Liberty and Security

America’s founders had come through the experience of war when they wrote the Bill of Rights. The protections for individual freedom and system of checks and balances they provided must not be sacrificed in the name of national security. The ACLU works to conserve our nation’s traditional values, to maintain an America that is both safe and free.

Standing Up Against Injustice: We Honor the Courage of Gordon Hirabayashi

Summer Robinson, ACLU-WA Communications and Events Coordinator

Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 1:08 pm

Gordon Hirabayashi was a senior at University of Washington when bombs fell at Pearl Harbor. Like 112,000 of his fellow Japanese Americans, he would be placed under curfew, ordered into internment, and finally jailed for defying those orders. Forty years later, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated his conviction. On Monday, Hirabayashi died at the age of 93. We here at the ACLU of Washington honor his memory. Read More »

Topics:

Help stop racial profiling by the Border Patrol

The U.S. Border Patrol is supposed to secure our borders. But far from the border in Washington state, Border Patrol agents have been stopping individuals based on their appearance and accent — without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Tell your members of Congress to stop this illegal racial profiling. Read More »

Topics:

Growing Up in a Post-9/11 World

Anita Yandle, ACLU-WA Communications Intern

Friday, September 9th, 2011 at 11:12 am

A decade ago, I had just turned ten years old. I had heard the term “terrorism” before, but always thought it was something that only happened in other parts of the world or in the past. On September 11th, 2001, that all changed. That morning, I awoke to a new world, the one that has encompassed the lives of my peers and me for the past decade. Read More »

Topics:

Liberty and Security

The King Hearings: McCarthyism 2.0

Arnold Jin

Friday, March 11th, 2011 at 11:01 am

As we reach almost a decade of anti-Muslim American sentiment in America since 9/11, some in our government continue to perpetuate false stereotypes about the Muslim American community. Read More »

Topics:

TSA Pat-Downs

Bills: HJM 4000, HJM 4001

Position: support

Status: Did not pass out of committee.

These joint memorials would have sent a message from the legislature to the federal government that the Transportation Safety Administration’s new enhanced pat-down procedures violate civil liberties. The procedures are invasions of personal privacy that do little to make us safer. The ACLU has received numerous complaints from travelers nationwide who have found the pat-downs to be onerous violations of their dignity. Read More »

Topics:

"Top Secret America" Sheds Light on the Intelligence-Industrial Complex

Randy Tyler

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at 12:12 pm

This week, the Seattle Times is running a Washington Post expose on the vast American intelligence bureaucracy. Called Top Secret America, the series delves deep into the underbelly of the intelligence world and exposes a runaway freight train that costs a pretty penny and does little to keep us safe. Of particular significance to ACLU-ers, the series documents official frustration with data overload, notes the high cost and low efficacy of the expanding network of programs and agencies, and highlights concerns with the increasing role of private intelligence contractors. Those familiar with our work on surveillance and privacy will recognize these issues as common refrains. Read More »

1 comment |
Add new comment |
Like (63 Likes)

Topics:

Chinn Case Is Just The Tip of the Surveillance Iceberg

Randy Tyler

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 11:02 am

Well, that settles it – government surveillance without suspicion is a costly endeavor. The case surrounding the false arrest of Phil Chinn –the Olympia activist targeted for surveillance based on his political associations – has come to a close. Unfortunately, a new ACLU report on political spying shows that coordinated efforts to target political activists for surveillance persist not only throughout Washington, but throughout the country. Read More »