News & Commentary
Feb 09, 2016
The First Amendment Rights of “Shock-Jock” Pete Santilli
Pete Santilli, who hosts an internet radio show and YouTube channel with over 60,000 viewers, had dedicated his show to covering the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as an embedded journalist. This coverage was the basis for his arrest warrant as well as a threadbare indictment on a charge of conspiracy to impede federal officers by use of force, intimidation and threats. If convicted of this federal felony, Santilli could face up to six years in prison.
The ACLU of Oregon stands in solidarity with the thousands of Oregonians, particularly in rural communities, who are peacefully protesting the unwanted militia occupation in Harney County. There are reports that some of these occupiers have been intimidating and threatening community members. These are not social change strategies we support. Likewise, it is not lost on us that what was framed as a protest about land rights has ignored the historic territory of the Burns Paiute Tribe and desecrated sacred cultural properties.
Jan 14, 2016
Attorney General Rosenblum: Do Not Waive Catholic Hospitals' Merger Review
Catholic Ethical & Religious Directives Restrict Reproductive, End-of-Life Care
Dec 16, 2015
I Was Shot Six Times With Pepper Bullets and Beaten With Batons – and I'm Here to Say Thank You
Plaintiff Mookie Moss, who was shot six times with “pepper bullets” and unjustly beaten with police batons while protesting then-President Bush, penned this open letter to ACLU supporters and members:
Dec 07, 2015
Until the No Fly List Is Fixed, It Shouldn’t Be Used to Restrict People’s Freedoms
The No Fly List is in the news this week, just in time for the ACLU’s argument in federal court on Wednesday in its five-year-long challenge to the list’s redress process.
Oct 16, 2015
Portland Public Schools Made the Right Decision When It Withdrew From Christmas Festival
We commend the Portland Public Schools (PPS) decision to withdraw students from the “Christmas Festival of Lights.” It is a decision consistent with the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which mandates that the government neither promote nor inhibit a particular religion.
Sep 09, 2015
Why I Signed the Letter
As presidential candidates spread fear-mongering rhetoric about immigrant communities, a local city councilor in Springfield, Oregon, recently opposed the appointment of a minister to a police advisory committee stating that the committee didn’t need “another minority element.” The minister is Pacific Islander.
We need a very different climate and discourse for addressing issues of race and cultural differences in our country and state. Oregon could be facing several ballot measures in 2016 steeped in anti-immigrant sentiment while offering policies that would harm all Oregonians.
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