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Aclu Wins $212K Racial Profiling Settlement In AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF COLORADO WE THE ACLUNews PEOPLE SPRING/SUMMER 2017 ACLU WINS $212K RACIAL PROFILING SETTLEMENT IN COLORADO SPRINGS he ACLU of Colorado cooperative, had no weapons, Twon a landmark $212,000 and there was no evidence racial profiling settlement for to suggest that he had been Ryan and Benjamin Brown, involved in a crime. who were pulled over because of their race, handcuffed, Ryan Brown then began searched, and detained at recording the scene on his gun point and taser point in phone. His repeated requests Colorado Springs, without for the officers to identify legal justification. the reason for the stop were ignored. Officers worked Ryan Brown posted a video together to force him out of the of the 2015 stop online, car, push him to the ground, where it has been viewed face down in the snow, search, more than 175,000 times. and cuff him, all while at Along with monetary gunpoint. Officers grabbed his compensation, the Colorado phone, stopped the recording, Springs Police Department and threw it in the snow. agreed to make several revisions to its policies on Brown filed a complaint with stops, searches, and record- Colorado Springs Police follow- ing officers. ing the incident. He received a brief boilerplate letter inform- “The racial profiling that ing him that the Department Ryan and his brother endured “I knew that what happened to had conducted a “complete and is all too common for young my brother and me was wrong, thorough” investigation into men of color,” said ACLU of and that I needed to speak up.” the incident and concluded Colorado Legal Director Mark that the officers’ conduct was Silverstein. “The difference –Ryan Brown “justified, legal, and proper.” in this case was that Ryan preserved video evidence of the officers’ aggressive escalation In October 2016, the ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit in federal and heavy-handed use of force. Although the police department court, which began nearly six months of negotiation around policy initially refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing, city officials ulti- changes and compensation. mately did the right thing by agreeing to fair compensation.” “I knew that what happened to my brother and me was wrong, In March 2015, Ryan and Benjamin Brown were driving just a and that I needed to speak up,” said Ryan Brown. “I am grateful block away from their home in a predominantly white neighbor- to the ACLU of Colorado for holding the police accountable, for hood when they were pulled over by Colorado Springs police. standing up for our rights, and for winning policy changes that will To justify the stop, an officer later claimed that they had been hopefully prevent others from having their rights violated.” observed driving slowly through “a high crime area,” which is often law enforcement code for “driving while black.” JUSTICE IS WITHIN YOUR REACH A taser-wielding officer ordered Benjamin Brown, the driver, Download the free ACLU Mobile Justice CO out of the car. He was handcuffed, searched without cause, and app on your iPhone or Android device. detained in the back of a police vehicle, even though he had been IN THIS ISSUE • CIVIL LIBERTIES WIN BIG •CHAMPIONING BOLD REFORM •TAKING REPRODUCTIVE • THE FIGHT FOR AT THE LEGISLATURE OF YOUTH CORRECTIONS RIGHTS ON THE ROAD OUR DEMOCRACY •DEBTOR’S PRISON SETTLEMENT •LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS •LEGAL ROUND-UP LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE FIGHT FOR OUR DEMOCRACY 2017 BILL OF RIGHTS DINNER FOUR SEASONS HOTEL 1111 14TH STREET, DENVER Join us as we celebrate our work to protect civil rights and civil liberties for all and honor our 2017 Civil Rights Award Honorees at the ACLU of Colorado Bill of Rights Dinner. THIS YEAR'S CIVIL RIGHTS AWARD HONOREES Nathan Woodliff-Stanley speaking at the Tax March in Denver's Civic Center Park. March 15, 2017. HAROLD FIELDS he last several months have been in- If you took part in any of these actions or is active in Ttense. The ACLU has been in the spot- protests, I thank you. We know it made a restorative light since the presidential inauguration, difference. justice and racial filing Freedom of Information Act requests reconciliation that same day to investigate Donald Trump’s Because of expanded donor support for projects in Denver conflicts of interest, and bringing a suc- the ACLU, we have been able to add to and around the cessful lawsuit to stop the unconstitutional our legal firepower in Colorado with new nation. He will Muslim ban just a week later. At the ACLU staff attorney Arash Jahanian, and we have receive the Carle of Colorado, we have joined in lawsuits added a public policy fellow and increased Whitehead Memorial Award. against the Trump administration, and we communications capacity. The design are fighting in every way we can to protect improvements in this newsletter and on our SUSAN GREENE Colorado from mass deportations ripping social media channels are just a taste of New is editor and families apart, attempts to crank up the rac- Media Strategist Vanessa Michel’s talent. executive director ist war on drugs and expand mass incarcer- Our work with the emerging People Power of The Colorado ation yet again, and attacks on reproductive project nationwide will continue to grow, Independent, rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, privacy, as will our Know Your Rights trainings and a statewide, basic First Amendment rights, and much our mobilization of ACLU activists and vol- nonprofit news more. We have always fought politicians of unteers in communities all across Colorado. site. She will any party who threaten our civil liberties, The most important thing you can do is receive the Larry but we are working now with the sober stay engaged, stay informed, and stay com- Tajiri Media Award. awareness that we are facing challenges to mitted to the fight for our democracy and THE ROCKY the foundations of our democracy unlike the rights of every person in this land for any we have seen before. MOUNTAIN the long haul ahead, through whatever ups IMMIGRANT We have joined in protest with dozens of and downs we may face in these abnormal ADVOCACY partner organizations and thousands of times. Don’t let up, because too much is NETWORK new members and volunteers, marching at stake. Especially now, it is the people (RMIAN) provides and speaking out at the Women’s March, who speak out against abuses of power and free immigration airport protests, the March for Truth, and attacks on our constitutional rights who are legal services many other events. Meanwhile, we had the true patriots of our democracy. to children and adults in one of our most productive sessions in the With your help, the ACLU of Colorado immigration detention. They will Colorado legislature in recent years, includ- will continue to fight for our rights nation- receive the Ralph Carr Award. ing ending the culture of violence in youth wide while protecting civil liberties in Colo- corrections, municipal court reform, and rado no matter what happens anywhere else. new protections against police use of civil Thank you for being a part of the ACLU. For ticket and asset forfeiture. These victories were made sponsorship info go to possible by our first-ever Lobby Day and aclu-co.org/events thousands of calls and emails to legislators from our members, supporters, and activists. Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, Executive Director View the 2017 ACLU of Colorado Legislative ACLU AT THE CAPITOL Scorecard at aclu-co.org/at-the-capitol CIVIL LIBERTIES WIN BIG AT THE LEGISLATURE Good policy-making won out over partisan politics—most of the time—as lawmakers passed new legislation extending civil rights and civil liberties in 2017. he story of the 2017 own recognizance. It passed unanimously in These victories didn’t prevent several Tlegislative session both chambers. legislative attempts to limit women’s access starts with juvenile justice to reproductive care. The House alone saw reform. Earlier this year, the ACLU of HB 1168, another bill supported by ACLU five bills that would have done just that. Colorado, along with other child advo- of Colorado, decriminalized “Driving Under One such bill, predicated on “junk science,” cates, released Bound and Broken, a report Revocation” when a person’s license was would have required doctors to inform documenting the harsh and punitive nature revoked because of an unpaid traffic ticket. women about an “abortion reversal” pill. of Division of Youth Corrections practic- Many license revocations occur simply be- Another would have enacted personhood, es. DYC has for years relied heavily on the cause people cannot afford to pay fines, cre- subjecting anyone performing an abor- use of solitary confinement, a full-body ating a vicious cycle that punishes them for tion to the criminal charge of first-degree straitjacket called the WRAP, pain compli- their poverty. We thank Representative Matt murder. ance techniques, knee strikes, leg irons, and Gray (D-Adams County) and Senator Bob handcuffs to control kids. Gardner (R-Colorado Springs) for spon- Partisan politics also persisted in LGBT soring this legislation, which passed both rights, immigrant rights, and some areas of Relying on the facts presented in Bound chambers with strong bipartisan support. criminal justice reform. For the second year and Broken and other evidence re- in a row, the Senate State Affairs committee vealed through investigative journalism, Much can be and was voted down bills that would limit conver- Representatives Pete Lee (D-Colorado accomplished in 120 days. sion therapy and make it easier to change Springs) and Lois Landgraff (R-Fountain) the gender marker on birth certificates. The sponsored HB 1329—legislation to trans- ACLU’s policy work, of Senate Judiciary Committee refused to ad- form the culture in youth corrections facili- course, continues beyond vance legislation benefiting our immigrant ties.
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