Speaking Freely With the ACLU-PA: Recent Episodes
ACLU of Pennsylvania
This is the podcast that tells the story of civil liberties in Pennsylvania. You'll hear from our staff, our clients, and our allies about the most prominent civil liberties issues of the day.
In October, ACLU-PA released a new report called Cold Reality: Uncovering the Cruelty and Chaos of ICE Practices in Pennsylvania. The report is an analysis of documents obtained from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, and what they show about the harm that ICE enforcement actions do to families and communities.Here to talk about it are Vanessa Stine, senior staff attorney for immigrants’ rights at the ACLU of PA; Laura Perkins, human rights organizer with Casa San Jose in Pittsburgh; and Professor Caitlin Barry of Villanova University School of Law and the director of the law school’s Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic.Read the report at this link: https://www.aclupa.org/en/publications/cold-reality-uncovering-cruelty-and-chaos-ice-operations-pennsylvania
Both the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions guarantee the right to an attorney for someone facing criminal charges, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. But for decades, Pennsylvania has been woefully inadequate in ensuring that people living in poverty receive effective representation. So in June, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, with volunteer attorneys from several law firms, sued the governor and the leaders of the General Assembly because the executive and legislative branches have failed their constitutional duties.In this episode, we hear from Veronica Miller, senior policy counsel for criminal legal reform, and Ari Shapell, fellowship attorney, both at the ACLU of PA. Veronica and Ari are co-counsel in the case, Warren v. Commonwealth. In this conversation, they explain how Pennsylvania’s indigent defense system has failed and what we hope to achieve with this litigation.Learn more about this case at this link: https://www.aclupa.org/defenders
Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. And based on his first turn as president and his rhetoric in the campaign, we know that he and his cronies are a clear and present danger to our most basic freedoms and to democracy itself.So what does that mean for the ACLU, as an organization dedicated to defend people’s civil liberties? And what does it mean for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, as an organization that is largely working at the state and local level?To talk through what’s ahead in challenging the incoming Trump administration, we hear from Mike Lee, executive director of the ACLU-PA, and Vic Walczak, ACLU-PA’s legal director.Support the work of the ACLU of PA at www.aclupa.org/join.
In 2024, ACLU-PA and our partners have taken a different approach with our legal strategy than in past election cycles. This year, we’ve implemented a proactive strategy to make sure that voters who want to cast a ballot can do so without unnecessary hurdles.Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, joins the pod to talk about it. By the time you listen to this, it’s possible that there will be new rulings in the cases discussed in this episode. To get the latest updates, go to www.aclupa.org/litigation and click the dropdown box to choose “voting rights.”
In the run up to this year’s election, we here at the ACLU knew that candidates would be talking about the two issues of immigration and public safety. Knowing that was coming, the ACLU has been engaged all year in a research project called Battleground Blueprint. We’ve deployed multiple rounds of surveys in multiple states, including Pennsylvania, to get a better look at voters’ attitudes on these two issues.On this episode, we’ll hear from three people who have been actively involved in this project - Ellen Flenniken, deputy director of the ACLU’s Justice Division, Anu Joshi, national campaigns director on immigration for the ACLU, and Jeff Liszt, a partner at Impact Research, the pollster that conducted the survey in Pennsylvania. More information about the Pennsylvania results is available here: https://www.aclupa.org/solutionsAnd information about the nationwide project is here: https://www.aclu.org/battleground-polling
More than 20 years ago, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to prohibit people who are living with a criminal record from voting. But misinformation about those rights persists here in Pennsylvania. In this episode, we hear from ACLU-PA executive director Mike Lee and Saleem Holbrook, executive director of Abolitionist Law Center and a member of ACLU-PA’s board of directors. Mike and Saleem talk about who can and can’t vote in PA based on their involvement with the criminal legal system and why it matters.Learn more about voting with a criminal conviction here: https://www.aclupa.org/en/know-your-rights/voting-criminal-convictionAnd learn more about the Abolitionist Law Center at their website:https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/
The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently wrapped up its work on the new state budget. Elizabeth Randol, ACLU-PA’s legislative director, talks about all that has happened in this session around civil liberties. Liz dives into ACLU-PA’s priority issues, including voting rights, free speech, and decarceration, and also talks about emerging issues that came to the fore in this session.For more information about ACLU-PA's legislative work, including our scorecard of how legislators voted, visit www.aclupa.org/legislation.
The impact that counties have on how we vote, where we vote, and even whether our vote is counted is enormous. On this episode, we hear from Beth Gilbert of Action Together NEPA and In This Together NEPA, where she is the voting and elections manager, and Marian Schneider, senior policy counsel for voting rights at the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Beth and Marian describe the ways in which counties impact how elections are run and also some of the current issues with county administration of elections in Pennsylvania.Visit www.actiontogethernepa.org, www.inthistogethernepa.org, and aclupa.org/letpeoplevote to learn more.
Historically, America’s public schools have been spaces where debates and resistance to civil liberties have played out. From racial integration to political protests, protecting the rights of students has been central to the story of constitutional rights.The times we’re in now are no different. In this episode, we hear from three advocates who have been helping people organize to support inclusive education in their schools - Alex Domingos of ACLU-PA, Ashli Giles-Perkins of the Education Law Center, and Ronna Dewey of Red Wine and Blue PA. The organizations are part of a new coalition called Pennsylvanians for Welcoming and Inclusive Schools, or PAWInS. Ashli, Ronna, and Alex talk about why the coalition came together and what you can do if you feel moved to advocate for inclusive education at your school district.Learn more about PAWInS at www.pawins.org.
In episode 83, we’re introducing our new executive director, Mike Lee. Mike joined ACLU-PA in January after serving for six years in the administration of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. In this conversation, Mike talks about what brought him to this moment leading the ACLU of Pennsylvania, his vision for the organization, and our priorities for 2024.
In February, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that he would continue the moratorium on executions started by his predecessor, Tom Wolf. Shapiro also went a step further than Wolf, calling on the legislature to repeal the death penalty in its entirety.Marc Bookman is the executive director of the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, a former attorney in the homicide unit of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and the author of A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays. In this conversation, Marc explains just how dysfunctional capital punishment is in Pennsylvania and why, despite two decades since the last execution, the death penalty is very real in the commonwealth.Resources:Atlantic Center for Capital Representation: https://www.atlanticcenter.org/A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays: https://thenewpress.com/books/descending-spiral
Libraries are a critical institution for supporting the freedom to read and freedom of thought. In the United States, libraries have been terribly underfunded for years, and now they’re being targeted by extremist activists for fulfilling their fundamental mission - to promote access to ideas.Library Freedom Project is challenging that and working to maintain the library’s place in our democratic society. In this episode, we hear from Alison Macrina, director of Library Freedom Project, which works to protect “information democracy.”ResourcesLibrary Freedom Project: https://libraryfreedom.org/
Pennsylvania’s 2023 primary election is right around the corner, on May 16, and with the delivery of mail and absentee ballots, voting is already underway. So the time is right to hear from Marian Schneider, ACLU-PA’s senior policy counsel for voting rights, and Khalif Ali, formerly of Common Cause PA and now with the New Pennsylvania Project. Marian and Khalif talk about the state of democracy, what challenges we’re facing in protecting the vote, and what opportunities may arise with changes in power at the state capitol.ResourcesKnow your voting rights: www.aclupa.org/voteNonpartisan election protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)Common Cause PA: www.commoncause.org/pennsylvaniaNew Pennsylvania Project: www.newpaproject.org
It's 4/20! What was once a day of counter-cultural actions has gone mainstream. But we recognize it, nonetheless, especially since there are still big issues to tackle in cannabis policy, including the fact that upwards of 20,000 people are arrested per year for marijuana possession in Pennsylvania, disproportionately Black Pennsylvanians. In this episode, we hear from Brian Brown, a cartoonist based in Philadelphia and the creator of the comic strip Legalization Nation, which is a syndicated documentary comic that delves into news stories related to cannabis. In our conversation, Brian talks about his own history as a consumer, including being arrested as a teen; why being a registered medical marijuana patient in Pennsylvania has radicalized him; and how his cartoons make these policy debates accessible for readers.Brian has written and illustrated several books, including the New York Times best seller Andre the Giant: Life and Legend and Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America, which tells the history of marijuana prohibition.Find Brian's work online at boxbrown.com and on Twitter and Instagram with the handle [at]boxbrown.
The police tactic of stop-and-frisk is back in the news and has become a campaign issue in the 2023 elections in Philadelphia. Some candidates for mayor and for city council have suggested that escalating its use against pedestrians in the city should be on the table as a public safety measure.For 12 years, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and co-counsel from the law firm Kairys Rudovsky Messing Feinberg and Linn have been enforcing a settlement in a 2010 lawsuit against the city over the aggressive, illegal, and unconstitutional use of stop-and-frisk by Philadelphia police. In this episode, we hear from the Rev. Mark Tyler of POWER, Yahaira Galarza, a community ambassador for ACLU-PA, and Mary Catherine Roper, former deputy legal director of the ACLU of PA. Mary Catherine is now an attorney with the law firm Langer Grogan and Diver and is co-counsel in the lawsuit Bailey v. City of Philadelphia, the case that challenged the city police department’s use of stop-and-frisk.ResourcesPOWER: https://powerinterfaith.org/Stop-and-frisk: A clear failure of public safety policy, by Mary Catherine Roper and Frederick Bates: https://www.aclupa.org/en/news/stop-and-frisk-clear-failure-public-safety-policyBailey et al. v. City of Philadelphia: https://www.aclupa.org/en/cases/bailey-et-al-v-city-philadelphia-et-al
People serving extreme prison sentences or who may be out of prison but find their lives complicated and harmed by a past conviction can seek relief through clemency, the process in which a sentence is commuted or a conviction is pardoned. It's a long process that involves approval from both the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and the governor.
In this episode, we learn more about why people seek clemency, what they have to do to get it, and how the intersection of the immigration and criminal legal systems can have a devastating impact on immigrants and their families. To explain this, we hear from Maria Goellner of FAMM, David Bennion of Free Migration Project, and Jesenia Calderon, whose father Denis was deported to Peru in 2009 after an aggravated assault conviction in Philadelphia.
On August 2 and 3, the Board of Pardons will hold a series of public hearings on multiple cases, including Denis Calderon. A webcast of the board's hearings will be available at this link: https://www.bop.pa.gov/Board-Information/Pages/Board-Meeting-Dates.aspx
Learn more about FAMM's work in Pennsylvania, including on clemency: https://famm.org/our-work/states-where-we-are-working/pennsylvania/
For more information about the case of Denis Calderon and his cousin Julio Maldonado, visit Free Migration Project's website: https://freemigrationproject.org/justice-for-denis-2/
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its own precedents and ruled that access to abortion is not a right guaranteed by the Constitution, five justices did something that the Supreme Court has rarely done - rolled back an existing guarantee of liberty.
In this emergency episode of Speaking Freely, we hear from ACLU-PA Deputy Legal Director Sara Rose and Senior Policy Advocate Julie Zaebst. Sara and Julie have been part of our team that has been responding to the Dobbs decision. In this conversation, we specifically discuss the impacts of the court’s ruling in Pennsylvania - on patients and providers, on the political landscape, and in the courts.
Tell your state senator to vote "no" on Senate Bill 956: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-abortion-amendment
Become an Abortion Care Champion with ACLU-PA: https://action.aclu.org/webform/pa-abortion-care-champ
Episode 74 is part two of our discussion about cash bail. In this episode, we hear from Alex Domingos of ACLU-PA and the Dauphin County Bail Fund and Michelle Batt of the Lancaster Bail Fund. Alex and Michelle explain what a bail fund is and what role it plays in the work to end pretrial detention. As an activist in Lancaster County, Michelle also explains the impact that ACLU-PA’s lawsuit against the county over its cash bail practices has had and how grassroots advocates have been arguing for the same reforms for over a year.
Dauphin County Bail Fund: https://dauphincountybailfund.org/ Lancaster Bail Fund: https://lancasterbailfund.org/
"ACLU's lawsuit affirms need for bail reform now" by Michelle Batt: https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/aclu-s-lawsuit-affirms-need-for-bail-reform-now-column/article_58d1f32a-cd33-11ec-9f4b-fb1bd2a8e075.html
There are many public policies that have fed mass incarceration in Pennsylvania and in this country, from extreme sentencing to overpolicing to duplicate offenses that criminalize a single act. One of those policy choices is the commonwealth’s overuse of cash bail. On any given day, there are more than 30,000 people in Pennsylvania’s county jails. A majority of them have been accused but not convicted of a crime. And many of them are only in jail because they’ve been ordered to post cash bail but don’t have the money to pay it.
On this episode, we hear from ACLU-PA's Jessica Li, our criminal justice investigator, and Nyssa Taylor, ACLU-PA’s criminal justice strategic litigation and policy counsel. Jess talks about the findings and recommendations of our report Broken Rules: How Pennsylvania Courts Use Cash Bail to Incarcerate People Before Trial, and Nyssa tells us more about why we sued several magisterial district judges in Lancaster County for their cash bail practices.
Read the report: https://aclupa.org/en/broken_rules_report
Learn more about ACLU-PA's lawsuit against Lancaster County: https://aclupa.org/lancaster-bail
Happy 4/20 to all who celebrate! Since February, committees in the state Senate have held several hearings on ending prohibition and legalizing recreational cannabis, as bipartisan support for the idea slowly builds in the state legislature.
So what does legalization look like? On this episode, we hear from Alison Holcomb, political director of the ACLU of Washington and campaign director of New Approach Washington, the 2012 effort to win voters' approval of a ballot initiative to legalize recreational cannabis. In this conversation, Alison explains the benefits of ending prohibition, how Washington's cannabis policies can be improved, and popular myths that have been proven wrong by the state's eight-year experience with cannabis retail sales.
Learn more about the ACLU of Washington at aclu-wa.org, on Facebook [at]acluwa, and on Twitter [at]ACLU_WA.
Students around the state returned to full-time, in-person this school year, and their return revealed yet again the need for supports that help them succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
Unfortunately, in this environment, some schools continue to rely on police to handle routine discipline. In this episode, ACLU-PA Community Advocate Ghadah Makoshi explains the programming that benefits students and prevents conflicts from occurring in the first place, the policy choices that schools are making, and who is most likely to be impacted by police presence in schools.
Ghadah also discusses a new ACLU-PA report, which she co-authored, that reveals that students in Allegheny County public schools are more likely to be arrested in school than their peers around the state, that Black students and students with disabilities are arrested disproportionately in the county's public schools, and that many districts are not reporting their arrest data to state and federal agencies, as required by law.
The report is available at this link: https://aclupa.org/en/publications/student-arrests-allegheny-county-schools-need-transparency-and-accountability
Ghadah's blog post "Students Need More Support and Compassion, not Increased Punishment" is available here: https://aclupa.org/en/news/students-need-more-support-and-compassion-not-increased-punishment
In theory, a probation sentence in the criminal legal system should be an alternative to incarceration. The problem? In practice, it feeds mass incarceration, with restrictive rules that set people up for failure.
In this episode, we hear from Dolly Prabhu, staff attorney for Abolitionist Law Center, and Kate Parker and Byron Cotter from the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Dolly, Kate, and Byron explain how probation functions, why it's flawed, and what kind of reform is needed of Pennsylvania's probation system. (Hint: It's not in the legislation currently being debated at the PA General Assembly.)
Learn more about Senate Bill 913 at this link: https://aclupa.org/en/legislation/sb-913-probation
Contact your state rep and tell them to vote NO on SB 913 at this link: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-oppose-sb913
2021 proved that the ACLU is as relevant as ever. The fights go on. In this episode, we hear from ACLU-PA Executive Director Reggie Shuford, who talks about the year that was and the year ahead in 2022. Reggie explains the issues we're prioritizing, the ongoing threats to democracy, and our commitment to living our values as an organization.
Like other lawmakers in a handful of states, Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have initiated a sham review of the 2020 general election. On a party-line vote, a committee of the state Senate voted to subpoena the personally identifying information of all nine million registered voters in Pennsylvania. The subpoena demands voters' names, addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers.
ACLU-PA has joined a lawsuit challenging the subpoena as co-counsel for eight individuals and three advocacy organizations - Make The Road Pennsylvania, Common Cause PA, and the League of Women Voters of PA. Oral arguments in the case will be held on December 15 before the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg.
In this episode, we hear from Diana Robinson, civic engagement director for Make The Road PA, and Marian Schneider, consulting attorney on elections and voting rights for ACLU-PA. Marian and Diana discuss why the Senate's sham review is an unnecessary distraction from real issues, why it threatens both voting rights and the right to privacy, and how supporters of democracy can support and protect the franchise.
Learn more about this case at aclupa.org/Dush. Learn more about the work of Make The Road PA at maketheroadpa.org, on Facebook, and on Twitter [at]MakeTheRoadPA.
The fight around abortion access has once again made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. And around the country, abortion liberation activists are unpacking what a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade or rolling back access could mean for the landscape of abortion health care.
On this episode of Speaking Freely, we are joined by Elicia Gonzales, executive director of the Abortion Liberation Fund of PA, formerly known as the Women’s Medical Fund, and Lizbeth Rodriguez, community engagement coordinator for the Philadelphia Women’s Centers. They discuss how restrictions are currently impacting their work, the need for funding and community support, how abortion restrictions are rooted in white supremacy, and how their organizations are adapting and preparing so that they can continue to fight for abortion liberation across Pennsylvania.
This episode was hosted by Cambriae Lee, ACLU-PA marketing and brand manager, and Julie Zaebst, ACLU-PA senior policy advocate.
To support the Abortion Liberation Fund of PA and the Women's Centers, visit their websites.
Abortion Liberation Fund of PA: https://www.womensmedicalfund.org
The Women's Centers: https://www.thewomenscenters.com/take-action
In August, staff at Central York High School were issued a long list of materials that could not be used in classroom instruction, per a ban by the district's board. What all of the resources had in common was that they were by or about people of color.
After the situation became public in a story by the York Dispatch, students and staff at Central York fought back, staging multiple protests and bringing local and national media attention to the school's censorship. On September 20, the school board rescinded the ban, although the board stated that it will further review the materials later this fall.
In this episode, we talk with three students and two teachers who were in the middle of the pushback against the ban.
The list of banned materials is available at this link: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2021/09/14/books-and-other-resources-banned-central-york-school-board/8333108002/
For a decade, the ACLU-PA has been part of the team monitoring how the Philadelphia police use stops and frisks of pedestrians on city streets. The monitoring process stems from the settlement of a 2010 lawsuit brought against the city by ten Black and Latinx men who were illegally stopped on account of their race.
While there's been progress in the ten years since the settlement, thousands of people are illegally stopped without legal justification every year, and racial disparities in who gets stopped remain.
On August 1, the Philadelphia police implemented a new pilot program, under court order, in the city's 14th police district, which covers parts of Northwest Philly. In this program, police do not stop and detain people who are committing any of one of a long list of minor offenses. They simply ask them to stop the activity and move along.
In this episode, we hear from Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the ACLU-PA, and Frederick Bates, a community ambassador for ACLU-PA who is helping to get the word out to residents about the new program. Ultimately, the goal is for this program to go citywide.
To learn more, visit aclupa.org/stopandfrisk.
For approximately two decades, Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania has had a working agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold people in detention on ICE’s behalf. Under the leadership of presidents from both major political parties, the facility has held parents and children as young as newborns.
Several years ago, a coalition of faith leaders, immigration activists, and civil rights advocates came together to create a coalition that calls for an end to Berks County’s agreement with ICE and demands an end to family detention altogether. In this episode, we hear from three leaders of the Shutdown Berks Coalition - Jasmine Rivera, the Reverend Linda Theophilus, and Armando Jimenez. Jasmine, Pastor Linda, and Armando explain what life is like for people held at Berks, what the coalition has been doing to advance this cause, and why the work goes on even though the facility is empty today.
Take action by signing the coalition's petition to end family detention and all immigration detention: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/biden-end-immigrant-family-detention-separation-end-all-immigrant-detention-deportations?source=direct_link&fbclid=IwAR0cAkxSJRuQljSjAk8I_SrcSHNMG4_LlCl6KqRS1OvSKTf2dN8A9aXERrs
Follow Shut Down Berks on Twitter [at]shutdownberks and on Facebook [at]shutdownberkscoalition.
Eighteen years ago, after receiving a courtesy ride from a Philadelphia police officer, Nizah Morris, a Black trans woman, was found hit over the head. She died shortly after. After years of asking for police transparency and answers, Nizah's murder is still unsolved, and evidence from her case remains unavailable to the public.
On this episode, we are joined by PGN reporter Timothy Cwiek who has covered the case for almost two decades and has fought tirelessly for police transparency. Additionally, Reporter's Committee Legal Initiative Attorney Paula Knudsen Burke brings legal insight to Pennsylvania laws around transparency. And ACLU-PA Trans Justice Coordinator Naiymah Sanchez explains issues that trans women face today.
Follow Tim's reporting on Nizah Morris here: https://epgn.com/?s=Nizah+morris.
Learn more about our trans justice work: https://www.transformationpa.org/.
With the state budget deadline looming on June 30, this month is the busy season - or the silly season - at the PA General Assembly. Lawmakers are debating reproductive rights, voting rights, and the continued expansion of the criminal legal system. Here to discuss it all is ACLU-PA's legislative director, Elizabeth Randol.
See how your state lawmakers are voting on civil liberties on our legislative scorecard: https://aclupalegislativescorecard.org/#/
Read the updated edition of our report More Law Less Justice at this link: https://aclupa.org/en/publications/more-law-less-justice-2021
As more states legalize cannabis, including New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania is at risk of being left behind, continuing to enforce an outdated, archaic prohibition regime that mixes up more than 20,000 people in the criminal legal system every year. In this episode, Yoko Miyashita explains the economic implications of legalization, including the need for greater racial equity in the industry, and why she traveled all the way from Seattle to be in Harrisburg on 4/20.
Plus, hear from ACLU-PA's Alex Domingos and state Representative Brian Sims.
Learn more about Leafly at https://www.leafly.com/.
2021 Leafly Jobs Report: https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/cannabis-jobs-report
Deborah Archer is a professor at New York University School of Law, where she is the co-faculty director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. She's also the new president of the ACLU, the eighth in the organization's history and the first Black person to serve in the role. In this conversation, Professor Archer discusses her vision for the ACLU, how her life experience as a Black woman and the daughter of immigrants inspires her work, and what and who keeps her going when things are really hard.
Follow Professor Archer on Twitter [at]DeborahNArcher.
"Meet Deborah Archer" https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/meet-deborah-archer-aclu-national-board-president/
Learn more about the ACLU's Systemic Equality initiative: https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/systemic-equality-addressing-americas-legacy-of-racism-and-systemic-discrimination/
On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in B.L. v. Mahanoy Area School District. In 2017, a Mahanoy student was kicked off the junior varsity cheerleading team after she posted a "snap" on Snapchat that said "fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything" while hanging out with a friend at a convenience store on a Saturday. Represented by the ACLU of PA, the student challenged the school's punishment and won four ensuing court decisions.
In this episode, we hear from the student, Brandi Levy, along with ACLU-PA Legal Director Vic Walczak and Mary Beth Tinker, one of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court's landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines. They talk about what's at stake in this case and why students should have the constitutionally protected right to express themselves.
Oral arguments will be livestreamed on April 28 at 10am at this link: https://www.c-span.org/video/?510036-1/mahanoy-area-schools-district-v-bl-oral-argument
Learn more about this case here: https://www.aclupa.org/en/cases/bl-v-mahanoy-area-school-district
"Punished for a Snapchat: Why School Shouldn't Police Students' Speech Outside of School" https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/punished-for-a-snapchat-why-schools-shouldnt-police-students-speech-outside-of-school/
It's 4/20! And arrests for marijuana possession continue apace in Pennsylvania. Chris Goldstein of NORML joins the podcast and reviews the latest arrest data, celebrates progress on ending prohibition around the country, and talks about what the legalization movement can do differently.
Chris on Twitter: [at]freedomisgreen Chris's writing for NORML: https://norml.org/blog/author/chrisgoldstein/
"A cynical stoner looks back on 4/20" Published April 23, 2018 https://www.inquirer.com/philly/business/cannabis/a-cynical-stoner-looks-back-on-420-20180423.html
Women from the ACLU of Pennsylvania discuss women's rights and the inclusion of BIPOC women and trans women in the movement for women's rights. This conversation was recorded as a Facebook Live on March 22, 2021, in celebration of Women's History Month.
For more information about the ACLU of Pennsylvania, visit https://aclupa.org.
In normal times, women who are incarcerated face a unique set of challenges that are different from men's. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded those challenges. Ivy Johnson, Adrian Perry, and Dr. Jill McCorkel are members of the Incarcerated Women's Working Group, a coalition of 40 public interest organizations in Philadelphia advocating for women who are in jails and prisons. In this episode, they describe some of the challenges that women inside are facing in the Philadelphia jails and in the state Department of Corrections and talk about why decarceration is needed now more than ever.
"The Other Public Health Crisis in Prisons and Jails" by Dr. Jill McCorkel: https://www.penncapital-star.com/covid-19/mental-health-the-other-public-health-crisis-in-pa-s-prisons-and-jails-opinion/
"Supporting Women in the Criminal Legal System Through Access to Diversion Programs," a new report by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia: https://clsphila.org/criminal-records/report-women-diversionary-programs/
A proposal before the Pennsylvania General Assembly would completely upend how voters elect judges and justices to our state appeals courts. House Bill 38 is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would create geographical judicial districts, with each judge and justice on the state Superior, Commonwealth, and Supreme Courts representing those districts, ending our current practice of statewide judicial elections. Opponents, including ACLU-PA, call it judicial gerrymandering, in anticipation that the legislature would draw the districts to benefit their party, as they do with legislative districts.
Kadida Kenner is the director of campaigns for Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. In this episode, she explains why judicial gerrymandering is so problematic and what you can do about it.
Learn more at www.judicialindependencepa.org.
You can send an email to your state representative in opposition to House Bill 38 at this link: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-stop-judicial-gerrymandering
The civil liberties impact of the three crises of 2020 - the COVID-19 pandemic, the racial reckoning captured in the Black Lives Matter movement, and the election - cannot be overstated. In this episode, ACLU-PA Executive Director Reggie Shuford explains how the organization managed, survived, and thrived and takes a look ahead to 2021.
ACLU-PA and Drexel University Kline School of Law letter to the United Nations on abuse by Philadelphia police: www.aclupa.org/UNletter
ACLU-PA's COVID-19 work: www.aclupa.org/covid-19
ACLU-PA statement on the Philadelphia police murder of Walter Wallace, Jr.: https://aclupa.org/en/press-releases/aclu-pa-statement-philadelphia-police-killing-walter-wallace-jr
Send a message to Philadelphia city officials to divest in law enforcement and invest in people: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-end-police-violence-in-philly
40 people incarcerated in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections have died from COVID-19. 29 of them have died since October 15. As of December 7, there are 2,000 active cases among the DOC population.
Robert Saleem Holbrook of Abolitionist Law Center joins the podcast to discuss the urgency of this moment and the failure of Governor Wolf's response. He also talks about how the state victim advocate and the Pennsylvania attorney general have contributed to mass incarceration, why people sentenced to death-by-incarceration should have the chance to come home, and how "a movement" gave him that chance.
Learn more about ALC at www.abolitionistlawcenter.org and follow them on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
As part of the ACLU's Centennial celebration, the writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon published the book Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases. The book features 40 writers with each writing a chapter about a different ACLU case. Beyond a simple rehash of the cases, the writers explore their own connections to the issues in the cases and how decades-old cases are still relevant in 2020.
Ayelet and Michael took part in a book talk as part of the ACLU Centennial Pittsburgh celebration, and this episode features that conversation.
ACLU-PA has teamed up with White Whale bookstore in Pittsburgh to sell signed copies of the book, with an online purchase option for people who don't live in Pittsburgh. Learn more at this link: https://whitewhalebookstore.com/readytoship/fight-of-the-century
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court hears arguments in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, a challenge to the city's enforcement of its nondiscrimination ordinance in its contracts with foster care agencies. The city was sued by Catholic Social Services, which argues that it has a First Amendment right to discriminate against same-sex couples while fulfilling a government contract. In this episode, we hear from Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of the ACLU of PA, about the legal issues in this case and from Samantha Hutcherson Bannon and Greg Yorgey-Girdey of Philadelphia Family Pride, who talk about their families and why it's so important for them to be part of this case.
More information about this case: aclupa.org/fulton
After Philadelphia police murdered Walter Wallace, Jr., on October 26, ACLU-PA called on city council and Mayor Kenney to divest from the city police department and invest in community support programs. Take action and send that message to city council and the mayor: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-end-police-violence-in-philly
ACLU-PA's election protection work has been at full speed for months. In this episode, Sara Mullen, advocacy and policy director; Vic Walczak, legal director; and Elizabeth Randol, legislative director, talk about what election protection means, what our team has been doing, and what it means for you as a voter.
Trouble with voting? Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE. 866-687-8683.
Visit our Know Your Rights page at aclupa.org/vote. Learn more about volunteer opportunities for election protection at aclupa.org/volunteer. And learn more about the cases we're involved in at aclupa.org/cases.
Marian Schneider served as deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of State under Governor Wolf and has worked as a voting rights attorney for 15 years. In this episode, Marian answers some of the most common questions we hear about voting.
Know your rights when voting by visiting our website, aclupa.org/vote. And if you have trouble voting, call or text 866-OUR-VOTE. 866-687-8683
Election season is here, and Alexa Grant of Common Cause PA and Donnell Drinks of ACLU-PA fill us in on some of the things you need to know before you vote.
Know your rights: aclupa.org/vote
Register, check your registration, find your polling place: votesPA.com
Common Cause PA online: commoncause.org/pennsylvania
Volunteer to be a voting ambassador: aclupa.org/votingvolunteers
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that discrimination in the workplace against LGBQ&T people is a form of sex discrimination. What does the ruling mean for people in Pennsylvania? And what is the additional work that needs to be done to be sure that prohibitions on discrimination are comprehensive? For this episode, we hear from Naiymah Sanchez, transgender justice coordinator for the ACLU of PA, and Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director of ACLU-PA. They talk about their reactions to the ruling and what it means; plus, Naiymah talks about her appreciation for Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health and the state's only trans statewide official, and Mary Catherine previews another LGBQ&T case that will be before the Supreme Court in its next session.
State government can have profound impacts on Pennsylvanians' lives, for better and for worse. On this episode, ACLU-PA Legislative Director Elizabeth Randol talks about her work lobbying the state Legislature on civil liberties, how probation reform turned into probation deform, and legislators' responses to the crisis in policing. She also gives grades for how the General Assembly has handled a wide range of issues.
Learn more about ACLU-PA's legislative work at aclupa.org/legislation.
In the last 20 years, the presence of police officers in schools has increased dramatically, to the detriment of the lives and futures of students. The harm of police in schools has particular impact on students of color, with disabilities, and of limited income. In this episode, we hear from Harold Jordan, senior policy advocate for ACLU-PA, who has spent decades advocating for students' civil rights.
Visit our website www.endzerotolerance.org.
And read this opinion piece from Ghadah Makoshi, community advocate for ACLU-PA: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/police-reforms-school-resource-officers-20200626.html
What does it mean to divest in police? Paige Fernandez, policing policy advisor for national ACLU, joins the podcast to talk about how we change the police by shrinking their size, scope, and power and why reform didn't work.
Defunding the police will actually make us safer By Paige Fernandez, ACLU https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/defunding-the-police-will-actually-make-us-safer/
Curtailing the enforcers of white supremacy By Reggie Shuford, ACLU-PA https://www.aclupa.org/en/news/curtailing-enforcers-white-supremacy
Tell Congress to stop funding local police departments and to stop providing them with military equipment: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/congress-end-police-militarization-and-over-policing-our-communities-now?ms=wwwactionpage&initms=wwwactionpage&ms_aff=NAT&initms_aff=NAT&ms_chan=web&initms_chan=web
The Philadelphia Bail Fund works to put itself out of business by ending the use of cash bail and pretrial punishment. Malik Neal, co-founder and director of the Philadelphia Bail Fund, explains the organization's work, how it supports people who are detained pretrial and their families, and the lessons he's learned about the criminal legal system during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the Philadelphia Bail Fund at www.phillybailfund.org.
The ACLU is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2020. To continue the celebration, we hear in this episode from Vic Walczak, ACLU-PA's legal director, about some of the cases that have cemented our legacy as the leading defender of civil liberties in the commonwealth.
Content warning: This episode includes the use of a racial slur in the context of discussing the history of race baiting by advocates for marijuana prohibition.
Happy 4/20! In this episode, we hear from Patrick Nightingale, criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, and executive director of Pittsburgh NORML. Patrick discusses the state of reform efforts, how well Pennsylvania's medical marijuana is working for patients, and why he uses the term "cannabis" instead of "marijuana."
After the discussion, Patrick received a response to his Right To Know request and learned that Pittsburgh police issued approximately 200 citations under the city's decriminalization ordinance in 2019. Possession arrest data for 2019 is not available, but in 2018, city police arrested 849 people for misdemeanor marijuana possession. See www.tinyurl.com/PghDecrim.
The new ACLU report A Tale of Two Countries is available at this link: www.aclu.org/marijuanadata
Here is the legislation referenced in this episode. House Bill 1480, reform DUI law: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1480
HB 927, lowers the grading of marijuana possession: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0927
Senate Bill 233, lowers the grading of marijuana possession: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0233
HB 2050, legalization of marijuana for adult use: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2050
The civil liberties implications of the current public health crisis are significant. Hear from ACLU-PA's Reggie Shuford, Vic Walczak, and Nyssa Taylor about how we've been responding.
Find the latest news about ACLU-PA's responses to the pandemic at www.aclupa.org/covid-19.
Take action to urge Governor Wolf to use his executive powers to release people from prisons and jails. https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-gov-wolf-decarcerate
In a pandemic, it is as critical as ever to know your voting rights. In our second live podcast, we hear from Eileen Olmsted of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh and Sara Rose of ACLU-PA, covering a wide range of topics, including Pennsylvania's new vote-by-mail option and voting with a criminal record.
Visit the Pennsylvania Department of State's voter website, www.votesPA.com, to learn more.
Learn more at ACLU-PA's Know Your Voting Rights page: https://www.aclupa.org/en/know-your-rights/know-your-voting-rights
And connect with the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania at www.palwv.org.
In 1956, as an 11th grader, Ellery Schempp challenged the mandatory Bible readings at his public school in Abington, Pennsylvania. His protest became a landmark Supreme Court case, Abington School District v. Schempp, that ended the practice, and Ellery and his family were represented by lawyers from the ACLU-PA and from the law firm Drinker Biddle. He visited with ACLU-PA staff recently and reflected on the case.
The ACLU of PA and several of our allies are in the midst of a debate over probation reform at the state legislature. With bills pending in both the state House and the state Senate, there is an opportunity this year to change probation to a system that allows people to get on with their lives without the endless threat of going back to jail.
Derrell Key of Pittsburgh has lived it. Convicted of crimes that occurred more than a decade ago, Derrell has been out of prison since 2013. And he will be on probation until 2027. In this conversation, Derrell explains what life is like on probation, how the system can change for the better, and why he helps people who are coming home from prison.
Learn more about why we're supporting Senate Bill 14 and why we now oppose House Bill 1555 by visiting our action page: https://www.aclupa.org/en/act
It's been a year! In this episode, ACLU-PA Executive Director Reggie Shuford discusses our numerous achievements in 2019, including reform of the commonwealth's election law, intervening to protect the right of people on probation to use medical marijuana, and several projects to keep people living in poverty out of jail. Plus, Reggie previews our big Centennial celebration, which will be held in Philadelphia on February 29.
To learn more about the Centennial event, visit aclupa.org/centennial.
Last week, the ACLU, ACLU-PA, the Abolitionist Law Center, and two law firms announced a settlement to our lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that challenged the department's use of permanent, automatic solitary confinement for people who are sentenced to death. Some people on Pennsylvania's death row have been in solitary confinement for more than 30 years.
In this episode, we hear from Amy Fettig of the ACLU's National Prison Project and Bret Grote of the Abolitionist Law Center, who describe the conditions of solitary confinement, what the state DOC agreed to in the settlement, and what impact this case could have in Pennsylvania and around the country.
Learn more about this case at this link: https://www.aclupa.org/en/cases/reid-et-al-v-wetzel
Learn more about Abolitionist Law Center at their website and on Twitter [at]AbolitionistLC. https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/
On October 31, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed the most sweeping reform to the commonwealth's election law in decades. The ACLU-PA supported the legislation, along with our partners in a coalition called Keystone Votes. One of those partners is Common Cause PA, and for this episode, Common Cause PA Executive Director Micah Sims joins the podcast to talk about how the reforms will benefit Pennsylvania voters and what work remains to be done.
Find Common Cause PA on Facebook and Twitter [at]commoncausepa.
And read a blog post by ACLU-PA Executive Director Reggie Shuford that explains why we supported the bill: https://www.aclupa.org/en/news/why-aclu-pa-supports-legislation-reform-pas-election-laws
Correction: In the conversation, Andy says that mail-in ballots have to be postmarked by 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election. That provision was not in the final bill that was signed into law.
In the last two weeks, the ACLU of Pennsylvania has released two new reports about the criminal legal system in the commonwealth. The first report, entitled More Law Less Justice, analyzes the bloating of criminal offenses in Pennsylvania over the last 47 years. The second report, Punishing Poverty: Cash Bail in Allegheny County, analyzes data from 2018 and 2019 on cash bail orders in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania's second-largest county.
The lead author of both reports is Nyssa Taylor, criminal justice policy counsel at the ACLU-PA. Nyssa sat down for this episode to talk about what the reports found, why the findings are so problematic, and what we can do about.
The reports are available at these links: aclupa.org/morelawlessjustice aclupa.org/punishingpoverty
Students in Pennsylvania have been back in class for just over a month now. For transgender students, that means navigating a variety of challenges that are unique to them because they are trans. In this episode, hear from Naiymah Sanchez, ACLU-PA's trans justice coordinator, and Mary Catherine Roper, ACLU-PA's deputy legal director, about the rights of transgender students and how to get organized to positively impact school policy.
And you'll hear voices from a recent lobby day at the state capitol in Harrisburg calling for reform to probation law in Pennsylvania.
Here are some key links: TransformationPA.org, ACLU-PA's go-to website for information about transgender rights: https://www.transformationpa.org/
ACLU-PA's students' rights manual: https://www.aclupa.org/education/studentsrightshandbook
Send a message to your state senator in support of Senate Bill 14 to reform probation: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-reform-probation
On September 19, the family of Osaze Osagie, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by State College police in March, announced that they had filed a notice of claim against the borough police department, a procedural move to preserve their legal rights. Listen to their attorneys explain the filing.
Read ACLU-PA's blog post from June about this case: https://medium.com/@ACLUPA/police-are-ill-equipped-to-help-people-with-mental-health-disorders-cb1330f0d227
Also, we hear in this episode about cannabis legalization and the harm caused by prohibition. Terrell Thomas of ACLU-PA's Campaign for Smart Justice and podcast host Andy Hoover attended a half-day symposium sponsored by The Caucus, a state capitol watchdog newspaper. The keynote speaker was Lt. Governor John Fetterman.
Bobby Harris knows the criminal legal system. He was incarcerated for 29 years for his involvement in a crime that led to the death of Terrence Smith. Bobby was 15 years old at the time. Today, Bobby is an organizer for Just Leadership, an organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration and led by people with direct experience with the criminal legal system.
In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground, including the power of redemption, the concept of the "dual victim" and the need for comprehensive victim advocacy, and the challenges of being on parole until the end of his life.
Additional reading: "These crime victims have lost loved ones to murder - and to prison. That's why they want to end life without parole in Pennsylvania." https://www.penncapital-star.com/criminal-justice/these-crime-victims-have-lost-loved-ones-to-murder-and-to-prison-thats-why-they-want-to-end-life-without-parole-in-pennsylvania/
POWER has been one of Philadelphia's leading organizations in the struggle against police violence and racism in the city. Elder Melanie DuBouse is a member of POWER's board of directors and the co-chair of the group's Live Free Campaign. In this conversation, Elder DuBouse talks about the ongoing work to end unconstitutional stops and frisks by Philly police officers, Mayor Kenney's decision to hide residents complaints from public view, her reaction to the sudden resignation of Commissioner Richard Ross, and what people are not hearing about the shootout between police and a resident of North Philly earlier this month.
Find POWER online at powerinterfaith.org and on Facebook and Twitter [at]powerinterfaith.
More reading: The Plain View Project (content warning: violence, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, transphobia) https://www.plainviewproject.org/
'The cops' lives matter and these kids don't. It's not fair.' Helen Ubiñas, Philadelphia Inquirer https://www.inquirer.com/news/columnists/helen-ubinas-police-standoff-philadelphia-guns-violence-20190816.html
'You can't go back to normal.' After police shooting, Nicetown-Tioga neighbors say there's a lot of work to do https://whyy.org/articles/you-cant-go-back-to-normal-after-police-shooting-nicetown-tioga-neighbors-say-theres-a-lot-of-work-to-do/?fbclid=IwAR1Dlpb3NxSRq-zB1c4pe95hIdFvtSSNJZMoEs9V1a0NqBM0-4tOg6psFWM
After promising increased transparency, Philadelphia is redacting police complaint records https://billypenn.com/2019/07/26/after-promising-increased-transparency-philadelphia-is-redacting-police-complaint-records/
Founded in 1991, FAMM started as an organization dedicated to ending mandatory minimum sentencing, and while ending mandatory minimums is still a priority, the organization has since evolved to advocate for comprehensive changes to the criminal legal system. Today, FAMM advocates for reforming community supervision, encourages policymakers to #VisitAPrison, and wants older people who are incarcerated to have the chance to live the final years of their lives with dignity.
In this episode, we hear from Celeste Trusty, FAMM's state policy director in Pennsylvania. Celeste outlines FAMM's current priorities in Pennsylvania and discusses a lobby day that FAMM is organizing and ACLU-PA is supporting on reforming probation, which will be at the state capitol in Harrisburg on September 24. You can find more information by visiting this link: https://famm.org/pennsylvanians-for-probation-reform-advocacy-day/
You can also follow FAMM on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at the handle [at]FAMMfoundation.
Since Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to the Supreme Court and the subsequent passage of abortion bans in some state legislatures, there's been a lot of talk about the future of Roe v. Wade. But for many people, particularly people living in poverty and people of color, a post-Roe world already exists, where access to abortion is extremely limited or even impossible. In this episode, we hear from La'Tasha Mayes of New Voices for Reproductive Justice. La'Tasha explains how reproductive justice is a different framework for advocating and organizing for access to reproductive healthcare and what New Voices is doing in Pennsylvania and around the country to advance that strategy.
Find New Voices on their website www.newvoicespittsburgh.org, on Twitter [at]NewVoices4RJ, and on Facebook and Instagram.
Here are links to several writers and materials La'Tasha references in the conversation.
Dorothy Roberts Reproductive Justice, Not Just Rights: www.dissentmagazine.org/article/reproductive-justice-not-just-rights Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/155575/killing-the-black-body-by-dorothy-roberts/9780679758693/
Loretta J. Ross Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice https://www.amazon.com/Undivided-Rights-Organizing-Reproductive-Justice/dp/1608466175/ref=sr_1_6?qid=1560528324&refinements=p_27%3ALoretta+Ross&s=books&sr=1-6&text=Loretta+Ross
Rewire.news: https://rewire.news/
Episode 26 is our first live podcast. ACLU-PA Legislative Director Elizabeth Randol and Senior Staff Attorney Molly Tack-Hooper joined Andy to discuss a wide-range of topics, from reproductive rights to smart justice to free speech to voting rights to marijuana. The episode was recorded in front of a live audience in Philadelphia at ACLU 100, the ACLU's traveling interactive exhibit.
As technology evolves, police departments and the public are sold on the idea that modern equipment can make police fairer, more transparent, and less lethal. But too often, advances in technology fail to live up to those lofty expectations. In this episode, we hear from Matt Stroud, a journalist based in Pittsburgh and the author of the new book Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High Tech Policing.
The book is available wherever books are sold. Matt is on Twitter [at]MattStroud. He is also the founder and publisher of Postindustrial, a news platform covering the region known as the Rust Belt. Visit postindustrial.com.
On May 21, Pennsylvanians go to the polls for the primary election, to nominate candidates for the general election. Most counties in the commonwealth will elect district attorneys this year. On this episode, Terrell Thomas of ACLU-PA's Campaign for Smart Justice and Taylor Pendergrass from national ACLU join to talk about what it means to treat district attorneys like the elected officials they are, including in Allegheny County.
Learn more at KnowYourDAinPA.org.
Marsy's Law is an amendment to the state constitution that implements both existing and new processes in the criminal justice system as constitutional rights for people who identify as victims of crime. The proposal has the potential to significantly undermine the rights of people who are accused of crimes, as judges will have to weigh constitutional rights against each other.
Brad Winnick, chief public defender in Dauphin County and the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and ACLU-PA's Elizabeth Randol joined the podcast to talk about the problems with Marsy's Law.
Contact your state senator and tell them to vote NO on Marsy's Law: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/pa-sb149-marsys-law?ms_aff=PA&initms_aff=PA&ms=190404_MarsysLaw_&initms=190404_MarsysLaw_&ms_chan=eml&initms_chan=eml&fbclid=IwAR394qy_459Du9_dzgYGSWN2HVGbRlEslVzaZI-rK8XUfwYnNE_tGI12dNc
You can read about ACLU-PA's opposition to the bill at this link: https://www.aclupa.org/our-work/legislation/bills/hb-276
PACDL's memo of opposition is available here: https://www.pacdl.org/files/Marsy's%20Law_pacdl_final_3_26_2019.pdf
One day last month, our host dropped into the state capitol and talked with friends who were busy advocating for civil liberties. In this episode, we hear from Jeff Riedy from Lehigh Valley NORML on the occasion of a lobby day for a list of bills to reform marijuana laws. Then Barry Loveland of the LGBT Center of Central PA talks about The Long Road, a new LGBTQ+ history exhibit that is touring the state.
For more information about the exhibit, visit www.centralpalgbtcenter.org/thelongroad.
Visit Lehigh Valley NORML on Facebook [at]lehighvalleynorml.
On March 12, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and the law firm Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer filed a lawsuit against the Philadelphia courts, challenging the courts' excessive reliance on cash bail to incarcerate people. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ten people who cannot afford their bail and two organizations, the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund and the Youth Art and Self-empowerment Project.
In this episode, we hear from our clients and attorneys who are working on the case. Learn more at aclupa.org/PhillyBail.
Then, in honor of Women's History Month, we hear from Yvonne Latty, who tells us the story of mothers who are incarcerated and how excessive cash bail keeps them there, separated from their families.
To learn more about our clients and to support them, visit phillybailout.com and yasproject.com.
A handful of local officials in Pennsylvania have taken it upon themselves to enforce federal immigration law, including a magisterial district judge in Cumberland County and some Pennsylvania State Police troopers. In this episode, we hear from Desi Burnette of MILPA and Golnaz Fakhimi of the ACLU of PA, who talk about the work that is being done to push the state police and the Wolf administration to stop cooperating with federal immigration authorities. And Golnaz tells us about a new ACLU-PA case in which we've sued a sitting judge for calling ICE on a couple's wedding day.
For information about MILPA's work, visit milpafamilia.org.
Learn more about the Parker case at aclupa.org/Parker.
Here is the ProPublica/Philadelphia Inquirer investigation into state police overstepping their bounds and investigating the immigration status of the people they encounter: https://www.propublica.org/article/pennsylvania-immigration-ice-crackdown-cops-free-for-all
The report from the Sheller Center at Temple University on ICE officers arresting people in courthouses is available here: https://www2.law.temple.edu/csj/publication/obstructing-justice-the-chilling-effect-of-ices-arrests-of-immigrants-at-pennsylvanias-courthouses/
On any given day, there are upwards of 300,00 people on either probation or parole in Pennsylvania. And far from an alternative to incarceration, community-based supervision can feed mass incarceration by keeping people in a cycle in which they are going in and out of jails and prisons for years, often without committing a new crime.
Legislation at the Pennsylvania General Assembly would reform the commonwealth's probation system. SB 14 was introduced in February with a bipartisan group of sponsors.
In this episode, we hear from some of the state lawmakers and advocates about what that bill does and why it is needed. Dr. Kevin Dolphin of Breaking the Chainz is one of those advocates, and he sat down with host Andy Hoover about how his group approaches mass incarceration from both ends - working with young people to keep them out of prison and helping people who are coming out of prison.
Learn more about Breaking the Chainz at https://breakingthechainz.webs.com/
To support SB 14, find your state senator at pasen.gov. And learn more about probation and parole reform at aclupa.org/smartjustice.
To catch up on the latest civil liberties news, check out aclupa.org/news.
The criminal justice policies of the 1980s and 1990s were a total failure. Lives were ruined, prison and jail populations swelled, and budgets bloated. And yet some elected officials, including district attorneys, cling to this outdated way of thinking.
Fair and Just Prosecution is a new organization dedicated to a vision of a 21st century prosecutor. In this episode, we hear from Miriam Krinsky, the executive director of FJP who was a federal prosecutor for 15 years. FJP provides support to prosecutors who believe in "a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility."
Our discussion with Ms. Krinsky comes on the heels of the launch of ACLU-PA's new website KnowYourDAinPA.org. The site provides information about the power of DAs and the responses we received to a survey we sent to all 67 county DAs in Pennsylvania. From the site, you can send a note to your DA with your thoughts about smart justice.
Learn more about FJP at fairandjustprosecution.org. And follow Miriam on Twitter [at]krinskymak.
It's been a year! For the last episode of 2018, we hear from Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Reggie looks back on the highlights of 2018, previews what is ahead in 2019, and reflects on his 20+ year career as a civil rights advocate.
Read Reggie's writing about being stopped by the police in his home town of Wilmington, North Carolina, at this link: https://medium.com/@reggieshuford/home-not-so-sweet-home-550788a38f
In 1980, the average age of people serving death-by-incarceration, or life-without-parole, in Pennsylvania was 33. Today it's 48. And there are more than 1400 people serving DBI in the commonwealth who are over the age of 60.
In episode 16, we hear from Tomiko Shine and Karen Lee of Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign. APPHRC advocates for the release of elderly people who are incarcerated, through legal and policy advocacy, and is starting a new chapter in Philadelphia.
Also, ACLU-PA has a brand new website to advance transgender equality, transformationpa.org. Naiymah Sanchez, our transgender advocacy coordinator, talks about the features of the site and how it empowers trans Pennsylvanians to know their rights.
Learn more about APPHRC at apphrc.com. The first meeting of APPHRC's Philadelphia chapter is Saturday, December 29, at 1 p.m. at the Free Library's Widener Branch Library at 28th Street and W. Lehigh Avenue. You can connect with the chapter by emailing phillyapphrc@gmail.com.
The 2017-18 session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is finally over! And our legislative director, Elizabeth Randol, will finally get a break. In this episode, Liz talks about what happened, what didn't happen, and what may happen next year at the state legislature.
Then we hear from state Representative Daniel Miller of Allegheny County, who gives his perspective on achievements in criminal justice reform and the potential to do more.
Learn more about our legislative work at aclupa.org/legislation.
Rep. Miller is on Twitter [at]VoteDanMiller and on Instagram [at]RepDanMiller. Also on Twitter, you can find Liz [at]RandolElizabeth, Andy Hoover [at]freedomsfriend, and the ACLU of PA [at]aclupa.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is copying and storing mail that is sent to prisoners, including mail from their attorneys. In this episode, we hear from Vic Walczak, legal director of the ACLU-PA, and Saleem Holbrook, an organizer with the Abolitionist Law Center and a co-founder of the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration. Vic explains a new lawsuit we've filed against the DOC to stop its policy of copying legal mail, and Saleem talks about the harm caused by the department's new restrictions on all mail.
Learn more about CADBI on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CADBIphilly/
Related information about the lawsuit PILP v. DOC, including legal documents, is available at aclupa.org/PILP.
And Reggie Shuford's letter in response to the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue is available here: https://medium.com/@ACLUPA/we-want-america-to-be-fair-just-and-free-a-letter-from-our-executive-director-35a6fb66f9aa
In 1974, there were approximately 500 people serving life-without-parole, what prisoners and activists call death-by-incarceration, in Pennsylvania. Today, there are more than 5,000.
In September, the Abolitionist Law Center, a prisoners' rights legal advocacy group in Pittsburgh, released a new report on DBI called A Way Out: Abolishing Death by Incarceration in Pennsylvania. In this episode, we hear from Quinn Cozzens, a staff attorney from ALC and a co-author of the report. Quinn talks about the findings of the report and the path forward to ending this dehumanizing, extreme sentence.
The report is available at abolitionistlawcenter.org. ALC is also on Twitter @ AbolitionistLC and on Facebook.
For part two of our two-part back-to-school series, we hear from Preston Heldibridle, state policy associate for the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. PYC is an LGBTQ youth advocacy group and a client of ACLU-PA in defense of the Boyertown Area School District's practice of allowing transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms appropriate to their gender identity. (More information is available at aclupa.org/Boyertown.) As a recent high school graduate, Preston offers the perspective of the challenges that trans students and LGBQ students face and how PYC supports them.
You can learn more about PYC at payouthcongress.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Students around the commonwealth and the nation are headed back to school. With the focus on school security that never really ends but heightens after high profile tragedies, ACLU-PA Senior Policy Advocate Harold Jordan joins this episode to talk about how school officials are reacting after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February. Harold also offers insight into the research on how different students are disciplined differently - there's talk now of a Pre-School to Prison Pipeline - and discusses a new project that ACLU-PA is launching in Allegheny County.
Resources on students' civil rights are available at endzerotolerance.org.
This is part one of a two-part back to school special. In part two, we'll hear from Preston Heldibridle of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, who talks about challenges for LGBTQ students.
In 1920, a small group of activists founded the ACLU. Most of them were not lawyers. Today, the ACLU is muscling up its advocacy work and getting a lot of attention for it, from the New York Times to the New Republic to Politico.
In between, the ACLU became the fiercest public interest law organization in the country, litigating some of the most prominent civil rights issues of the 20th and the 21st centuries.
For this episode, we hear from Witold "Vic" Walczak and Mary Catherine Roper, the legal director and deputy legal director, respectively, of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Vic and Mary Catherine talk about the latest work of ACLU-PA's legal department, which issues are most prominent in civil liberties law right now, and the people behind the lawsuits.
To learn more about our legal docket, visit aclupa.org/cases.
Pennsylvania's approach to criminal justice over recent decades has been a failure that has fueled mass incarceration. In the commonwealth and around the country, the ACLU has prioritized reform, launching the Campaign for Smart Justice, to reduce the prisons and jails population by 50 percent and combat racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
In this episode, we hear from Jondhi Harrell of The Center for Returning Citizens and Terrell Thomas, senior field organizer for the ACLU-PA's Campaign for Smart Justice. In 2009, Jondhi founded TCRC to aid people after they leave prison. Since then, TCRC has also become a leading advocate for policy reform.
You can learn more about TCRC at tcrcphilly.org and about the Campaign for Smart Justice at aclupa.org/smartjustice. If you're interested in helping the campaign, email us at volunteer@aclupa.org.
The Trump administration and Congress are sucking most of the oxygen out of the civil liberties space. But what about our state legislators? What impact do they have on our fundamental rights? In this episode, ACLU-PA Legislative Director Elizabeth Randol talks about what has been happening at the state legislature in Harrisburg, with specific focus on reproductive rights and smart justice.
To learn more about the legislation we're tracking at the state capitol, visit aclupa.org/bills.
Last month, the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission released its long-awaited report on capital punishment in the commonwealth, a report seven years in the making. In this episode, Marshall Dayan of the Federal Public Defender of the Western District of Pennsylvania joins to talk about the findings of the task force and its advisory committee. The report is available at this link: http://jsg.legis.state.pa.us/publications.cfm?JSPU_PUBLN_ID=472
Also in this episode, we went to Washington! In June, the ACLU hosted its first nationwide membership conference in a decade. We talked with people from Pennsylvania who were there, asking them why they took three days out of their lives to hang out with several thousand ACLU members.
On June 19, 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. was shot and killed by police officer Michael Rosfeld in the borough of East Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. People have been in the streets in Pittsburgh demanding accountability for Antwon's death and for an end to police brutality every day since the shooting. In this episode, you'll hear some of the speakers at the #JusticeForAntwon protest that was held outside the Allegheny County Courthouse on June 21.
The moderator of the event was Brandi Fisher of the Alliance for Police Accountability. You can hear a previous conversation with Brandi in episode 2.
You can learn more about the Alliance for Police Accountability at their Facebook page: facebook.com/APAPGH
The speakers include Leon Ford, Jr., who was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in 2012 and is now paralyzed from the waist down. You can follow Leon on Twitter @leonfordspeaks.
The Trump administration's hostility towards immigrants continues. In May, the ACLU of PA and cooperating counsel filed in federal court for the release of Ivan Nuñez Martinez, a gay married man who has lived a quiet life in the United States for 17 years. Miguel Andrade of Juntos and Golnaz Fakhimi of ACLU-PA discuss the community and legal response to his detention and the intersectionality between immigrants rights and LGBTQ equality. More information is available at aclupa.org/NunezMartinez.
Juntos will co-host deportation defense trainings in Harrisburg on June 23 and in Philadelphia on July 7. Information is available at these links: Harrisburg: https://www.facebook.com/events/1615442308524747/ Philadelphia: https://www.facebook.com/events/1843140215743248/
The ProPublica series that exposed the extreme enforcement by the ICE Philadelphia field office is available here: https://www.propublica.org/article/pennsylvania-ice-undocumented-immigrants-immigration-enforcement
Then we talk about RBG! Andy Hoover talks with Abby Tierney of Midtown Cinema and Lauren Hartley Martin of Dickinson School of Law about the new documentary profiling the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This conversation is a crossover with Midtown Cinema's podcast The Brain Wrap, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Chris Goldstein is one of the leading voices for reforming marijuana laws in Pennsylvania. In this wide ranging discussion, Chris talks about the progress of the cannabis reform movement, marijuana as a winning political issue, and both the symbolism and the flaws of Pennsylvania's medical marijuana law.
Read Chris's Philly 420 columns on philly.com: http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/philly420/
And you can follow him on Twitter @ freedomisgreen.
Speak! ACLU-PA has sued SEPTA for denying ad space for the Center for Investigative Reporting. And we warned a sitting congressman to stop blocking people who criticize him from his Facebook page and his town hall meetings. Staff Attorney Molly Tack-Hooper joins the pod to talk about the free speech implications of both cases.
Then we again Meet The Staff. Communications Associate Ben Bowens talks with Nyssa Taylor, ACLU-PA's criminal justice policy counsel. Nyssa talks about her work advocating for smart justice and the pervasive problem of mass incarceration in the commonwealth.
Learn more about our case for CIR at aclupa.org/CIRvSEPTA. CIR's reporting on racial discrimination in mortgage lending is available here: https://www.revealnews.org/article/for-people-of-color-banks-are-shutting-the-door-to-homeownership/
Information about our case against Congressman Costello, including a recent announcement, is available at aclupa.org/Costello.
In episode 2, we talk with Brandi Fisher of the Alliance for Police Accountability, a grassroots, community-based organization in Pittsburgh. Brandi talks about understanding that different communities are served differently by the police, why we have to keep fighting, and why APA has expanded its mission to include both police accountability and mass incarceration.
Then we're joined by Naiymah Sanchez, organizer and transgender advocacy coordinator for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, for our Meet The Staff segment. Naiymah has been hosting community conversations throughout the commonwealth over the last year, and she discusses what she has heard and learned at those events.
We're fighting House Bill 27, the police secrecy bill, which has passed the state House and is now in the state Senate. Call your state senator and tell them to vote "no" on HB 27. More information is available here: https://www.aclupa.org/our-work/legislation/bills/hb-27
Naiymah is on Twitter at @naiymahsanchez, and Andy Hoover tweets at @freedomsfriend. Learn more about the Alliance for Police Accountability at facebook.com/APAPGH.
Welcome to our premiere episode! Parthiv Patel is a lawyer, a Dreamer, and a client of the ACLU-PA. After graduating from law school and passing the bar exam, Parthiv was initially denied his admission to the bar because of his immigration status. He discusses his experience as an immigrant, how he got his law license, and what the Dream Act means to people like him. Information about his case is available at aclupa.org/patel.
In March, the ACLU-PA recognized Sister Janice Vanderneck with the Marjorie Matson Award for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for her work at Casa San Jose in Pittsburgh. Casa San Jose provides support to the local Latinx community and advocates for fair immigration policies. Learn more at casasanjose.org.
Speaking Freely is the podcast that tells the story of civil liberties in Pennsylvania. With each episode, you'll hear from those who are directly impacted and those who are shaping the latest civil liberties issues.