Home » ACLU Insider ACLU Insider Read about ACLU issues on our site and around the Internet, and leave us a comment! Subscribe to our feed Collecting DNA at Arrest: A Bad Idea Justified by a Bad Prosecution Crossposted at HuffingtonPost By Ed Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy There is an old adage that "bad cases" make "bad law." In the past week, Illinois residents have seen the media analog to this adage -- "bad cases" create editorials calling for "bad public policy." The recent news coverage of the decision by prosecutors in Lake County, Illinois to drop charges against Jerry Hobbs, five years after he was arrested and charged with the murder of his daughter and her friend, closes a sad chapter for this family. The story is a tragedy at every level -- two young girls brutally slain, a father "confesses" after hours of endless questioning, DNA excludes the father, and the prosecutors in the case hold the father for up to two years after they know that the DNA evidence is present. It is a sad tale about false, coerced confessions and a rush to judgment -- the type of case that has caused so many Americans to question the criminal justice system and oppose the application of the death penalty, lest an innocent person be put to death. But these lessons are not the ones being drawn in some quarters. In an amazing leap of logic, some law enforcement officials and others spoke to the Chicago Tribune as prosecutors moved toward freeing Mr. Hobbs, suggesting that the case suggested the need for another change in policy -- collecting DNA from all persons arrested for a crime in Illinois, instead of waiting until conviction (as currently required). read more and leave a comment » Posted by Ofelia Casillas on August 10, 2010 11:07 AM | Categories: The Choices No One Wants This morning, RH Reality Check and the ACLU are publishing the words of Amy S, a lifelong Illinois resident, who was faced with the news that the baby she was carrying had a catastrophic brain malformation. In her own words: The genetics counselor confirmed the prognosis. If the baby was carried to term, he would essentially be a vegetable. He would never sit, eat, or recognize his parents. He would have seizures, not be able to regulate his temperature or blood sugar, and likely be in great, great pain. And I thought, no way. Not my child. I would not let him suffer and die because I couldn't muster the courage to do what I had to do for him to pass away in a more humane way. Read the whole story. Thank you to Amy for your courage in sharing your experiences. Do you have a story to share? We're listening. Visit action.aclu.org/rhstories or go to http://acluroadtrip.org. read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on August 3, 2010 1:03 PM | Categories: A Post-College Road Trip Leads to a Career Protecting Women's Rights Crossposted at acluroadtrip.org Don't miss Khadine's introductory post at RH Reality Check and the ACLU's Blog of Rights. An excerpt: My first road-trip was back in '99, the summer I graduated from college. I convinced my friend Ben that it would be a good idea to pack our stuff into a Penske Truck and move from Jamaica Plain, MA to Berkeley, CA. I don't know what excited me more - actually living in California (aka the activist promised land) or the 5-day, 11 state road-trip we were about to embark on. We made mix tapes that served as the perfect soundtrack to our experience; we saw parts of the country that I was always curious about; we ate awful rest area "food"; and we learned that the salt lakes in Utah are really made of salt (I was curious, we pulled over, I tasted it and (1) it was salty and (2) my tongue was numb for the next half hour). Read the rest! read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on July 30, 2010 10:14 AM | Categories: Our Bags are Packed! Crossposted at acluroadtrip.org Don't miss today's posts on RH Reality Check and the ACLU's Blog of Rights. We're really proud to work with them to build awareness of the barriers women face in accessing reproductive health care services and information. From today's post: I got married at the beginning of July. The church, the flowers, the family, the cake and champagne, the whole deal. Why, you ask, am I now planning to spend 2 straight weeks on the road in Illinois traveling with someone other than my new spouse? Why am I leaving the love of my life at home in Chicago to eat food from truck stops, sleep in unfamiliar beds and talk to strangers? Two reasons: corn dogs and Chlamydia. Read the whole thing! read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on July 28, 2010 6:01 PM | Categories: Award winning journalist joins ACLU of Illinois staff CHICAGO - Ofelia Casillas, an award winning journalist at the Chicago Tribune, has joined the staff of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois to assist the organization in communicating with its many and diverse audiences. Beginning this week, Mrs. Casillas is the Deputy Director of Communications and Foundation Relations. In her new position, she will have primary responsibility for the organization's on-going interactions with several prominent Illinois-based (as well as national) foundations which contribute substantially to the work of the ACLU in Illinois. In addition, Mrs. Casillas will assist in the overall communications' efforts that support the advocacy of the ACLU throughout Illinois on behalf of its clients, its principles and policies and the Constitution. "We are fortunate that an individual of Ofelia's experience and talents agreed to join our staff," said Edwin C. Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy at the ACLU of Illinois. "Her background and expertise on many of our issues of focus will enable us to enhance our communications with key foundation partners, with our members and supporters, with members of the media and with the general public." Ofelia Casillas joined the Tribune in 2001 and specialized in covering child welfare, juvenile justice and community social issues. In that work, she established an on-going dialogue with many of the experts in the state concerning issues that affect some of Illinois' most vulnerable populations. Her reporting - about children in the juvenile justice system or in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services - demonstrated a command of the facts and circumstances faced by many young people caught up in those bureaucracies, but also a deep understanding of the nuance and complexity that must be understood in order to reform these vast, impersonal systems. In 2003, she was awarded the Tribune's Edward Scott Beck Award for outstanding professional performance because of the excellence of her work. "Ofelia knows our issues and she knows the people whose lives are improved by our work," added Yohnka. "She is an invaluable addition to the staff." read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on July 28, 2010 5:00 PM | Categories: 1/3 of US women have abortions - 87% of US counties have no provider Emily Bazelon has written a fascinating account in the latest New York Times Magazine of the challenges (and successes) in ensuring that women in need of abortion services can access physicians trained to perform abortions and willing to do so. The key paragraph: Abortion remains the most common surgical procedure for American women; one-third of them will have one by the age of 45. The number performed annually in the U.S. has largely held steady: 1.3 million in 1977 and 1.2 million three decades later. In metropolitan areas, women who want to go to their own doctor for an abortion can ask whether a practice offers abortion when they choose an OB-GYN or family physician. But in 87 percent of the counties in the U.S., where a third of women live, there is no known abortion provider. According to the Guttmacher Institute, Illinois' situation mirrors that of the nation as a whole. As of 2005, 92% of Illinois counties have no abortion provider, and 34% of Illinois women live in these counties. It is mind-boggling that a health care service so many women need, and depend on, can be so difficult to access. That one of the reasons we're going on this Road Trip - to learn more about the obstacles faced by Illinoisans as they try to get the reproductive health care that they need, how they overcome those challenges and how we can all help ensure that every woman is able to make her own personal decisions about when and whether to have a child. crossposted at acluroadtrip.org read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on July 19, 2010 12:19 PM | Categories: ACLU of Illinois gets a "shout out" on free speech from Governor Quinn Over the past few years, the ACLU of Illinois has received several complaints from persons across Illinois about local laws that limited the time that they are able to post political signs in their own yards. In many instances, the ACLU of Illinois was able to convince local authorities to change the most restrictive policies, fixing the problem one small community at a time was an inefficient manner to assure free speech. We worked with the legislature, asking members of the General Assembly to stop municipalities from setting any time limits on yard signs - since the desire to express views about political issues does not correspond precisely to an electoral calendar. We did a fact sheet on the issue that we shared with legislature. Last week, the Governor signed the bill we'd sought and in the press release on the bill signing - gave a "shout out" to the ACLU of Illinois, quoting our assertion that "yard signs are a traditional, effective and protected way for home owners to communicate with their neighbors and passerby about political elections and public issues." read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on June 14, 2010 10:07 AM | Categories: Video Surveillance in Chicago ACLU of Illinois' Senior Staff Counsel Adam Schwartz discussed the growing reach and scope of surveillance cameras in the City of Chicago and beyond. Please note that by playing this clip You Tube and Google will place a long-term cookie on your computer. Please see You Tube's privacy statement on their website and Google's privacy statement on theirs to learn more. To view the ACLU of Illinois' privacy statement, click here. read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on April 29, 2010 10:25 AM | Categories: Anti-bullying Bill Passes the House 108-0! At the ACLU of Illinois, we work hard to protect the rights of individuals to be free from discrimination: that includes the rights of all students to be free from discriminatory harassment in public schools, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. That is why we were delighted to hear that Senate Bill 3266 passed in the Illinois House 108 votes to zero. SB 3266 modifies the current anti-bullying law by comprehensively defining what bullying is, and providing guidelines which will allow schools to create and implement the anti-bullying policy that current law requires them to have. Learn more. This bill was the initiative of the Illinois Safe School Alliance, an organization committed to making Illinois schools safe for LGBT students. Their hard work and dedication has paid off: SB 3266 has passed both the Illinois Senate and House, and is on its way to the Governor's desk. Let Governor Quinn know you support this bill! Encourage him to sign SB 3266 into law and make Illinois public schools safer places for children to learn. read more and leave a comment » Posted by Allie Carter on April 23, 2010 2:47 PM | Categories: Google launches government transparency tool The American Civil Liberties Union welcomes Google's new tool that will track and display the number of government requests the company receives world wide, country by country, according to an ACLU article. This is Google's attempt to shine light on how often governments around the world request user information (and content removal) from the website, according to the ACLU. The ACLU has called for this type of disclosure for years and we applaud Google for taking this important first step to help Congress and the American people understand what's really going on and why it's time to demand a privacy upgrade that includes more transparency around when and how the government demands information from Google. Read the full post from the ACLU's Blog of Rights. Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, said Google's new tool is a step in the right direction: "With this tool, Google has shed an important and much-needed spotlight on government use of online information. Americans for too long have been kept in the dark about how their private information is stored, used and shared. It is our hope that this tool will help Americans to better understand the relationship between private companies and our government. "The ACLU has called for this type of disclosure for years and believes it should be mandatory as part of any reform of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. Congress should make updating the law a priority so that other companies will fall in line with Google and allow for greater transparency when it comes to the government's requests for our information." More information on the ACLU's work with online privacy can be found at: www.dotrights.org and www.aclu.org/ecpa

Please note that by playing this clip You Tube and Google will place a long-term cookie on your computer. Please see You Tube's privacy statement on their website and Google's privacy statement on theirs to learn more. To view the ACLU of Illinois' privacy statement, click here.

The Texas State Board of Education released ideologically-tainted amendments to the state's school curriculum that would essentially rewrite history last week.

Texas is the largest distributor of text books, and if the proposed amendments are implemented students in kindergarten through twelfth grade could be affected.

The American Civil Liberties Union said from a civil liberties point of view, these changes not only minimize our constitutional protection of separation of church and state, but also distort the rights of minorities and women and minimize their roles in history, among others.

The ACLU included some of the proposed changes in an action alert:

The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has released new ideologically-tainted standards for Texas' public school textbooks.

We need you to act because the impact of what happens in Texas will be felt all across the country. Below are some of the most troubling examples of how the SBOE wants to change the social studies curriculum. Here are the three simple steps to make your voice heard:

Learn about the proposed curriculum changes below.

Write a letter to the SBOE stating your concerns. In order to have the greatest impact, it's important to personalize your letter.

Please reference the specific rule section number related to your concern. If you want to see a full list of concerns, please click here (PDF).

Here are some of the proposed rule changes:

Rule Section Number: §113.44(c)(1)

Concern: This rule is intended to promote the idea that there is no historical separation of church and state.

"The student understands how constitutional government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution, has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents. The student is expected to: (A) explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature's God, unalienable rights, divine right of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government; (B) identify major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions that informed the American founding, including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law), English common law and constitutionalism, Enlightenment, and republicanism, as they address issues of liberty, rights, and responsibilities of individuals; (C) identify the individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding documents, including those of Moses, William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu ... "

Rule Section Number: §113.41(c)(17)

Concern: This amendment is designed to portray social reforms as having unintended negative consequences.

"The student understands the economic effects of World War II and the Cold War. The student is expected to: ... (D) identify actions of government and the private sector such as the Great Society, affirmative action, and Title IX to create economic opportunities for citizens and analyze the unintended consequences of each ..."

Rule Section Number: §113.41(c)(9)

Concern: The Board wants to portray the historic efforts to extend rights to those who have been denied them as nothing more than a gift from the majority, while downplaying the social movements that truly caused these changes. In addition, the Board is attempting to portray the Democrats as the party of bigotry.

"The student understands the impact of the American civil rights movement. The student is expected to: (A) trace the historical development of the civil rights movement in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments; (B) describe the roles of political organizations that promoted civil rights, including ones from African American, Chicano, American Indian, women's, and other civil rights movements; (C) identify the roles of significant leaders who supported various rights movements, including Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, and Betty Friedan; (D) analyze the effectiveness of the approach taken by some civil rights groups such as the Black Panthers versus the philosophically persuasive tone of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech and his 'Letter from the Birmingham Jail';(E) describe presidential actions and congressional votes to address minority rights in the United States, including desegregation of the armed forces, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; (F) describe the role of individuals such as governors George Wallace, Orval Faubus, and Lester Maddox and groups, including the Congressional bloc of southern Democrats, that sought to maintain the status quo; (G) evaluate changes and events in the United States that have resulted from the civil rights movement, including increased participation of minorities in the political process; and (H) describe how litigation such as the landmark cases of Brown v. Board of Education, Mendez v. Westminster, Hernandez v. Texas, Edgewood I.S.D. v. Kirby, and Sweatt v. Painter played a role in protecting the rights of the minority during the civil rights movement."

Rule Section Number: §113.20(b)(7)

Concern: The Board is trying to downplay the role slavery played as a contributing factor to the cause of the Civil War.

"The student understands how political, economic, and social factors led to the growth of sectionalism and the Civil War. The student is expected to: (A) analyze the impact of tariff policies on sections of the United States before the Civil War; (B) compare the effects of political, economic, and social factors on slaves and free blacks; (C) analyze the impact of slavery on different sections of the United States ... "

Read more and take action!

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 21, 2010 9:51 AM | Categories:

Constance McMillen was not accepted at her high school prom, but she will be a grand marshal of the popular gay pride parade in New York, according to the New York Times.

Back in March a Mississippi federal court ruled McMillen's First Amendment rights were violated after her high school decided to cancel the prom rather than let her bring a same-sex date allowing the case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union to proceed.

The judge said she would be invited to a parent-sponsored prom instead held at the Fulton County Country Club in Mississippi, but only seven students showed. The other students attended a separate prom held at a secret location in the country.

Parents did not want McMillen at the prom so the school announced its cancellation then secretly located it.

Some parents may not like her in Mississippi, but for so many others she is a hero. Way to go Constance!

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 19, 2010 11:07 AM | Categories:

The American Civil Liberties Union won an important victory last week after an Arkansas court struck down a law that bans any unmarried person who lives with a partner from serving as an adoptive or foster parent in the state.

According to an ACLU article, the ACLU filed its complaint against the law, know as Act 1, in December 2008:

Plaintiffs participating in the case included a lesbian couple who adopted an Arkansas foster child before Act 1 was passed and would like to open their home to a second special needs child, a grandmother who was barred by Act 1 from adopting her own grandchild and several married heterosexual couples who would have been prohibited by Act 1 from arranging for certain friends or relatives to adopt their children if they die or become incapacitated.

...In today's order, Judge Christopher C. Piazza of the Pulaski County Circuit Court held that the law casts an unreasonably broad net and did not "serve the State's interest in determining what is in the best interest of the child." He also noted that he was troubled by the fact that the law targeted gay people. The state of Arkansas is expected to appeal the decision.

The ACLU is pleased with the court's decision:

"We are happy that the court recognized that Act 1 harms Arkansas's foster children because it eliminates potential qualified parents," said Holly Dickson, staff attorney with the ACLU of Arkansas. "We have a critical shortage of homes now and this ban was denying good, loving homes to our most vulnerable children."

"This law was harmful to families and children," said Christine Sun, senior counsel with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. "The discriminatory policies embodied by this law did a disservice to children in need of a loving home by reducing the number of potential adoptive and foster parents. We are delighted that the court has found that it should not stand."

Read the full article, and learn more about the ACLU's related work here: http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/arkansas-court-strikes-down-parenting-ban

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 19, 2010 9:56 AM | Categories:

James Esseks of the American Civil Liberties Union national's LGBT Project recently spoke to NPR about President Obama's memorandum issued to the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to NPR, the memo orders hospitals to give same-sex couples the right to be with a partner who is sick or dying, and applies to every hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding.

James Esseks of the ACLU's LGBT Project called the memo a huge deal that harms no one and helps many people.

"What we face is a whole series of problems in our daily lives, and certainly in times of crisis, when the relationships that are an integral part of our lives are just not protected," Esseks said. "It shows up in lots of different places, but hospital visitation is a prime example."

In the past year, gay and lesbian groups have criticized the Obama administration, saying the White House has not moved quickly enough on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and other issues that are important to the community.

Esseks of the ACLU says he thinks this might change their view of the president.

"He put his name on this memorandum," Esseks said. "This change could have simply come through [the Department of] Health and Human Services. And the fact that he did it over his name, I think, speaks to an understanding of the real problem that people are facing."

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 19, 2010 9:10 AM | Categories:

The Texas State Board of Education released amendments to the state's school curriculum that would essentially rewrite history on Thursday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union's Blog of Rights.

If the proposed amendments are implemented, students in kindergarten to twelfth grade could be affected for the next 10 years, because Texas is one of the largest purchasers of textbooks nationwide. Changes the board makes to its standards often end up in textbooks purchased by other state school districts, according to the ACLU.

The New York Times said board member Don McLeroy introduced amendment after amendment at the board meeting:

"McLeroy moved that Margaret Sanger, the birth-control pioneer, be included because she "and her followers promoted eugenics," that language be inserted about Ronald Reagan's "leadership in restoring national confidence" following Jimmy Carter's presidency and that students be instructed to "describe the causes and key organizations and individuals of the conservative resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s, including Phyllis Schlafly, the Contract With America, the Heritage Foundation, the Moral Majority and the National Rifle Association." The injection of partisan politics into education went so far that at one point another Republican board member burst out in seemingly embarrassed exasperation, "Guys, you're rewriting history now!" Nevertheless, most of McLeroy's proposed amendments passed by a show of hands."

The ACLU said from a civil liberties point of view, these changes not only minimize our constitutional protection of separation of church and state, but also distort the rights of minorities and women and minimize their roles in history, among others. The ACLU said:

"The proposed revised standards deserve close scrutiny. Some of the changes may seem relatively harmless at first glance, but it's important to remember that these changes will affect the education of a generation. If an entire generation of children grow up thinking that it's permissible for our government to favor one view of religion over others, what will the next generation believe? If these same children fail to understand the importance of the struggle for civil rights, how can we be sure that they will remain committed to correcting such abuses in the future?"

"The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed amendments to the curriculum released today. Rest assured we will be submitting ours and encouraging others to do so too."

Read the full post: http://www.aclu.org/blog/organization-news-and-highlights/texas-rewrites-past-jeopardizing-educational-future-children-n

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 16, 2010 10:20 AM | Categories:

April 16 is Day of Silence

What is Day of Silence?

The purpose is to silently and peacefully protest anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) bullying, harassment, and name calling.

Because students who are targeted for anti-gay or anti-transgender bullying often do not identify as LGBT, the Day of Silence represents a peaceful protest of a problem that affects all students no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Learn more at the ACLU's website

What are your student rights during the Day of Silence?

*Cross posted from the ACLU Blog of Rights

• You DO have a right to participate in Day of Silence and other expressions of your opinion at a public school during non-instructional time: the breaks between classes, before and after the school day, lunchtime, and any other free times during your day. If your principal or a teacher tells you otherwise, you should contact our office or the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

• You do NOT have a right to remain silent during class time if a teacher asks you to speak. If you want to stay quiet during class on Day of Silence, we recommend that you talk with your teachers ahead of time, tell them that you plan to participate in Day of Silence and why it's important to you, and ask them if it would be okay for you to communicate in class on that day in writing. Most teachers will probably say yes.

• Your school is NOT required to "sponsor" Day of Silence. But Day of Silence is rarely a school-sponsored activity to begin with -- it's almost always an activity led by students. So don't be confused - just because your school isn't officially sponsoring or participating in Day of Silence doesn't mean that you can't participate.

• Students who oppose Day of Silence DO have the right to express their views, too. Like you, they must do so in a civil, peaceful way and they only have a right to do so during noninstructional time. For example, they don't have a right to skip school on Day of Silence without any consequences, just as you don't have a right to skip school just because you don't like what they think or say.

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 14, 2010 10:47 AM | Categories:

A west-suburban Republican Representative recently became the newest cosponsor of legislation to abolish the death penalty in Illinois.

Rep. Angelo "Skip" Saviano (77th District) joins a dozen other sponsors of HB 5687, which calls for the end of the death penalty. Because of Saviano, the bill is now a bi-partisan effort.The effort to end our discredited, flawed capital punishment system is moving forward.

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 14, 2010 10:10 AM | Categories:

The Washington Post has an article up today about lawmakers and privacy advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, who are pressuring President Obama to fill the vacant seats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.

The article said with Obama in the White House, Democrats and civil liberties advocates assumed the board would be filled:

Instead, Obama, who championed civil liberties during his presidential campaign, has not nominated anyone.

Meanwhile, notes the American Civil Liberties Union's Jay Stanley, Obama "has found the time" to fill a slew of positions on boards such as the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission and the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Granted, Stanley wrote in a blog last month, these positions might be easier to fill than the privacy board. "But it has been 14 months," he wrote. "More likely, this White House, like any White House, has no appetite for activating an independent body not under its control, a potential thorn in its side that might step on their 'message of the day' and distract from its agenda."

Read the Washington Post's full article.

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 9, 2010 10:35 AM | Categories:

The Anti-School-Bullying bill, SB 3266, passed out of the senate March 25 on a 51-2 vote! Congratulations to our friends at the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance for their hard work on this.

Here is more information about SB 3266 from Prevent School Violence Illinois:

• The bill comprehensively defines bullying for the first time in Illinois law. (Including cyberbullying)

• It provides specific clarification to an existing mandate that will be helpful to schools and districts that need to draft the required anti-bullying police to make their schools safe.

• It establishes the Illinois School Bullying Task Force to identify best practices and support schools in implementing prevention programs.

• And it aids schools in addressing bullying without costing more dollars. Lives will be saved through suicide prevention, and more students will successfully stay in school.

Why now?

Bullying is a serious problem in Illinois schools.

Students report that physical appearance (looks or body size), sexual orientation and gender expression are the most common reasons other students at their school are bullied.

Students also report hearing racist (44%) and negative religious (19%) remarks at school.

Bullying has serious consequences

Over 15% (15.5%) of Illinois students have carried a weapon within the past 30 days. 25.1% of Illinois high school students report skipping school in the past 30 days due to feeling unsafe; when broken down by race 7.7% of Hispanic students and 8.7% of Black students skipped school due to feeling unsafe compared to 4% of White students.

31.3% of Illinois high school students report being in a physical fight over the past 12 months.

Students targeted by bulling behaviors are more likely to consider, attempt and commit suicide.

There has been a disturbing trend in middle school students targeted by bullying who have take their own lives, including Chase Nall, an 11-year-old sixth-grade student in Chatham, IL in February of 2009.

Also 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, another beautiful life cut tragically short, took his own life on April 6, 2009 after enduring constant bullying, including being called "gay" and "faggot" despite not even identifying as gay.

Encourage your State Representative to help make schools safe for all students - including LGBT students. Urge them to support SB3266!

Prevent School Violence Illinois -"Night of Noise."

When: April 16

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Thompson Center: 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 9, 2010 10:21 AM | Categories:

Chicago has the most sophisticated surveillance system in the U.S., according to a Chicago Tribune article Tuesday. However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said the thousands of cameras around the city threaten individual privacy:

Police say they usually hear from Chicago residents about the cameras only when they want one installed in their neighborhood or worry one will be removed. Such a claim is supported by an unlikely source: The American Civil Liberties Union, which has criticized the use of cameras as an invasion of privacy and ineffective crime fighting tool.

"It does appear that people only object is when they get a ticket (because of a camera) for running a red light," ACLU spokesman Edwin Yohnka said.

Although courts have generally found surveillance cameras placed in public don't violate individuals' privacy, Yohnka said they could too easily be misused.

"What protections are in place to stop a rogue officer from taking a highly powerful camera and aim it in a way to find or track someone who is perhaps a former love interest or something like that?" he asked.

Read past posts about surveillance cameras in Chicago:

http://www.aclu-il.org/blog/archives/2010/02/covert_cameras_coming_to_chica.shtml

http://www.aclu-il.org/blog/archives/2009/11/cameras_everywhere.shtml

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Posted by Ellyn Fortino on April 7, 2010 9:42 AM | Categories: