Like My Illegal Voting Charge, Capitol Riot Shows Racism in Criminal Justice
This piece was originally published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
As the leading civil rights organization in the Lone Star State, we at the ACLU of Texas believe it is our duty to keep the public informed about the state of their civil liberties. The work we do at the legislature, in the courts, and in our communities is important, but there is no better defender of civil rights than a public that is informed and engaged.
This piece was originally published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Today marks the opening of the 87th Texas Legislative Session — and it signals enormous opportunity and peril for civil liberties in Texas.
In the past year, many of us have made difficult choices to keep ourselves and loved ones safe from COVID-19. But throughout Texas county jails, incarcerated people have fewer options and depend on local leaders to enact precautions to keep them safe.
Texas is no stranger to the issue of migration.
The approximately 15 million residents of the Southwest border region live under a massive federal police presence and extensive surveillance: the ever-present hum of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopters overhead; residents’ information collected by CBP surve
In the past year, we’ve witnessed so many agonizing examples of the brutal reality of systemic racism. We’ve mourned the loss of more than 270,000 American lives from a deadly pandemic. We’ve seen a dramatic shift in the ideological balance at the U.S.