NYCLU Responds to the Murder of Sam Nordquist
Civil Liberties Union
NEW YORK – In response to the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement on behalf of Executive Director Donna Lieberman:
“Today Donald Trump swore an oath to defend the Constitution, but we know he was only mouthing the words. During his first administration he rolled back abortion rights, deployed the military on protestors, rescinded protections for trans people, separated immigrant families, gutted the Voting Rights Act, tried to steal an election, and more.
“In his next term Trump promises even worse. He wants to control women’s bodies, raid our communities, suppress our voice, require schools to teach our children lies, punish those who acknowledge racism, make our police unaccountable, and suppress our vote. His disdain for our freedoms is clear. In this moment we must resolve to fight on.
“When the fight comes to New York, the NYCLU is ready. We helped beat back Trump’s Muslim Ban and his attempt to rig the Census. We won the reunion of immigrant children with their families, ended indefinite ICE detention in our state, and helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers speak out, know their rights, and take action. We defied Trump by strengthening New York’s abortion law, adding new protections for LGBT New Yorkers, delivering long-overdue reforms to the criminal system, and winning the most progressive state voting rights act in the country. And when the nation re-elected Trump this fall, we fortified our state constitution by helping to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, protecting abortion rights, trans rights, racial and ethnic minorities, and New Yorkers with disabilities.
“We are ready once again to fight Trump’s cruelty in the courts, the legislature, and in the streets.
“New York leaders need to be ready too: New Yorkers do not want what’s to come from a more emboldened Trump. Most New Yorkers rejected Trump at the ballot and even more reject his agenda. Voter data shows that even more want a pathway to citizenship over deportation, want community supports over more policing and punishment, and want strong protections for abortion and LGBTQ people – even those who voted for Trump. Now is not the time for political deference.
“It is a cruel coincidence that Donald Trump assumes office on Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King’s life’s work was to secure civil rights and protections in the fight for equality and justice. Donald Trump fosters division and hate, demonizes immigrants and people of color, and is already responsible for rolling back the hard-fought equal rights that were Dr. King’s legacy.
“As Donald Trump begins to carry out his chaotic and cruel agenda, New Yorkers will demand a fight. The ACLU and NYCLU stand ready.”