Stories from the ACLU of Washington

Fabio Dworschak has always felt compelled to help others.  After leaving college in Texas to join the Army as a medic, he became increasingly aware of how many of the people he served with were those on the margins of society – people who did not benefit from the system they voluntarily stepped up to serve.

In Cambodian Boys Don’t Cry, Rasmey Sam speaks about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime and how fortunate he feels being able to attend Cal State San Bernadino. He reflects on how formative those years had been for him, and how he was happy to be able to rebuild his life in the United States.

Religious freedom is a fundamental right in our society. But while everyone has the right to his or her religious beliefs, those beliefs cannot be imposed on others.

The ACLU of Washington has a team of all-star volunteers who staff the front desk for us. We would like you to meet some of them. Yoko Gardiner, who joined our front desk crew at the beginning of the summer, loves learning about new issues and being involved in fighting for civil rights. 

The ACLU of Washington has many wonderful interns who assist with our work. We would like you to meet some of them.

It was the ACLU-WA’s involvement in community activism and engagement that initially attracted legal intern Nikkita Oliver to join our team, as she, too, is strongly activism-oriented. Since college, she has served as a youth programs director, intervention specialist, chaplain at the Youth Detention Center, teaching artist, and teacher/administrator. 

Aaron Rabinowitz’s interest in working with the ACLU began with his grandparents’ involvement.  As he grew up, they would e-mail him when the ACLU won a legislative victory, since they knew he was interested in politics.

By the end of the summer, the Spokane Police Department (SPD) will begin using officer-worn cameras as part of a pilot program. While the ACLU-WA has supported the use of body cameras for accountability purposes, we recently expressed concern that the SPD’s draft policies do not adequately protect individual privacy or ensure effective oversight.

ACLU-WA Criminal Justice Director Alison Holcomb spoke at the historic opening of the first legally-licensed marijuana retail store in Seattle along with with business owner James Lathrop and Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes.  Her comments acknowledge both the failures of prohibition and the efforts of so many to replace it with a system that works. 

Established to provide a community voice in the police reform process, Seattle’s Community Police Commission (CPC) is a unique body for an American city.  It consists of 15 members, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council, drawn from a large variety of backgrounds and with expertise pertaining to just policing.