By: ACLU of Colorado I support and volunteer with the ACLU of Colorado because there is no better way to ensure social justice than by working within the ACLU to protect, defend, and extend the civil rights and civil liberties of all people. The ACLU does its work through litigation, education, and legislation, never forgetting the Constitution and Bill of Rights are not just words, but values to live by.  I share in the vow to defend these values. How could you not be drawn to an organization that works with.... | Read More

By: ACLU of Colorado (This blog post was featured on HuffingtonPost.com November 27) Now is the time of year when poverty and homelessness are most prominent on the minds of many Americans. As families gather to eat together and give thanks for their lives, many of us also take time to think about the struggles of people who are less fortunate. Less often do we think or even know about the extreme measures that are used by local lawmakers and police to criminalize the existence of people who are homeless and to.... | Read More

By: ACLU of Colorado (Written by ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley and published in the November 22 Denver Post) When Judge Morris B. Hoffman labels racial bias in the criminal justice system as “nonsense,” he does so despite a body of research and data clearly showing the opposite. According to the non-partisan Sentencing Project, black defendants in the U.S. are 20 percent more likely to be sentenced to prison for the same crimes as white defendants. A recent ACLU report found.... | Read More

By: ACLU of Colorado (Written by ACLU of Colorado Public Policy Director Denise Maes and published in the November 16 Denver Post) Protecting public health is certainly not the only, or even the main, motivation behind the proposed smoking ban on the 16th Street Mall. Rather, police would gain another tool of selective enforcement to target, harass and ultimately displace the homeless population from downtown. Across the state, new laws are being added every day to push people living in poverty out of sight and.... | Read More

By: John Krieger More and more cities around Colorado are passing new laws or enforcing old ones to target, harass, and displace people living in poverty. At our encouragement, the City of Durango recently stopped enforcing a loitering ordinance that infringed on peaceful, non-threatening speech. As reported in the Durango Herald: Durango’s loitering law questioned by group Musician ticketed after business owner complains By Chuck Slothower Herald staff writer The city of Durango has stopped.... | Read More

By: ACLU of Colorado The ACLU of Colorado staff has grown again! Jayme Kritzler recently came on board as our Economic Justice Fellow, a brand-new position that was made possible through a generous gift by one of our supporters. During her year-long fellowship, Jayme will dedicate her time to work around the intersection of poverty, inequality, and civil liberties  in Colorado. Join us in welcoming Jayme to the ACLU of Colorado team! More about Jayme: Jayme graduated from the University of California, Davis in.... | Read More