Legislative advocacy is a critical part of the NYCLU's interdisciplinary approach to protecting civil liberties, which also includes litigation, community organizing, and communications.
As part of its work to affect legislation the NYCLU distributes dozens of legislative memoranda each year. Legislative memoranda are position papers that the NYCLU distributes to the governor's office and to state legislators and their staffs laying out our views on bills under deliberation or on issues that we feel the Legislature needs to address.
For decades, marijuana arrests have had a devastating and disproportionate impact on communities of color. Across the state, more than 80 percent of people arrested for marijuana possession are Black and Latinx.
The use of solitary confinement in New York’s jails and prisons is inhumane. Thousands of New Yorkers are subjected to prolonged solitary confinement despite the growing body of research demonstrating that it can irreparably damage an individual’s health.
At any given time, roughly 35,000 people are out on parole in New York. Nearly three-quarters are Black or Latinx, and most have limited economic resources.
Immigrant New Yorkers make invaluable contributions to our communities, economy, and culture. Yet many of New York’s 4.4 million foreign-born residents live in fear of being arrested, detained, and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S.
We all share the fervent desire to safely re-open our state, and for many, there may be a temptation to turn to invasive technologies – from temperature screening devices to contact tracing apps – that promise to stem the virus’ spread while permitting us to return to our normal routines.
Contact tracing will only be effective if individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are willing to share their contacts and if their contacts are willing to act on the information the contact tracers provide. Both sides of this transaction require community trust. S. 8829 (Martinez)/A.