Racial Justice Icon depicting a handshake

Racial Justice

The authors of the Declaration of Independence outlined a bold vision for America: a nation in which all people would be free and equal. Yet the forced removal of indigenous peoples and the enslavement of those of African descent marked the beginnings of a system of racial injustice from which our country has yet to break free. Despite important gains made by civil rights activism, the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, and racial profiling and bias in policing are but a few of the racist injustices that mark the distance between America’s reality and the dream we seek to achieve: liberty and justice for everybody.

Resources

After ACLU-WA Lawsuit, Government Agrees to Naturalize JBLM Soldier

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 9, 2018
After an ACLU-WA lawsuit, the government agreed to naturalize a decorated Army service member.
Read more

Do you know the most powerful person in our criminal justice system?

Published: 
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Voters often overlook this local election, but it’s a key way to curb mass incarceration. What few people realize is that prosecuting attorneys play a leading role in shaping the criminal system— and that voters in their communities elect them to the job.
Read more

ACLU Condemns Attack on Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta

News Release, Published: 
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
No American should be subject to racial threats and violence for expressing their political views.  It is especially harmful to democracy when an elected official is attacked for his public policy positions.  We applaud Mayor Matta for standing up to these racist acts.  And we applaud Mayor Matta for his support of sanctuary cities and of our immigrant communities.
Read more

Statement on Supreme Court Muslim Ban Ruling

Published: 
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Today’s ruling is not the first time the Supreme Court has been wrong. It’s sadly not the first time the Court has allowed official racism and xenophobia to continue, rather than standing up to it.  As with earlier rulings, history will judge today’s decision harshly.
Read more

5 Things You Can Do To Fight For Immigrant Families

Published: 
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Incarcerating families is not the solution to family separation. We need to keep up the pressure. Want to help? Here’s what you can do
Read more

For People with Mental Illness, a Call to 911 Can Be Deadly. It’s up to Us to Change that.

Published: 
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Embedding mental health professionals in law enforcement teams saves lives.
Read more

Civil Liberties in the State Legislature - 2018 Legislative Session

Published: 
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Civil liberties highlights from the 2018 Washington State Legislative Session
Read more

Faulty Lexipol policies expose police departments to costly lawsuits, ACLU-WA and NWIRP warn in letter to local law enforcement agencies statewide

News Release, Published: 
Monday, January 22, 2018
The ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project are notifying law enforcement agencies in Washington about the settlement of a lawsuit in which the City of Spokane agreed to pay damages and attorneys’ fees to a man it unlawfully detained and held for immigration authorities after he was the victim of a car accident.
Read more

Victory in Lawsuit: Spokane Police Will No Longer Unlawfully Detain Immigrants

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
On January 9, 2018, Gabriel Gomez and the City of Spokane reached a final settlement in a lawsuit Mr. Gomez filed last August over a police officer having unlawfully detained him after he was the victim of a car accident.
Read more

Pages