The ACLU of Utah operates through public education, legal advocacy, litigation, and lobbying at both the state and local levels to ensure the constitutional rights and freedoms of everyone living in or visiting Utah. Our work is based on those principals outlined in the Bill of Rights.
How does a bill become a law? How can I be involved in the legislative process? Don’t know the answer to these questions? Looks like you better attend the Citizen Lobbyist Training at the Utah State Capitol on February 6th. With the 2013 Utah legislative session under way, we invite you to attend so that you can prepare to be an engaged citizen during the legislative session. The free session will cover, among other issues:
How the legislature works
How citizens can have an impact on their elected representatives
The issues the ACLU of Utah and other groups in Utah will be following during the 2013 Legislative Session
Free refreshments!
Here's the important information you need to know:
What: Citizen Lobbyist Training at the Capitol When: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Time: 5:30 – 7pm Where: Utah State Capitol, Multipurpose Room Sponsored by: ACLU of Utah, Equality Utah, Alliance for a Better Utah, Planned Parenthood of Utah, Enriching Utah Coalition
Free pizza and refreshments
January is always the time to reflect on resolutions and here at the ACLU of Utah, we have a few of our own. As the 2013 legislative session gets underway, our lawmakers are already providing us with opportunities to renew our commitment to protecting the civil liberties of all Utahns.
Our 2013 resolutions are:
Promote Equality
Press for fair and humane immigration reform.
Encourage the passage of non-discrimination protections in housing and the workplace for all Utahns, including those who are LGBT.
Defend Liberty
Keep politicians from coming between women and their doctors in personal medical decisions.
Prevent politicians from using religious freedom as an excuse to break important laws such as those that protect against child abuse, domestic violence and discrimination.
Stand Up for Justice
Protect our privacy and our personal data, including establishing guidelines and oversight regarding the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs).
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook to take action and help us make these resolutions a reality!
Through the Youth Activist Scholarship, the ACLU of Utah encourages high school students to get involved with their communities. Since 2007, we have awarded more than $15,000 in scholarship money to inspiring and amazing high school seniors from all over the state. Our many young activist applicants, after hearing of the scholarship opportunity through school counselors, community groups and social media, submit a simple application in the hopes of becoming one of three winners, each of whom receive a $1,000 scholarship to apply toward the college of their choice.
In the early weeks of January, the Youth Activist Scholarship Selection Committee gathered to choose the 2012 scholarship winners. Over the course of the evening, the committee – made up of teachers, professors, community leaders and students – reviewed and discussed the bevy of applications, each of which featured a student that has shown incredible commitment to civil liberties in their school and community. After long and hard deliberation, the committee chose three winners that stood out among the rest: Gabe Glissmeyer, Patricio Panuncio, and Lincoln Parkin.
Gabriel Glissmeyer
Hillcrest High School (Midvale)
As a student of color and a member of the LGBTQ community, Gabe has faced and overcome many obstacles in his life. But rather than letting these challenges discourage him, Gabe uses his experiences to empower himself, as well as to help others who face similar challenges. For example, Gabe works to educate members of the LGBTQ community about the ill effects of tobacco; he turned the spotlight on “Project SCUM,” a tobacco campaign that sought to target members of the LGBTQ community in the 1990s. Gabe also initiated the formation of “Advocates for Equality,” an all-inclusive club at his high school that provides a safe place for LGBTQ youth to share their experiences and work to promote equal treatment within Hillcrest’s halls. With support from the ACLU of Utah, Gabe plans to continue his civil liberties advocacy after high school. “In college I plan to tirelessly continue to fight for what’s right,” he says, “without backing down.”
Patricio Panuncio
Academy for Math, Engineering and Science (Salt Lake City)
Not long after moving with his family to Utah from Argentina in 2001, Patricio began to feel the affects of discrimination toward the Latino community. Rather than sitting back and enduring the discrimination silently, Patricio decided to take action in pursuit of equal treatment and protection for all people. He helped to organize an action group titled “Still We Rise”, which demonstrated against HJR 24, a proposal put forth during the 2010 Legislative Session to ban Equal Opportunity programs in state employment and higher education. When “Still We Rise” triumphed and the proposal, Patricio realized, “Change was at the tips of my fingers.” Since then, he has shared his story on a radio show, testified before the state legislature, and participated in rallies to advocate for equality for Latinos and immigrants in Utah. Patricio plans to get an undergraduate degree in Political Science, and pursue a career in Civil Rights Law.
Lincoln Parkin
Weber High School (Ogden)
As president of his school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club, Lincoln works to promote fair treatment for all students at Weber High, no matter their sexual orientation. Lincoln is also an active member of the Ogden OUTreach Center, a program that focuses on creating a safe and welcoming community for LGBTQ youth and their allies. After learning about the “Pink Dot” campaign through the OUTreach Center, Lincoln worked to encourage Utahns to speak up for their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends and family members as part of the “Pink Dot” effort. A self-proclaimed “music activist,” Lincoln uses his passion for singing to work toward the goal of equality for LGBTQ people. Lincoln plans to continue his dedication to music and activism in college.
We received many excellent applications for this scholarship program; each applicant inspired us with their work to protect and expand civil liberties. It was a challenge to select only three winners! But we are proud to provide this scholarship to high school activists who are working to make a difference, not only in their own lives, but in the lives of their families, friends, peers and neighbors. The scholarship winners will receive their awards at the ACLU of Utah’s annual Bill of Rights Celebration on May 2.
The Bill of Rights Celebration will feature various guests of honor, as well as keynote speaker Spencer Overton, of George Washington University Law School and author of Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression. This event is expected to attract more than 500 guests, who will come together to support the ACLU, and learn more about its role in promoting participatory democracy, transparent and accountable government, voting rights and a host of other important civic issues. To purchase your tickets or learn more about the Bill of Rights Celebration on May 2nd, please visit www.acluutah.org/bor2012
As senior year progresses, high school seniors are faced with many tough decisions, including what to do after high school graduation.
While dreaming of what to accomplish, what positive changes to make in this world, and what grand stamp they hope to leave upon it, even the most passionate and ambitious young people must also face a bit of reality. How to best accomplish the next step (in many cases, college!) in a financially-feasible way?
For high school seniors who have been actively engaged in social activism and community leadership, the ACLU of Utah has at least one idea for you. We want to reward young people who have used their high school years to learn about and stand up for the important rights we are lucky to have in this nation.
In its fifth year, the ACLU of Utah’s Youth Activist Scholarship seeks to recognize Utah high school seniors passionate about civil liberties – and who have taken a stand in their communities to show it.
”We are getting more and more applications each year, from amazing young people who really care about protecting and promoting individual freedom,” says Anna Brower, Development Director at the ACLU of Utah. “No matter how challenging our work at the ACLU gets, we always get a boost of inspiration for students who are fighting along with us in their schools and neighborhoods!”
Each year since 2008, the program has awarded $1000 scholarships to three truly passionate young people who care about preserving civil liberties, and who have taken action to do just that. Past scholarship recipients have positively impacted their communities by advocating for women at the United Nations, standing up for LGBT peers by starting Gay-Straight Alliances, lobbying their elected officials for the protection of immigrants’ rights, and championing free speech and a free press. .
Cara Cerise (Highland High School, Salt Lake City) was one of the ACLU of Utah’s first scholarship recipients, awarded in 2008. She spoke out for LGBT rights and social justice throughout her high school career. In addition to accepting leadership roles in her school's social justice club and lobbying against anti-LGBT bills at the state legislature, Cara also started the Utah chapter of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE). COLAGE is a support group dedicated to helping children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender parents and families.
Ingrid Asplund (Walden School, Orem), a 2010 scholarship recipient, demonstrated her passion by taking part in international service trips and teaming up with Planned Parenthood to advocate for comprehensive Sex-Ed in Utah schools. The self-described “crazy environmentalist hippie chick” even started her own blog to tackle reproductive health topic, in the hopes that the online conversation will “help supplement the lackluster sex education kids in Utah get.”
Another 2010 recipient, Joel Organista (West High School, Salt Lake City), who is currently serving an LDS mission in Tokyo, Japan, focused his civil liberties activism on racial prejudice. After witnessing such injustices first-hand – and experiencing it himself – Joel became involved with the creation of a documentary called "Red Flags: Racism and Ethnic Stereotyping in Schools." Joel has presented the film, and his insights, at several national conferences. He was appointed to the National Advisory Board of the "Education Through Liberation" Network, through which he played a pivotal drafting a National Student Bill of Rights.
”What is so impressive about these young activists,” says Brower, “is the sophistication of their understanding of issues related to inequality and injustice. Our Selection Committee continually has been blown away by how much our applicants care about individual freedoms, and particularly about how other people may be prevented from exercising those freedoms.”
Interested graduating seniors, currently attending Utah high schools, who plan on entering an accredited college or university can apply online at www.acluutah.org. Qualified applicants will be selected, based on specific criteria, by the volunteer Scholarship Selection Committee, which is comprised of various community members and leaders. The top three applicants receive a scholarship award of $1000, and honored at the ACLU of Utah’s Annual Bill of Rights Celebration, which takes place each spring.
For more information about the Youth Activist scholarship and previous scholarship recipients, visit http://www.acluutah.org/scholarship.htmlhttp://www.acluutah.org/scholarship.html, or contact Anna Brower at (801) 521-9862 x100.
Youth Activist Scholarship winners being honored at the Bill of Rights Celebration on May 11, 2011.
Video highlighting the 2011 Youth Activist Scholarship winners.
Recently, the ACLU of Utah received information that a lesbian couple was asked to leave a school’s homecoming dance violating their right to free expression and free association guaranteed by the First Amendment, as well as Constitution’s promise of Equal Protection. We took this opportunity to write a letter to every school district superintendent in Utah, educating them about the court decisions upholding the rights of same sex couples to attend proms and other school dances and functions in the hope that it might prevent future circumstances that could result in litigation. Read more >>
This week, the ACLU of Utah is proud to be hosting Jameel Jaffer, Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU and former director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. We invited Mr. Jaffer to Salt Lake City to encourage reflection and provide a critical civil liberties progress report following the recently-obsevred ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
On Saturday, October 29th Jameel Jaffer will present “Our New Normal: National Security, Civil Liberties and Human Rights 10 Years After September 11 that 6:30pm at the Khadeeja Islamic Center, 1019 West 2455 South, in West Valley City. This event is free and open to the public; Modest dress is strongly encouraged, out of respect for our hosts at the Khadeeja mosque. (LINK TO MAP HERE)
Our country has done a lot of healing since the tragic events of 9/11, but we are far from where we were, in terms of our individual liberties and civil rights, before that devastating day. Unfortunately, many Americans have suffered injustices, large and small, as a direct result of U.S. policies and actions following the attacks. What once might have been unimaginable infringements upon the human rights of American citizens, on American soil, now have become our “new normal.” Extrajudicial Killings. Torture. Racial Profiling and Mapping. Unwarranted surveillance. Islamaphobia. These violations of fundamental civil liberties have all become, somehow, acceptable – or, at least, hardly shocking – in our post-9/11 culture.
Just 45 days after 9/11, the U.S. Congress passed The PATRIOT Act , a bill that would prove to seriously undermine the constitutional rights of thousands. Parts of the act were supposed to expire in 2005, but regularly have been extended by Congress, until at least 2015. Ostensibly created and authorized in order to aid the U.S. government in its fight against terrorist extremism across the globe, the Act became a powerful vehicle for the undermining of the rights of thousands of U.S. citizens and non-citizens.. Check out the ACLU’s Post-9/11 Surveillance Timeline to recall specific policies that have been enforced against the American people in the past decade.
Last week, in anticipation of Jameel Jaffer’s visit, the ACLU of Utah screened Laura Poitras’ film “The Oath”, in Ogden and in Orem at Utah Valley University. The documentary centers on Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni citizen and former driver for Osama Bin Laden, and his brother-in-law, Abu Jandal, a former member of Al Qaeda and bin Laden bodyguard. Hamdan ended up in the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – which is still open and operating in 2011, and “home” to approximately 170 detainees.
Over the course of two years, Laura Poitras traveled back and forth to Yemen to collect footage and interviews for “The Oath.” Ms. Poitras, who had been on the government’s “terrorist watch list” since the filming of her Iraq-based documentary “My Country, My Country,” was routinely interrogated regarding her frequent travels to Yemen. She finally ended up on the FBI’s “No Fly” list, and it took several calls to her attorneys and the ACLU before she was allowed to board her flight to attend an international film festival.
In fact, it through her experience as a target of the U.S. government’s “War on Terror” policies that Ms. Poitras met and become friends with the ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer, who has been fighting to turn a national and international spotlight on those very policies since their initial enactment.
During his visit to Salt Lake, Mr. Jaffer will be delving further into these problematic post-9/11 U.S. policies and practices.
On Thursday, October 27, Mr. Jaffer will address the public, free of charge, on the campus of the University of Utah. His presentation, which will be held in Dumke Auditorium in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, beginning at 10:45 a.m. and concluding at noon, is entitled, “What is the War on Terror…and Are We Still Fighting It?” In this talk, Mr. Jaffer will addressing such issues as extrajudicial killings, extraordinary rendition and indefinite detention.
On Saturday, October 29th, Mr. Jaffer will present “Our New Normal: National Security, Civil Liberties and Human Rights 10 Years After 9/11” at the Khadeeja Islamic Center. This event is presented in partnership with the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, and is free and open to the general public. There will be ample time for questions and discussion, and we strongly encourage you to take advantage of Mr. Jaffer’s prodigious knowledge, experience and expertise during his stay in Salt Lake.
Posted 10/24/11 - News reports and video’s posted on Youtube have brought to the ACLU of Utah’s attention that on Thursday, October 20, 2011, officers from the Roosevelt Police Department used pepper spray and batons on a group of people performing a Haka Dance at the conclusion of the Roosevelt High School football game.
According to published news reports, the Roosevelt Police Department is conducting an investigation into the incident. The ACLU of Utah is deeply troubled by the images and accounts of the incident, and we have written to the Roosevelt Police Department requesting that we are sent a copy of any report that results from that investigation.
In our letter we expressed our hope that the Police Department will conduct “a fair, comprehensive, and unbiased investigation into this matter, that to the extent that your report reveals wrongdoing, those who are deemed to have used excessive and unwarranted force are held accountable, and that training will be provided to your force to ensure that another incident like this is never repeated."
Accordingly, we encourage anyone with information regarding the incident to report it to the Police Department, so that they have an opportunity to assess the information and respond appropriately. At the same time, we encourage those with first hand knowledge of the incident to share that information with us, so that we can adequately monitor the situation as well. Our online law enforcement complaint form can be filled out here >>
