(Also published on the Huffington Post at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/582c94c5e4b08c963e3439c9?timestamp=1479318036366)

The rights and freedoms promised in the U.S. Constitution are the pride of our nation, and our history is defined by a constant struggle to make those promises real for all people, not just for some. For nearly a century, the ACLU has been at the forefront of defending and advancing these civil liberties, with many landmark successes.
Now our Constitutional rights have been placed in serious danger with the election of a President who has threatened to resume torture, deport millions of immigrants, expand stop-and-frisk practices, enact a ban on Muslims entering our country, restrict freedom of the press, overturn abortion rights, allow LGBT rights to be gutted, and much more. The ACLU is readying itself to fight against multiple national challenges to our civil rights and liberties in the months and years ahead, and the ACLU of Colorado will be deeply engaged in that struggle.
At the same time, we must all work together to advance civil liberties in our home state, a task now more important than ever. There is plenty to build upon here. Colorado is a diverse state with a reputation for valuing personal freedom and a fair chance for everyone. In the aftermath of the Patriot Act in 2001 and the threats to privacy and freedom that it unleashed, several Colorado communities declared themselves Civil Liberties Safe Zones, illustrating Colorado’s belief in civil liberties. Now with many Colorado residents feeling less safe than ever, the ACLU of Colorado calls upon our local and statewide leaders to make all of Colorado a Civil Liberties Safe Zone—and to act to make that promise real!
Sign the pledge and tell your local and statewide leaders to protect the rights of all Coloradans.

What would it look like for Colorado to be a Civil Liberties Safe Zone? It is not words that matter, only the policies we actually adopt and follow. And there are real opportunities to protect and advance civil liberties in Colorado regardless of how our national fight unfolds. It is time to affirm our state identity at its best and declare our commitment to these and other civil liberties:
· Freedom of Speech, Protest and Press. Colorado must never tolerate attacks on the rights of all people to gather and express their views in this state, even—or especially—when critical of our government or leaders.
· Voting Rights. Colorado has some of the best voting laws in the nation, but there are still ways to improve those laws so all adult citizens can vote, and we must hold the line against voter suppression.
· Rights in the Criminal Justice System. Colorado must not accept ongoing mass incarceration, excessive force or racial bias in policing, shortcuts around due process, any expansion of the war on drugs, criminalization of poverty, or excessive punishments on children or adults, including torture, extended solitary confinement, unnecessarily long sentences, and the death penalty.
· Immigrant Rights. Colorado must honor the lives and rights of all people living in our communities, resisting any attempts at mass deportation that would rip families apart, wreck communities and our state economy, and co-opt local police as federal agents.
· Privacy and Freedom from Government Surveillance. Colorado boasts a growing technology community that makes our state a focal point for defining privacy rights and holding the line against intrusive government surveillance of our digital and personal lives.
· Reproductive Rights. Colorado voters have repeatedly affirmed women’s reproductive freedom, including abortion and contraceptive rights, and it is critical that Colorado remain a safe haven for these rights no matter what happens in other states or in the U.S. Supreme Court.
· LGBT Rights. Colorado must not allow hard-won marriage rights to be reversed or dissolved, and discrimination against LGBT persons must be stopped.
· Religious Freedom for All. Colorado should be a safe place for people of any or no religion, never allowing government to attack any one religion, impose religious practices, or promote discrimination in the name of religion.
No matter what happens nationally, Colorado can use our state courts, state Constitution, and state legislature to build upon our culture of freedom and civil liberties. Our state has worked across partisan lines to advance criminal justice reform, voting rights, LGBT rights, drug policy, privacy, and the rights of people living in poverty. There is so much more we need to fight for, and every victory in Colorado will help us win nationwide. We will never give up, and neither should our leaders. Colorado and our nation must keep moving forward, not backwards.
Already, we are seeing signs of a groundswell of support for civil liberties in Colorado. More than ever, we need Coloradans to come together in vigilant support of civil rights and civil liberties for everyone. Let’s make all of Colorado “A Civil Liberties Safe Zone!”
Sign the Pledge: https://action.aclu.org/secure/co-civil-liberties-safe-zone?ms=fb_161114_aff_CO_

Become a member of the ACLU of Colorado: https://action.aclu.org/secure/join-aclu-colorado-or-renew-your-membership-today

Donate to support our work: https://action.aclu.org/secure/support-aclu-colorado

Become a volunteer ACLU activist: https://aclu-co.org/volunteer/

11/9/16
In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero had the following statement:
“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today.”
“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.”
“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.”
“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.”
The ACLU released its analysis of candidate Trump’s policy proposals in July, which can be found at: https://medium.com/acluelection2016/donald-trump-a-one-man-constitutiona...

DENVER: Two days after the launch of an emergency campaign to stop the retrial of Clarence Moses-EL, who spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and now faces a highly controversial retrial by outgoing Denver DA Mitch Morrissey, a coalition of community activist groups and concerned citizens will deliver a petition signed by thousands of Coloradans demanding that Morrissey end this persecution of an innocent man.
“Clarence Moses-EL has already spent 28 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit,” said ProgressNow Colorado Executive Director Ian Silverii. “The facts and irregularities in this case are overwhelming. No physical evidence tying Clarence to the crime has ever been produced. Another man convicted in separate sexual assault cases has confessed to the crime.”
“There’s no easy way to say it: railroading an innocent man while the public’s attention is on the elections makes a mockery of the justice DA Morrissey is sworn to uphold,” said Silverii. “We’re calling on Morrissey to end this misguided persecution of Clarence Moses-EL. Anything else would be a grave miscarriage of justice.”
“Mitch Morrissey’s decision to drag Clarence Moses-EL back into court when clear evidence points to his innocence amounts to reckless and unnecessary prosecutorial zeal,” said ACLU of Colorado Executive Director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley.  “As a public official sworn to uphold justice, Morrissey should listen to the thousands of concerned citizens who are encouraging him to stop this bogus trial before it starts."
WHAT: Delivery of petition calling on DA Morrissey to drop the Moses-EL case
WHO: ACLU of Colorado, ProgressNow Colorado, NAACP Statewide Coalition, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), coalition of community groups and citizens
WHEN: 3PM, Friday, November 4, 2016
WHERE: Denver District Attorney's Office, 201 W. Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202
For more information, visit thisisnotjustice.org