Our work in 2008 proved the truth of ACLU Founder Roger Baldwin’s axiom that “no battle for civil liberties ever stays won."
Half a century after the FBI’s sordid history of COINTELPRO spying on civil rights and anti-war activists in the 1950’s and 60’s, the ACLU of Maryland this summer exposed the Maryland State Police for spying on peaceful activists — including nuns, pacifists, students and environmentalists — covertly infiltrating their gatherings, compiling dossiers on them and falsely labeling them in a criminal intelligence database as suspected terrorists. Our litigators uncovered this un-American affront to First Amendment rights and our legislative staff has been working with lawmakers to stop future police spying on peaceful activists.
This fall saw the Presidential and Congressional elections, and our Election Protection Campaign made sure that everyone’s vote counted by deploying Maryland ACLU staff members and 75 volunteers to work on our voter hotline and on the ground in every county in Maryland. Prior to the election we persuaded several local jurisdictions, from the Eastern Shore to Montgomery County, to allow unfettered use of political yard signs designed to educate and persuade voters.
With our members’ support, we fought to protect the religious liberty of a church dedicated to providing services to the homeless, launched a cutting edge immigrants rights project, and successfully challenged police profiling of motorists “driving while black.” We also worked to ensure fair housing for African American families, a quality education for all children in public schools, fairness for gays and lesbians, and the rights of workers and disabled persons.
And, finally, your support has helped us to change the way we work by addressing civil liberties violations with multiple strategies, including litigation, more sophisticated legislative strategies, and strengthening our coalition leadership. We were able to fight invasions of personal privacy by the federal government’s “Real ID” program and to make real progress on criminal justice reform, including working with a state commission that ultimately called for repeal of Maryland’s death penalty. We also racked up wins for equal rights at the ballot box and for reproductive rights. But even as we celebrate victories this year, we know our work is far from over. With a new President, next year is the time to press both the President and Congress to restore the rights lost since 9/11. You can add your voice by joining our ”Maryland ACLU CAN” — a constituents’ action network that teams up Maryland ACLU members/activists across the state with our National ACLU Legislative Office so that we can hold all elected officials accountable for correcting Bush Administration abuses.
As we mount each day’s new challenge, we are extraordinarily thankful for your support. We look forward to your partnership in the coming year.
Date
Sunday, June 15, 2008 - 4:00pm
Featured image
Show featured image
Hide banner image
Documents
Show related content
Tweet Text
[node:title]
Type
Menu parent dynamic listing
Style
Standard with sidebar
In times of economic exigency, the ACLU of Maryland, like other nonprofits, must work strategically to get the job done. We increased our cadre of ACLU volunteers, worked more closely with the National ACLU to protect all Americans’ privacy rights, and combined our programs—litigation, legislation and public outreach—in synergistic ways.
Our usual core of volunteers was amplified by Maryland ACLU’s Constituent Action Network (CAN)—members who, along with ACLU’s National Legislative staff lobbied the state’s powerful Congressional delegation about the government’s unconstitutional surveillance of innocent Americans. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as well as Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin all have key roles in correcting the Bush Administration’s post 9/11 abuses of power.
Maryland was in a unique position to help move this national dialogue forward because we combine litigation with legislative efforts while educating the public. Last year, Maryland ACLU’s lawsuit against the Maryland State Police revealed they had been spying and compiling dossiers on activists across the state. Thanks to our communication efforts, including hundreds of media stories and blog posts, our case turned eyes all across the nation, and even the world, to Maryland as we fought to gain full disclosure of police records, justice for the activists, and legislation to finally make such covert infiltration and dossier collecting on innocent Marylanders illegal. Then this past summer our lawsuit became “Exhibit A” in the National ACLU’s testimony before Congress about abuses in law enforcement intelligence collection and sharing practices.
The ACLU of Maryland also takes seriously our role as educators of the general public on the most important civil liberties issues of our time. That’s why, for instance, we placed several newspaper opinion pieces calling for reform of the Patriot Act, a halt to the U.S.’s unconstitutional indefinite detention and torture programs, and accountability for those who designed and implemented such un-American violations of civil liberties. We also brought National ACLU Legal Director Steve Shapiro to the Free State to discuss how the ACLU is challenging these programs and ensuring that our most basic due process and privacy rights are secure for the future.
We are honored to be part of such a vibrant and necessary cause as the ACLU’s fight for liberty in a time that demands our highest vigilance. And we are particularly grateful for your partnership in the many endeavors the ACLU undertook this past year. As we enter a new year, we look forward to guarding freedom with you again, knowing that no fight for civil liberties ever stays won
Date
Monday, June 15, 2009 - 3:45pm
Featured image
Show featured image
Hide banner image
Documents
Show related content
Tweet Text
[node:title]
Type
Menu parent dynamic listing
Style
Standard with sidebar
Sed quis custodiet ipsos cutodes” ("Who watches the watchmen?”). That age-old question was posed by a Harford County judge after ACLU moved to dismiss the criminal wiretap charges brought against our client, Anthony Graber, by the Maryland State Police and Harford County State’s Attorney. Graber was arrested after posting a recording on YouTube of his encounter with an officer in plain clothes who stopped him on the interstate with his gun drawn. Thanks to the Maryland ACLU, Graber’s high profile case ended swiftly with a victory for the First Amendment.
Sometimes justice is swift. Sometimes it demands years of dedication and struggle. And always it demands constant vigilance. This year saw long-running cases bear fruit.
We witnessed civil rights history-in-the-making when Somerset County swore in its first-ever African American County Commissioner, former ACLU client Craig Mathies. It was the culmination of three decades of ACLU work enforcing the federal Voting Rights Act on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where the legacy of slavery left many counties with large black populations but no high level African American officials. Starting in the 1980s, ACLU, representing local NAACP Branches, changed the political landscape, with Somerset County being only the most recent victory.
We also celebrated a victory for Fourth Amendment rights with our lawsuit challenging Baltimore City Police’s widespread problem of improper arrests. Our clients were arrested for innocent conduct like talking with friends, sitting on their front steps, or picketing. They were strip searched, held for many hours and even days, and then released without charge. Under a court-monitored settlement, police agreed to an independent auditor and far-reaching reforms of their arrest and charging practices.
To expand our civil liberties coverage in the Free State, we opened a field office in Takoma Park in July, celebrating with a lively open house. We also expanded our virtual reach with big growth in Facebook “fans” and a new Twitter page. You can find us online and help us spread ACLU’s message and grow “fans of freedom and equality.” We’re keeping Maryland’s on-the-go civil libertarians informed!
Speaking of ACLU “reach,” the Maryland ACLU is proud of our vibrant national ACLU, which is celebrating its 90th year – from the Palmer Raids in 1919, to the post 9/11 abuse of federal power. Happy Birthday, ACLU. We’re glad you were born! ACLU of Maryland is a passionate protector of the rights and liberties of everyone in the Free State, but we could not do it without you! We owe our successes to the support of foundations, individual donors, hundreds of pro bono attorneys and volunteers, and thousands of ACLU members across the state. It is stalwarts like you who help the ACLU, “watch the watchmen.”
Date
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 3:45pm
Featured image
Show featured image
Hide banner image
Documents
Show related content
Tweet Text
[node:title]
Type
Menu parent dynamic listing
Style
Standard with sidebar
Pages
