Faith, Social justice, and Civil Rights Organizations call on Colorado to End Unjust and Expensive Death Penalty

New data to be released comparing added costs of death penalty trials with cuts to public priorities and services

What: To mark World Day to End the Death Penalty, faith leaders, civil rights activists, and representatives of several statewide organizations - including Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Lisa Calderon, Sister llaria Buonriposi of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, and Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett - will hold a press conference to call for an end to the death penalty in Colorado.

The event will feature personal stories and reflections of the death penalty’s biased and unjust application and its damaging effect on communities, families, and individuals, including the story of a man who spent 18 years in prison and once faced death for a crime he didn’t commit.

New findings will also be released comparing the added costs of death penalty trials to other important public priorities that are often sacrificed, such as firefighters, teachers, services for the elderly, and afterschool programs.

When: 10 am MT, Thursday October 10, 2013

Where: Capitol Senate Press Room (Rm. 326)

3rd floor by Westside Senate Offices

Visuals: Blown-up infographic on costs, “End the Death Penalty” banners, and podium art

Contact: John Krieger, Communications Director, ACLU of Colorado, 720.402.3111/303.653.6246 or Rosemary Lytle, Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, 719.233.0243.

September 27, 2013

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today joined ACLU affiliates across the country in marking the annual observance of Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week is observed annually at the end of September to celebrate the First Amendment and draw attention to the censorship of literature in public schools. This year, the American Association of School Librarians has also designated Sept. 28 to highlight the dangers of software filters that block access to educational websites in schools.

To educate students and adults alike, the ACLU of Colorado posted a crossword puzzle on its website which chronicles attempts nationwide to ban literature and expression.

“We observe Banned Books Week not only as a celebration of artistic expression and the freedom to read, but also to remind all Coloradans that the threat of censorship is still very real,” said John Krieger, ACLU of Colorado Communications and Outreach Director.

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracks books that have been challenged, often by parents of students, to be removed from a public or school library. Classic books such as Brave New World and The Catcher in the Rye, and newer titles, such as the Gossip Girl series and Twilight have been on "challenged" lists for reasons including explicit language, sexual content and violence.

A related issue is software filters, which schools have used to block LGBT content. That violates First Amendment rights to free speech and the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs. This year, the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project brought attention to software filtering through the Don’t Filter Me initiative. The campaign was started after the ACLU received complaints that schools were allowing access to anti-gay sites while simultaneously blocking access to LGBT websites and resources such as the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, and Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays.

“Just as schools can't remove books from the library that support LGBT people and their legal rights, schools also cannot use discriminatory web-filtering software that prevents students from accessing supportive websites,” said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project.

Several schools and software companies agreed to change their settings in response to the initiative, though a lawsuit was recently filed against a school district in Camdenton, Mo., that refused to change its settings.

More information on Banned Books Week can be found at: www.bannedbooksweek.org

September 27, 2013

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today joined ACLU affiliates across the country in marking the annual observance of Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week is observed annually at the end of September to celebrate the First Amendment and draw attention to the censorship of literature in public schools. This year, the American Association of School Librarians has also designated Sept. 28 to highlight the dangers of software filters that block access to educational websites in schools.

To educate students and adults alike, the ACLU of Colorado posted a crossword puzzle on its website which chronicles attempts nationwide to ban literature and expression.

“We observe Banned Books Week not only as a celebration of artistic expression and the freedom to read, but also to remind all Coloradans that the threat of censorship is still very real,” said John Krieger, ACLU of Colorado Communications and Outreach Director.

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracks books that have been challenged, often by parents of students, to be removed from a public or school library. Classic books such as Brave New World and The Catcher in the Rye, and newer titles, such as the Gossip Girl series and Twilight have been on "challenged" lists for reasons including explicit language, sexual content and violence.

A related issue is software filters, which schools have used to block LGBT content. That violates First Amendment rights to free speech and the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs. This year, the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project brought attention to software filtering through the Don’t Filter Me initiative. The campaign was started after the ACLU received complaints that schools were allowing access to anti-gay sites while simultaneously blocking access to LGBT websites and resources such as the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, and Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays.

“Just as schools can't remove books from the library that support LGBT people and their legal rights, schools also cannot use discriminatory web-filtering software that prevents students from accessing supportive websites,” said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project.

Several schools and software companies agreed to change their settings in response to the initiative, though a lawsuit was recently filed against a school district in Camdenton, Mo., that refused to change its settings.

More information on Banned Books Week can be found at: www.bannedbooksweek.org