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27 Oct, 7 tweets, 2 min read
Tonight we filed an amicus brief with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, urging the Supreme Court to review and reverse an appeals court decision ruling that the Constitution permits police officers to suffocate and kill a shackled and handcuffed arrestee.
This is what happened to George Floyd — except the victim here — Nicholas Gilbert, was locked in a jail cell, shackled and handcuffed when officers applied asphyxiating pressure to his back until he died.
We urge the Court to adopt a clear rule that police and guards cannot use asphyxiation against fully restrained individuals who pose no threat to the officers or others.
Nicholas Gilbert was being held in a Missouri jail on a simple trespassing charge when three officers rushed into his cell with handcuffs and leg restraints. stltoday.com/news/local/cri…
As many as six to eight officers joined the struggle which ultimately led to Gilbert hitting his head on the concrete bench in the 7-by-9 foot cell.
The officials continued to apply pressure to Gilbert after he was in handcuffs, leg shackles, and in a prone position — suffocating and bleeding from his head on the concrete floor.
Months after millions of people took to the streets to protest the brutal killing of George Floyd, it is crucial that the Court makes it clear that police and jailers cannot use lethal force against those detained in police custody.

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More from @ACLU

28 Oct
We've scored 26 victories in 20 states and Puerto Rico to safeguard the right to vote this year.

Together, these are home to more than 154 million Americans and wield 247 votes in the Electoral College.

Here's how we've prepared for the 2020 election.
We at the ACLU and our state affiliates and chapters have been working around the clock for months — and years — preparing for this election, to protect and expand your access to the ballot this election season.
We're living through a pandemic, economic crisis, fight for racial justice, and an election season.

The only thing we can be sure of this week is that this Election Day will most likely look, feel, and be different than previous years.

And that we at the ACLU are ready.
Read 9 tweets
10 Oct
This is Urooj. She is an ICU nurse in Southern California on the front lines fighting COVID-19.

She and her husband Amir have two small children, but she is currently raising them alone. Amir is in ICE detention about to be deported. Portrait of a woman standing in a paved street. She is weari
Urooj and Amir are both originally from Pakistan. She is a US citizen, as are their two children.

But @ICEgov is about to tear their family apart, even as she puts her life on the line every day to treat people who are sick with COVID-19.
Amir came to the US on a student visa to get his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of Texas.

He applied for a spousal visa with his first wife, who he met at university.
Read 11 tweets
1 Oct
A judge is forcing Kentucky’s Attorney General to release tapes of the grand jury proceedings in the case against Breonna Taylor’s killers — the case that resulted in zero charges related to her death. abcn.ws/2Gd5qqt
This is the right decision, and here’s why the AG should stop delaying and release the tapes. ⬇️
Grand juries are supposed to protect defendants by remaining secret until a charge is levied. They are also meant to function as a citizen check on the prosecutor.

But while grand jury secrecy can protect the rights of those charged, it can also obscure injustice.
Read 6 tweets
26 Sep
President Trump is set to announce his nomination to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg today.

Last night, our board of directors adopted a resolution urging the Senate to delay a vote on the Supreme Court nomination until after the next president is inaugurated.
This isn't about any particular nominee, but the Senate's process to assess a nominee for confirmation. Here's why.
Any Supreme Court Justice will have a lasting impact on civil rights and liberties for decades. An adequate vetting process of a nominee requires time and careful deliberation.

Under the circumstances, that cannot be accomplished before the election.
Read 5 tweets
23 Sep
A HISTORY OF US POLICING: A THREAD

The modern system of policing is rotten to its core. Here’s how we got here. ⬇️
In the early 1700s, the Charleston slave patrol was formed — the earliest example of organized city policing in the US. It was designed to maintain control of enslaved Black people and protect the interests of white people within the white supremacist system of slavery.
In 1868, the 13th Amendment officially ended slavery in the US, except as punishment for a crime. This loophole enabled police to arrest Black people in order to “lease” them to white business owners, who used their forced labor in convict leasing arrangements.
Read 19 tweets
23 Sep
Today's announcement comes more than six months after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville police officers in her own home.

No officers were charged directly in her death.
Justice would have been LMPD officers never shooting Breonna Taylor in the first place.
This decision highlights what we already knew: To stop the perpetuation of egregious violence against Black people, elected officials MUST listen to the cries of our communities.

We demand sweeping changes to the criminal legal system.

We demand divestment from policing.
Read 5 tweets

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