Please join the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia for a special session of By The People Lobby Day.  During the Immigrants’ Rights Lobby Day, we will focus on legislation that impacts immigrant and refugee communities in our state.  We are excited to welcome several co-sponsoring organizations.

Co-Sponsored By: 

• Anti-Defamation League
• Caminar Latino
• Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS)
• Coalicion de Lideres Latinos (CLILA)Culture Connect
• Feminist Women’s Health Center
• Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)
• Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR)
• Georgia Rural Urban Summit
• Hernan Taylor & Lee
• International Center of Atlanta
• International Rescue Committee
• Latin American Association
• OCA-Georgia Chapter
• Raksha
• Refugee Family Services
• Refugee Women’s Network
• Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA)

For more information or to co-sponsor a By the People Lobby Day, please contact: 

Marlyn Tillman · Organizer/Lobbyist 
American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia 
770-303-8111
mtillman@acluga.org · www.acluga.org 

You can find the materials used from the conference here

Thursday, April 29, 2010      -       11:30 a.m.

Carlton Fields
One Atlantic Center
1201 W. Peachtree STreet, Suite 3000
Atlanta, Georgia 30309

presenting
Mr. Steven R. Shapiro
National Legal Director of the ACLU
Mr. Shapiro has moderated the Supreme Court briefing for 17 years, providing an annual overview of the current Supreme Court and
comparing the current Court to its predecessors.

Mr. Alvin J. Bronstein
Noted Civil Rights Activist
Mr. Bronstein will speak on “Ethical Obliations When the Client is a Worthy Cause.”  His lecture will include reflections on his work in th civil rights movement of the 1960’s.

Lunch will be provided
Please R.S.V.P. by April 22, 2010
(space is limited) to April McCune at
404.815.2724 or amccune@carltonfields.com

From Restore Fairness Website

As the dust settles around the 200,000 March for America in D.C. this weekend, it is important to remind ourselves why we need immigration reform. A new report by the ACLU is one such reminder of racial profiling that is alive and kicking in the United States. As one of the most unconstitutional implications of our broken immigration system, racial profiling takes place when police stop, interrogate, and detain people on the basis of their appearance, accent or general perceived ethnicity, rather than on the basis of concrete evidence of criminal activity.

Called “The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g),” the report uses individual testimonies from the community to examine the persistence of racial profiling in Gwinnett County, Georgia, before and after the introduction of the 287(g) program that partners local law enforcement with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce immigration law. Dedicated to the brave undocumented students walking the Trail of Dreams who marched into this “risky” 287(g) county, the report focuses on Sheriff Conway known as the “Joe Arpaio of the South”, who claimed that November 16th, 2009 or the day that the 287(g) program officially took off in Gwinnett County “was a great day for Gwinnett County citizens.”

Racial profiling has always been prevalent in Gwinnett County. In a case that took place before the implementation of 287(g), a woman named Mary Babington witnessed two police offers stop a white Sedan and pull out two Latino men at gun-point, shouting at them the entire time. They were then cuffed and made to lie on the ground, shirtless. One of the men was crying and asked the officer for his shirt, saying he felt cold. The officer then kicked him on his back and yelled at him not to move. Mary then heard one officer boast to the other -

They wouldn’t come out when I pulled my gun, so I sprayed the whole can of pepper spray. I emptied the whole can on them…Dude, I emptied the can in his face. I love my job.

According to the witness, Mary, the officers did not tell the men why they had been stopped, and did not read the men their rights at any point. Finally the officers administered a breathalyzer test and gave one of them a ticket for driving under the influence.

The implementation of the 287 (g) program has only exacerbated racial profiling. Many people of color have been stopped, interrogated, detained and even abused based on minor traffic violations even though 287(g) is supposed to be implemented to catch serious criminals. Some were stopped without any probable cause and never given an explanation.

A case in point is the testimony of Juan, a 48-year maintenance technician who is a legal permanent resident, entitled to live and work in the U.S. In the last year he has been stopped by local police on two different occasions, both times without any legal basis. On the most recent occasion, a Gwinnett police officer asked Juan to pull over as he was driving home from work. Despite him asking the officer five times why he was being stopped, he was given no answer. Instead the officer continuously screamed at him for asking questions and asked him for his driver’s license, which he handed over. Juan was eventually released without a citation but never found out why he had been pulled over and detained. He is now constantly worried about such an event recurring and avoids driving in certain areas of Gwinnett County.

In a podcast interview, Azadeh Shahshahani from the ACLU talks about the ways in which the 287(g) program has been extremely harmful for the 70 jurisdictions in which it operates. Local profiling has threatened public safety so that instead of trusting the local police, people are increasingly afraid to approach them, creating a dangerous communication barrier between local law enforcement and the community. In addition to diverting resources, the 287(g) program employs local police officers who are not trained in making immigration and status determinations, resulting in them restoring to their perceived notions about people’s race, ethnicity and accent.

While 50% of U.S. states have enacted legislation against racial profiling, legislation is still pending for Georgia. According to Azadeh -

In Georgia the problem is compounded because not only is there not any meaningful federal oversight, but there is also no oversight at the local or county level that we have seen…One of our main recommendations would be for law enforcement to revert to a policy of having federal immigration laws enforced only by federal immigration officials, and leave police to the job of protecting our communities.

So what’s the best outcome? Lacking training and oversight, stop 287(g) program all over the country. Document all the stops that are being made in the name of the program to check for patterns of racial profiling. And pass anti-racial profiling legislation so everyone is protected.

To go to the website and vote or give your opinion, click here.

Watch the video here

From the Blog of Rights

Today, the ACLU of Georgia released a report about racial profiling in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Called The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g) (PDF), the report discusses racial profiling in that county before and after the implementation of a 287(g) agreement, which allows local law enforcement to partner with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to enforce federal immigration law.

The report was released on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This day commemorates the date in 1960 when more than 70 peaceful anti-apartheid demonstrators were murdered by government forces in Sharpeville, South Africa. The annual observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination celebrates the progress made over the years, but also provides a sobering reminder of the obstacles to racial justice worldwide.

In the United States, racial profiling remains a pervasive and serious problem. Racial profiling occurs when police target people for interrogations, searches and detentions based not on evidence of criminal activity, but on individuals’ perceived or actual race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.

READ MORE HERE

You can also listen to a podcast interview with Azadeh about racial profiling and 287(g) agreements here.

The ACLU of Georgia released a human rights report Tuesday, March 23^rd, on racial profiling in Gwinnett County, entitled “The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g).”  The report, released on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is based on interviews with community members directly affected by racial profiling in Gwinnett County as well as public records requests and interviews with law enforcement agencies in Gwinnett. 

To read the report, click Here

The ACLU of Georgia will release a human rights report Tuesday, March 23^rd, on racial profiling in Gwinnett County, entitled “The Persistence of Racial Profiling in Gwinnett: Time for Accountability, Transparency, and an End to 287(g).”  The report, released on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is based on interviews with community members directly affected by racial profiling in Gwinnett County as well as public records requests and interviews with law enforcement agencies in Gwinnett.  The report comes a few months after the implementation of the 287(g) program in Gwinnett and follows the introduction of anti-racial profiling legislation by State Senator Gloria Butler and State Representative Pedro Marin.

“As testimonies from community members demonstrate, racial profiling by law enforcement was already prevalent in Gwinnett even prior to the implementation of 287(g) and has continued after the program’s implementation,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director and the report editor.  “Prompt action by state and county officials is necessary to combat this unconstitutional practice.  The passage of anti-racial profiling legislation requiring training, oversight, as well as comprehensive collection and documentation of stop and search data would be an important first step.”

The press conference announcing the release of the report will be Tuesday, March 23^rd, at 10 a.m., in Room 605 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.  Speakers at the press conference will include: Azadeh Shahshahani, the ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director; Reverend Tracy Blagec, ABLE; Adelina Nicholls, Executive Director, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights; Edward Dubose, President, Georgia State Conference NAACP; and others.

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The ACLU of Georgia’s mission is to advance the cause of civil liberties in Georgia, with emphasis on rights of free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, due process of law and to take all legitimate action in the furtherance of such purposes without political partisanship.

The ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights project is aimed at bringing Georgia and its localities into compliance with international human rights and constitutional standards in treatment of refugee and immigrant communities, including immigrant detainees.

SILENT VIGIL MARKS ANNIVERSARY
OF
ROBERTO MARTINEZ MEDINA’S DEATH

Newly obtained records show lack of transparency in ICE’s investigation and inconsistency in ICE’s account pertaining to Roberto Martinez Medina’s death

 Vigil marks second in the Dignity Not Detention Campaign

 Atlanta, Georgia - A silent vigil at 3:00 p.m. March 11 in front of the ICE office in Atlanta at 180 Spring Street S.W. marks the 1-year anniversary of the death of Roberto Martinez Medina who was detained in ICE custody at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.  Mr. Medina, aged 39, was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle which is usually caused by a viral infection and normally treatable, according to records of the St. Francis Hospital in Columbus. The records also noted that Mr. Medina had experienced symptoms three days before being rushed to the hospital on March 10, 2009, when his condition rapidly deteriorated.

“Roberto Martinez Medina and I would be the same age if he were still alive today,” reflected Anton Flores-Maisonet of Georgia Detention Watch on the passing of a 39-year-old immigrant from Mexico.

“One year has passed since the death of Roberto Martinez Medina and ICE has yet to set the record straight,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, the ACLU of Georgia National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director.  “The question still remains: Why did Roberto Martinez Medina die of a treatable heart infection?”

Newly Obtained Information Reveals ICE Investigation into Martinez’ Death not Transparent

 New records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union from ICE related to the death of Roberto Martinez Medina highlight the lack of transparency in the ICE investigation.  The investigation into Mr. Medina’s death was apparently referred to ICE’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; however, the results of that investigation are unclear. An on-site review of Medina’s death by ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility was apparently scheduled for April 6, 2009; yet there is no indication that this review actually took place.  

 Perplexing Inconsistencies 

 Records show many inconsistencies in the accounts by ICE’s representative, the hospital records, and a report by the Division of Immigration Health Services about when Mr. Martinez started complaining of chest pain and other ailments.  The most perplexing disconnect in these accounts is the acknowledgment by Assistant Field Office Director for ICE Detention and Removal Operations, Michael Webster, to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation last year that Mr. Medina had experienced chest pain for three days prior to his death, even though Webster reported that Medina “did not voice the complaint.”  Newly-obtained records point to a report by the Division of Immigration Health Services stating that Mr. Martinez Medina ran a fever for three days before March 10, 2009.  This is in contrast to the official ICE narrative obtained through the ACLU Freedom of Information Act request which states that Mr. Martinez Medina did not complain of chest pain or other ailments prior to March 10, 2009.

Records Reveal that Roberto Martinez Medina Complained of Health Problems Possibly Related to Lapses in Hygiene Standards

The newly-obtained documents also indicate that Medina made sick calls prior to March 10, 2009 for itchy eyes and foot fungus.  These complaints are consistent with the information Georgia Detention Watch members obtained through interviews with detainees at the Stewart Detention Center where many complained of infections and rashes.

In April 2009, Georgia Detention Watch released a report on detention conditions at the Stewart Detention Center that pointed out the poor medical treatment given to detainees as well as hygiene standards. The report was based on interviews with sixteen detainees during a humanitarian visitation in December 2008.  Using Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Performance-Based National Detention Standards to gauge conditions at Stewart, the report made specific recommendations in several areas, including medical care standards, food services standards, disciplinary system standards, personal hygiene standards, and staff training.  

 In spite of several requests by members of Georgia Detention Watch and partner organizations to meet with ICE to discuss the findings of the report, ICE has yet to respond.

 Immigration Detention Centers in Georgia

Georgia has three immigration detention centers, including two which are run by the Corrections Corporations of America, the country’s largest private prison corporation. With a capacity of 1700+, the Stewart Detention Center based in rural southwest Georgia is the largest corporate-run immigration detention center in the country.

The recently opened North Georgia Detention Center also operated by CCA is located in Gainesville and has a capacity of 500.

Silent Vigil for Dignity Not Detention

The silent vigil sponsored by Georgia Detention Watch remembers the death of Roberto Martinez Medina, as well as the more than 100 other detainees who have perished in ICE custody since October 2003, and stresses the focus of another vigil held two weeks ago in Gainesville, Georgia where more than 50 people congregated to protest the recently opened North Georgia Detention Center and to join in the national launch the campaign: Dignity Not Detention: Preserving Human Rights and Restoring Justice.

Through taking part in the campaign, Georgia Detention Watch and partner organizations call for an end to contracts with the Corrections Corporation of America for the operation of the North Georgia Detention Center and the Stewart Detention Center due to CCA’s deadly track record and lack of adherence to ICE’s own standards.  Georgia Detention Watch also calls on the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to:

• Institute binding standards for treatment of immigrant detainees that correspond to international human rights norms.
• Utilize community-based and humane alternatives to detention.
•  End detainee transfers away from loved ones and communities of support.
•  End local enforcement programs that are contributing to the growth of the immigration detention system.

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 Georgia Detention Watch is a coalition of organizations and individuals that advocates alongside immigrants to end the inhumane and unjust detention and law enforcement policies and practices directed against immigrant communities in our state. Our coalition includes activists, community organizers, persons of faith, lawyers, and many more. 

Member organizations of Georgia Detention Watch include: the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, American Immigration Lawyers Association Atlanta Chapter, Amnesty International-Southern Region, Amnesty International -Atlanta local group 75, Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), Coalición De Líderes Latinos (CLILA), Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Immigrant Justice Project- Southern Poverty Law Center, International Action Center, Open Door Community, Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA), and others.

STOP HB 1155 

The Truth about Sex and Race Selection Bans   

HB 1155 is a thinly veiled attempt to restrict women’s access to abortion care.

HB 1155 interferes with a woman’s ability to make the best decision for herself and her family regarding whether and when to have a child.

To read the action alert click here

 

TELL YOUR LEGISLATOR TO VOTE NO ON HB 1155

CALL OR WRITE YOUR LEGISLATOR TODAY

CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL