted

specifically for their skills.

cent Less than 1.5% of the U.S. population

is undocumented, according to the U.S.

Census Bureau.

MytTH: Today's immigrants dont

learn English and don't want to

become Americans.

FACT: IMMIGRANTS ARE LEARN-

ING ENGLISH AND BECOMING A

PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE AT

THE SAME RATE AS PAST GENERA-

TIONS OF IMMIGRANTS.

cent The evidence is that America's most

recent immigrants are assimilating as fast

as earlier groups. Nineteenth century

Americans claimed that the Irish, German

and other immigrants would never become

part of mainstream culture.

e Children of immigrants continue the

American tradition of social mobility

through education, and are as likely to

attend public schools, as unlikely to be

dropouts, and as likely to graduate from

high school as children of U.S.-born par-

ents.

cent Most immigrants, and almost all chil-

dren of immigrants, can speak English after

a few years in the U.S. Approximately two

of every three immigrants in California

speak English proficiently. The over-

whelming majority of immigrants eventual-

ly learn English. ~

cent Reports from throughout the U.S.

indicate a tremendous unmet need for

English as a Second Language (ESL) class-

es, with adult newcomers waiting months

or even years before getting the opportuni-

ty to learn English.

This information comes from the

Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee

Rights. Sources include: Los Angeles

County Internal Services Department,

California Assembly Office of Research,

California Senate Office Research,

California Research Bureau, National

Immigration Forum. For a list of citations,

please write ACLU News, 1663 Mission

Street, Suite 460, San Francisco 94103 CA.

aclu news 5

january - february 1994

Bill of Rights Day Celebration

Honors Student Leaders

C6

onight we are honoring both

the past and the present of the

ACLU. We are excited as we

honor those who have led the way and the

new generation of civil liberties activists,"

said ACLU-NC Chairperson Milton Estes

to a standing-room-only Bill of Rights Day

Celebration audience at the Hyatt Hotel in

San Francisco on December 5.

The diverse civil libertarians ranged

from septuagenarian ACLU activists to

hundreds of northern California high

school students - all of whom had come

to pay tribute to Dr. Kenneth Clark, Melba

Beals and Christ Eckhardt and their coura-

geous stands for the rights of students.

ACLU-NC Executive Director Dorothy

Ehrlich, in her State of the Union presenta-

tion, reminded ACLU supporters that "our

issues are getting tougher and, in many

ways, less popular."

"Although last year it appeared that we

were on the mend," Ehrlich said, referring

to the end of the Reagan-Bush era, "you

know that the people who have to do the

Honoree Chris Eckhardt thanked his mother

Margaret Eckhardt who supported him who was

suspended from high school when he wore a black

armband to protest the Vietnam War.

el

Honoree Melba Beals and keynote speaker Ira Glasser.

fixing are not in power in the White

House. We are the people to hold them

accountable."

Ehrlich pointed specifically

to the issues of immigration,

where "politicians try to outdo

each other in coming up with

the most onerous legislation,"

homelessness and the death

penalty.

"Right now 385 men and

women sit on California's

death row waiting to die. The

seriousness of their crimes is

but one measure of what was

done to them as children."

Ehrlich also gave special

thanks to outgoing Field

Representative Nancy Otto, the

organizer of the Celebration,

who was leaving the ACLU-

NC after a successful three-

year stint.

The award presentations to

the Earl Warren Civil Liberties

honorees were made by current

youth activists, many of whom

are members of the the Student

Advisory Committee of the

ACLU-NC Howard A.

Bill of Rights celebrants enjoy the display of student art and poetry submitted to the

Freedom of Expression Art Show.

a eS a

ACLU. NC Board chair Milton Estes, volunteer honoree Molly Stolmack and Earl

Warren Award winner Chris Eckhardt.

Friedman First Amendment Education

Project.

Jennifer Cheng, a UC Berkeley stu-

dent, presented the award to Dr. Kenneth

Clark, which was accepted by Aileen

Hernandez as Dr. Clark was unable to trav-

el from New York.

"Dr. Clark's studies showed that not

just black children are disadvantaged by

discrimination - all children are disadvan-

taged by it," said Hernandez, who studied

with Clark at Howard University and

worked shoulder to shoulder with him in

the civil rights movement. "I urge you to

honor Dr. Clark by doing the things neces-

sary to bring us into the sort of future he

envisioned."

Chiyuka Carlos, a plaintiff in a success-

ful ACLU-NC case challenging the use of

gang profiles to discriminate against young

men of color, introduced honoree Melba

Beals.

"While other kids were dancing to

Elvis, I was dodging bullets," said Beals,

`one of the Little Rock Nine who desegre-

gated Central High School in 1957. "I

remember thinking, "Why me, what did I

do wrong?' And wondering why my

grandmother told me it was a blessing."

Chris Eckhardt, a plaintiff in Tinker v.

Des Moines School District case, was

introduced by Lowell High School junior

WAKE

Cu

and student editor Chris Wu. Eckhardt

thanked the ACLU on behalf of his co-

plaintiffs Mary Beth and John Tinker and

himself, and noted, "As teenagers we found

ourselves in a particular moment in history.

We were lucky to have parents that passed

onto us ethical values that led us to exercise

the rights that the Constitution says we can

exercise."

"The advances we made in 1969 would

never have occurred without the ACLU,"

Eckhardt said of the organization that

defended him then and was honoring him

now. "I want to send a message to all the

youth here that you are not alone - young

people around the world are fighting for

these same principles, and the ACLU is

here to help you."

Keynote speaker Ira Glasser, Director

of the national ACLU, was introduced by

Vallejo High School ACLU Club leader

Natalie Adona. In response to her spirited

remarks, Glasser began, "I'll bet that there

are many high school principals worried -

and others turning in their graves - when

they see the incredible leadership of ACLU

chapters in high schools today."

Glasser, who noted that the first issues

he dealt with when he began his work at

the ACLU in 1967, were students rights

issues, reviewed the changes wrought by

student protests from that time. "Students

were suspended for distributing `seditious'

literature, dress code problems, for long

hair on boys and long pants on girls.

School officials thought that if you dress

differently, you might think differently and

be tempted to act differently."

"Yet the schools should be educating

the young for citizenship...not mere plati-

tudes."

Glasser noted that this was the 25th

anniversary of the Tinker decision, where

Justice Fortas stated that students "don't

shed their constitutional rights at the

schoolhouse gates;" he applauded the

Tinker plaintiffs, Beals, and the other stu-

dents who took a stand. "The ACLU would

not have gotten into court if those students

had not taken some risks."

"To the students in this room about to

embark upon a life of activism, it will not

be a room full of admirers," Glasser

Continued on page 6

Student presenters (left to right) Chiyuka Carlos, J enfiter Chang and Chris Wu.

sesh

The San Francisco Community Music Center Children's Chorus with conductor Urs

Steiner.

aclu news

6 january - february 1994

-~ ACLU Defends Free Speech Right

of Homeless Man

n December 16, the ACLU-NC

(i before the Ninth Circuit

Court of Appeals in the case of

Blair vy. Shanahan that the San Francisco

Police Department violated the free speech

rights of a homeless man by arresting him

for peacefully seeking funds under a state

law which prohibits begging.

ACLU-NC cooperating attorney

Michael Hallerud, a partner with the San

Francisco law firm of Pettit and Martin,

appeared in front of a three-judge panel on

behalf of Celestus Blair, who was arrested

five times in 1988 and 1989 for peacefully

asking people for money in downtown San ~

Francisco. Blair was arrested for violating

California Penal Code Section 647(c),

which makes it a misdemeanor to

approach others on public sidewalks "for

the purpose of begging or soliciting alms."

Blair, no longer homeless, currently works

as a driver for the Municipal Railway.

In September 1991, United States.

District Court Judge William Orrick ruled

that Penal Code Section 647(c) violates

Homeless Plaintiffs ...

Continued from page 1

"On August 12 at midday, I was sitting

on a bench in Civic Center park reading a

book," said O' Halloran. "The shopping

cart in which my friend and I keep all our

worldly possessions was nearby."

A police officer wrote him a ticket for

camping in the park, which carries a fine

of $76. "I asked the officer what constitut-

ed `camping' in the

park. He replied `I only

Celestus Blair

Rick Rocamora

the First Amendment. Judge Orrick

wrote: "Begging can promote the very

speech values that entitle charitable

appeals to constitutional protection. A

scription medicines. The police threw his

belongings, along with those of his friends,

into a garbage truck where they were com-

pressed and destroyed.

Plaintiff Jim Tullah, who was also born

in San Francisco, is an honorably dis-

charged Marine Corps veteran who

worked as a skilled cabinetmaker for 22

years. He is now homeless and confined to

a wheelchair.

"I cannot live in residential hotels

because they choose not to serve handi-

capped people. On October 9, at 4:53 AM,

I was sleeping in St.

Mary's Park. Two

apply the law, I don't

have to interpret it.' I

have not been able to

pay the fine because I

have no money. I am

extremely worried

about this because now

the ticket has gone to

warrant, and I am

afraid the police will

use the warrant to

threaten or arrest me."

Plaintiff Bobby Joe

Joyce was employed as

a cook at the Multi-

Service Center North

until January of this

year. When he had no

money for a hotel

room and did not win a

lottery bed, he slept in

"Since homeless

individuals have no

choice but to sleep

in public, are

unable to pay fines,

and cannot be

housed in the

City's jails, the

Matrix program is

a sham as a police

police officers on

motorcycles round-

ed up all the home-

less people sleeping

in the park. They

told me to join these

people, but I am

handicapped and

could not move. It

was very difficult

for me as a handi-

capped man to get

down on my knees

to fold the blankets

around me to leave.

Ahe `officers

who gave me a $76

ticket for sleeping

did not tell me

where I could legal-

ly sleep that night.

Civic Center Park and enforcemen t There was in fact no

was arrested in the place for me to go

middle of the night on 39 where I could sleep

October 18. 2 Whe program. without fear of

Matrix program makes arrest."

me feel humiliated AGCEU-NE

about being homeless

and poor. It also makes me feel scared

because I am afraid the police will arrest,

ticket, harass or roust me for sleeping or

being out in public," Joyce said.

"We tried all the political avenues

available to us to stop Matrix," he added,

"T'm hoping the courts will finally help us

out. It's too cold to have to worry about

being constantly on the move."

Property destroyed

Police confiscated the clearly labeled

duffel bag of plaintiff Timothy Smith

which he had left in the care of his friends

in Civic Center Park when he went to have

breakfast at Glide Memorial Church on the

morning of November 12. "When I heard

my duffel bag was taken I went into a state

of shock," said Smith. The bag contained

Smith's clothes, personal letters and pre-

attorney Schlosser

noted that these stories are typical of the

unconstitutional and discriminatory treat-

ment of homeless people in Mayor

Jordan's San Francisco. "Since homeless

individuals have no choice but to sleep in

public, are unable to pay fines, and cannot

be housed in the City's jails, the Matrix

program is a sham as a police enforcement

program."

Since the program was launched in

August, 1993 more than 5,000 enforce-

ment actions have been taken against

homeless persons. Most of these actions

have harassed homeless people based sole-

ly on their condition of being poor and

without housing.

"The City concedes that there is inade-

quate shelter for homeless persons in San

Francisco. State and federal legislatures

have done far too little to deal with the

request for alms clearly conveys informa-

tion regarding the speaker's plight.

Begging gives the speaker an opportunity

to spread his views and ideas on, among

problems of poverty and homelessness.

But San Francisco cannot resort to uncon-

stitutional acts in a misguided attempt to

right this wrong," Schlosser added.

As plaintiff Smith explained, "I am

bringing this lawsuit because the Matrix

students during the lobby reception.

The "Express Yourself?"' computer diskette was a major attraction for high school

other things, the way our society treats its

poor and disenfranchised."

Judge Orrick further ruled that the law

violates equal protection, because it pro-

hibits only approaches accompanied by a

request for personal charity. As Judge

Orrick noted: "One may approach and

speak at will to solicit directions or the

time of day, request signatures for a peti-

tion, or any other number of common

occurrences without running afoul of this

statute."

Judge Orrick rejected the City's claim

that the law is necessary for public protec-

tion, noting that other laws, which do not

restrict speech, prevent intimidating or

coercive behavior.

Following Judge Orrick's ruling, the

City submitted a formal settlement propos-

al, which Blair accepted, resulting in a

consent judgment against the City. The

City then sought unsuccessfully to with-

draw from the judgment, and has now

attempted to appeal from the consent judg-

ment.

Program makes me feel like it is against

the law to be homeless in San Francisco

and because the police have taken all my

possessions from me. I want to stop the

City of San Francisco from treating home-

less people like we are criminals."

Bill of Rights ...

Continued from page 5

warned. "The important thing is not the

victory. The moments when you feel the

most discouraged, look back and remem-

ber that very few knew victory in their

own lifetimes. But in the struggle for lib-

erty, time doesn't run out.

"The lesson learned must be: when

rights are denied, don't give in, don't give

up. In the fight for liberty, stamina is the

most important virtue."

ACLU-NC membership department

volunteer Molly Stolmack was honored

with the Lola Hanzel Courageous

reception.

The Christopher Pitts and Danny Spence Group entertained celebrants during the

Advocacy Award and the San Francisco

Community Music Center Children's

Chorus delighted the audience with inter-

national songs.

Omega Boys Club Co-founder Joseph

Marshall announced the winners of the

Freedom of Expression Art Show, a con-

test organized by the ACLU-NC San

Francisco Chapter. The student entries,

which ranged from poetry about arriving in

the United States from Guatemala feeling

"as free as a flying bird," to powerful oil

and watercolor paintings, were on display

in the hotel lobby.

Bill of Rights Day Celebration photos

by Shirley Nakao

aclu news 7

january - february 1994

Maldonado Named

Field Rep

Q: What do you get when you cross a

stand-up comedy writer with a social

worker experienced in crisis intervention

and advocacy for homeless women?

A: The new ACLU-NC Field Rep!

With apologies to Groucho, the

ACLU-NC is proud to announce the hiring

of Lisa Maldonado as the new Field

Representative; Maldonado replaces

Nancy Otto who moved to Washington,

D.C. in December after three years in the

ACLU-NC post.

Maldonado is no stranger to the

ACLU-NC having served as the affili-

ate's Legal Intake/Hotline Coordinator

since 1989. In that capacity, Maldonado

coordinated the Complaint Desk, super-

vising the volunteer phone counselors

and responding to a wide range of prob-

lems from people whose civil liberties

have been violated.

"T really love working with ACLU vol-

unteers who bring so much experience and

commitment to the organization," said

Maldonado. "It's inspiring to work with

people who give so generously of their time

after they do their paid jobs, and it's fun to

work with people who have led such inter-

esting lives in pursuit of social justice."

As Field Representative, Maldonado

will work with the Field Committee and

Field Director Marcia Gallo to coordinate

the work of the 18 ACLU chapters in

Northern California. Maldonado has

already trained several chapters in Hotline

operations, including how to set up a com-

plaint line, deal with callers, and tech-

niques for active listening and crisis coun-

seling. She also helped facilitate

Affirmative Action training for the San

Francisco Chapter and has other training

sessions scheduled for the Marin, Sonoma

and Peninsula Chapters.

Maldonado's first brush with civil lib-

erties battles came when she was a student

at Sequoia High School in Redwood City

and was putting out an underground news-

paper. "We took photos of racist graffiti at

the school to show that there was a prob-

lem with racism on campus - and the

principal tried to stop us. He would rather

censor our newspaper than admit there

was a problem," Maldonado recalls.

Since the mid-1980's, Maldonado has

used her communication and advocacy

skills in the service of homeless and bat-

tered women, having worked as a crisis

line coordinator and women's advocate at

San Francisco women's shelters including

La Casa de las Madres, Rosalie House and

the Homeless Prenatal Program. With her

irreverent sense of humor, she also wrote

stand-up comedy routines for a comedian

who performed in clubs in San Francisco

and Las Vegas.

Maldonado, who is bilingual in

English and Spanish, looks forward to

Honors for Chapter

Leader, Attorney

eteran ACLU-NC activist Richard

/ Criley was honored by the Baha'i

Association of Monterey County

on December 11 with the organization's

Human Rights Award for lifetime service

to others. Criley is the Executive Director

of the Monterey County Chapter of the

ACLU-NC and was the 1989 recipient of

the Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award.

ACLU-NC staff attorney Ed Chen was

honored by the Asian American Bar

Association on November 29 at the Third

Annual Unity Reception of the Minority

Bar Coalition. The award was presented at

a reception at the World Trade Club in San

Francisco. Chen, who has been with the

ACLU-NC since 1986, is an expert on

challenges to English only laws and ordi-

nances; Chen also handles ACLU litiga-

tion on hate crimes and drug testing.

ACLU Membership Lists

The ACLU obtains the names of

potential new members by renting our

membership/subscriber lists to, or

exchanging them with, other non-profit

organizations and _ publications.

Sometimes the ACLU defrays the cost of

its new member recruitment program by

renting its lists to selected organizations.

We do not make our lists available to

partisan political groups or to groups

whose programs are incompatible with

ACLU policies.

All lists are rented or exchanged

according to strict privacy procedures

recommended by the U. S. Privacy

Study Commission. We never give one

of our lists directly to any organization.

Instead, we send the list to a mailing

house that prints labels on the

envelopes of the organization that is

participating in the rental or exchange.

Thus, that organization never sees our

lists and never knows what names are

on it unless an individual responds to

the organization's mailing.

In addition, the ACLU always hon-

ors a member's request not to make his

or her name available-we are well

aware that receiving solicitations from

many groups can be irritating. If you do

not wish to receive materials from other

organizations, write to the ACLU-NC

Membership Department, 1663 Mission

Street, #460, San Francisco 94103 CA,

and we will see to it that your name is

eliminated from lists that are rented or

exchanged.

`Sometimes members who have

received multiple invitations to join the

ACLU have written to us deploring such

wastefulness. Please understand that the

electronic scanning device we use to

eliminate multiple solicitations does sig-

nificantly reduce their number, but it is

not perfect. For example, if a member's

name appears on our list as John J.

Jones, and on a rented prospect list as J.

J. Jones, the scanner will not eliminate

that duplication. If you receive two

copies of our newsletter at your home

and/or office. please remove both

address labels and send them to us so

we can consolidate the two listings. We

don't want to waste money on duplicate

mailings any more than you want to

receive them!

We remain grateful to ACLU mem-

bers who understand that rentals and

exchanges of lists-transacted under

strict privacy guidelines-are the cor-

nerstone of our new member acquisi-

tion program, which in turn is key to the

growth that increases our civil liberties

impact and influence.

New Field Representative Lisa Maldonado (left) with her predecessor Nancy Otto.

Union Maid Photo

working with the Chapters to combat anti-

immigrant hysteria and in continuing the

Field Department's efforts to bring police

review to local communities; she also lists

as priorities language rights issues and

building a strong grassroots response to

the current anti-crime measures which

trample on civil liberties.

And how does this former stand-up

comedy writer maintain her good spirits as

she works on the difficult issues which

often grind people down? "In order not to

be defeated by the day-to-day problems of

many of the individuals I see, it really

helps to work at the ACLU. Here, you can

see the bigger picture and strive for social

change with people who bring a ene his-

tory of activism.

"And now that the political Sante isa

little better - it's energizing to work in an

organization when you're not besieged.

The momentum's in our favor, so it's a

great time to organize for civil liberties,"

Maldonado said.

Manteca Student Can

Wear `Jesus' T-Shirt

to School

hen 14-year old Jean Davis

wore a T-shirt saying "Real

Women Love Jesus" to school,

she never thought she would get in trouble

for it.

But school authorities at Brock Elliot

Elementary School in Manteca told the

` eighth-grader that she was not allowed to

wear the message- bearing shirt, and made

her turn it inside out.

Although Davis did what the principal

told her "because I didn't want to get in

trouble," her grandfather and guardian

DiMaggio Hicks decided to fight the unfair

rule. "I'm concerned about religious free-

dom," said Hicks, "This is still supposed to

be a free country."

Hicks called the ACLU ee eee

Desk and was referred to

staff attorney Matthew

Coles. "The school's deci-

sion appears to be a rather

plain violation of the law,"

said Coles, who wrote to the

Manteca Unified School

District.

"The California

Education Code gives stu-

dents the right to freedom of

expression," explained

Coles in his letter. "I have

heard two rationales for the

restriction imposed on Ms.

Davis: first, that the mes-

sage might be offensive to

some people on religious

grounds, and second, that it

might be interpreted to con-

vey a sexual meaning.

"The first rationale fits

none of the exceptions [of

the law governing freedom

of expression at school.] As

to the second, while I sup-

sexual innuendo in almost anything, there

is little doubt that Ms. Davis' shirt is not

obscene," wrote Coles.

After hearing from Jean's grandfather

and receiving the ACLU letter, the school

district lifted the temporary ban on the T-

shirt.

Attorney Coles was laudatory of

Hicks' efforts to vindicate his grand-

daughter's rights at school. "In some

respects, the most distressing aspect of

this incident is the school's apparent mis-

understanding of the basic idea of free-

dom of expression.

"The response to a message which one

finds offensive should be counter expres-

sion, not an effort to stifle the first mes-

sage," he said.

Eighth-grader Jeannie Davis and her grandfather

DiMaggio Hicks display the T-shirt that was temporari-

pose a creative mind can find ly banned at her Manteca School.

naa

8

aclu news

january - february 1994

A monthly radio program on

civil liberties

KPFA 94.1 FM

and

KECEF 88.1 FM

(Fresno)

une in on

the first

i ednesday

view Of every

4 month at

7:30 PM

"Taking Liberties" explores how the Bill of Rights

affects our everyday lives. It features interviews and

call-ins with local and national experts on criminal

justice, the death penalty, reproductive rights, immi-

gration, student rights and more.

The monthly program, hosted by ACLU-NC Public

Information Director Elaine Elinson, also features a

special section with civil liberties news updates and

information on how listeners can make their voices

heard on crucial civil liberties issues.

Field Program Monthly Meetings

Chapter Meetings

(Chapter meetings are open to all inter-

ested members. Contact the Chapter

activist listed for your area.)

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

Kensington) Chapter Meeting: (Usually

fourth Thursday) Volunteers needed for

the chapter hotline - call Florence

Piliavin at 510/848-5195 for further

details. For more information, time and

address of meetings, contact Julie Houk,

510/848-4752.

Earl Warren (Oakland/Alameda

County) Chapter Meeting: (Usually sec-

ond Wednesday) Meet on Wednesday,

February 9 and March 9 at 7:30 PM in the

basement of the Temescal Branch of the

Oakland Library, 5205 Telegraph Avenue;

use the rear entrance. New volunteers wel-

come! For more information, call Jim

Murphy at 510/787-1472.

Fresno Chapter Meeting: (Usually third

Wednesday) Meet on Wednesday, January

19 and February 16 1994 at 7:00 PM at

Glendale Federal Bank/Community Room,

4191 N. Blackstone at Ashland, Fresno.

New members welcome! For more infor-

mation call Nadya Coleman at 209/229-

7178 (days) or the Chapter Hotline at

209/225-3780.

Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter

Meeting: (Usually first Thursday) Meet

on Thursday, February 3 and March 3 at

the ACLU-NC office, 1663 Mission Street,

#460, San Francisco. Mailings and other

activities start at 5:30 PM in February,

6:30 PM in March; speakers at 7:00 PM.

Business meeting starts at 7:30 PM. For

more information, contact Alissa Friedman

510/272-9700.

Marin County Chapter Meeting: (usual-

ly Third Monday) Meet Monday, January

24 and February 28, 7:30 PM,

WestAmerica Bank, 1204 Strawberry

Town and Country Village, Mill Valley.

For more information, contact Richard

Rosenberg at 415/434-2100.

Mid-Peninsula (Palo Alto area) Chapter

Meeting: (Usually fourth Thursday) Meet

Thursday, January 27 and February 24 at

7:30 PM at the California Federal Bank, El

Camino Real, Palo Alto. For more informa-

tion, contact Iris Barrie at 415/856-0193.

Monterey County Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Tuesday) Meet Tuesday,

February 15 at the Monterey Library,

Community Room, Pacific and Madison

Streets, Monterey. The Annual Meeting is

on Saturday, January 29 from 2:00 - 4:30

PM. at the Monterey Library, address

above. Meeting will feature presentation of

awards to high school essay contest win-

ners and the Francis Heisler Award to

Michael Manlin and Walker James. For

more information, contact Richard Criley,

408/624-7562.

Mt. Diablo (Contra Costa County)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually third

Thursday) For more information, call

Hotline at 510/939-ACLU.

North Peninsula (San Mateo area)

Chapter Meeting: (Usually third

Monday) Meet on Monday, February 21,

1994 at 7:30 PM. at Planned Parenthood.

For more information, contact Audrey

Guerin at 415/574-4053.

North Valley (Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama

and Trinity Counties) For more informa-

tion write to: Tillie Smith, P.O. Box 2503,

Redding, CA. 96099.

Redwood (Humboldt County) Chapter

Meeting: (Usually third Monday) Meet

Monday, February 21 at 7:15 PM at the

Plaza Grill, Arcata. For more information

contact Christina Huskey at 707/444-6595.

Sacramento Valley Chapter Meeting:

(Usually second Wednesday) Meet on .

Wednesday, February 9 and March 9, at

6:00 PM at Shakey's Pizza, 59th and J

Streets, Sacramento. For more informa-

tion, contact Ruth Ordas, 916/488-9956.

San Francisco Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Tuesday) Meet on Tuesday,

February 15 at 6:45 PM at the 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,

February 1 and March 1, at the

Community Bank Building, 3rd Floor

Conference Room, corner of Market/St.

John Streets, San Jose. Contact Larry

Jensen at 408/244-4570, for further infor-

mation.

Santa Cruz County Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Thursday) Meet on

Tuesday, February 17, 1994. Molly Ivins,

author, journalist and liberal commentator

will speak at a fundraiser for the Santa

Cruz Chapter on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30

PM at the First Congregational Church,

900 High Street, Santa Cruz. Her talk is

entitled How to Have Fun While

Fighting for Freedom. There will be a

booksigning event for her most recent

book Nothing But Good Times Ahead.

Tickets are $17.50 (includes Santa Cruz

city tax). Tickets are available at Bookshop

Santa Cruz and at the Women's Law and

Mediation Center, 104 Walnut Street, Suite

203, Santa Cruz. They can also be pur-

chased by mail. Please mail your checks

with a stamped self-addressed envelope to

ACLU, Box 66604, Scotts Valley, CA,

95067-6604.

Sonoma County Chapter Meeting:

(Usually third Wednesday) Meet on

Wednesday February 16, 1994 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.

Annual Dinner is on Friday, January 28,

at the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial

Building, 282 High Street, Sebastopol. No-

Host Bar at 5:30 PM, Dinner at 7:00 PM.

Advance paid reservation $15.00 before

January 20 and $20.00 after. Low income

$10.00, children 16 or under $5.00.

Vegetarian, low income and free childcare

available only with advance paid reserva-

tion. Keynote speaker will be Larry

Bensky, National Affairs Correspondent

with Pacifica Radio. He will speak on

National Security and Civil Liberties in

the Clinton Years. Hispanic community

organizer Christina Briano will receive

the Jack Green Civil Liberties Award. For

advanced paid reservation, send a check

or money order to: P.O. Box 14181, Santa

Rosa, CA. 95402., or call Steve Thorton,

number above.

Yolo County Chapter Meeting: (Usually

third Thursday) Meet on Thursday,

January 20 and February 17. For more

information, call Natalie Wormeli at

916/756-1900 or the Chapter Hotline at

916/756-ACLU.

Field Action

Meetings

(All meetings except those noted will be

held at the ACLU-NC Office, 1663

Mission Street, 460, San Francisco.)

Student Outreach Committee: Meet

on Saturday, March 12 from 10:30 AM

to 12:30 PM. Following the meeting,

there will be a speaker training on Youth

and the Police. Contact Marcia Gallo at

ACLU-NC 415/621-2493, for more

information.

Student Advisors Planning meetings for

the next SAY WHAT!?!3 Student

Conference will be on Saturday,

February 12 and March 12, at 2:00 PM.

Contact Marcia Gallo at ACLU-NC

415/621-2493 for more information.