Thinking Freely

Este año, el Día de los Presidentes, celebramos un Día de Acción centrado en los derechos de los niños en Annapolis para aprobar algunas buenas decisiones para que nuestros funcionarios electos rindan cuentas de sus palabras. Alrededor de 200 activistas, estudiantes y líderes comunitarios marcharon hacia la Asamblea General para hacer oír sus voces durante el Día de Acción de 2024: Justicia para los niños y los residentes de Maryland encarcelados. En este episodio, escuchará cómo estas voces colectivas, parte de un increíble conjunto de defensores, se unieron para hablar directamente con sus funcionarios electos, hacer preguntas importantes y hacer demandas en apoyo de los derechos de los niños y los residentes de Maryland encarcelados. Lea el blog escrito de este episodio en: aclu-md.org Obtenga más información en: aclu-md.org

This year on President’s Day, we held a children’s rights focused Day of Action in Annapolis to pass some good bills and hold our elected officials accountable to their words. Around 200 activists, students, and community leaders marched into the General Assembly to make their voices heard during the 2024 Day of Action: Justice for Children and Incarcerated Marylanders. On this episode, you’ll hear how these collective voices – part of an amazing set of advocates – joined together to talk directly with their elected officials, ask the important questions and make demands in support of the rights of children and incarcerated Marylanders. Read the written blog of this episode at: aclu-md.org Learn more at: aclu-md.org

Life in prison was the verdict for teenagers Ransom Watkins, Andrew Stewart and Alfred Chestnut in 1983 when they were wrongfully intimidated and interrogated by police and sentenced for a crime they did not commit. The three were eventually exonerated, but were effectively robbed of 36 years of life, in addition to the ever-present trauma that comes with incarceration. A devastating reminder of the issues within our legal justice system, and why children's rights must be protected. Defending the rights of children shouldn't be optional, and yet every day in Maryland, children entangled in the legal justice system were questioned without a parent, guardian, or attorney present. Which is why in 2022, the ACLU of Maryland and our partners successfully passed the Child Interrogation Protection Act which requires an attorney be consulted before a child is interrogated by law enforcement. On this episode you'll hear from Ransom Watkins of the Exonerated Harlem Park Three about his life, legacy, and how the man in him still struggles with the brutality the child in him has endured. A full transcript of this episode is available at: aclu-md.org/en/publications/no-one-was-protecting-us-ransom-watkins-exonerated-harlem-park-3 Learn more about defending children's rights at: aclu-md.org/en/issues/civil-rights/childrens-rights

El acuerdo 287(g) con ICE en el condado de Frederick debe finalizar. En julio, la ACLU de Maryland se unió a la ACLU nacional para presentar una queja administrativa federal pidiendo al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de los EE. UU. que investigue al alguacil del condado de Frederick, Charles Jenkins, para poner fin al peligroso acuerdo que promueve el odio contra los inmigrantes y la deportación. En este episodio de Thinking Freely, escuchará a Sergio España, el Director de Compromiso y Movilización de la ACLU de Maryland en una entrevista exclusiva con María Cáceres, la Directora de Asuntos Comunitarios de El Zol 107.9 para discutir el problema y los detalles de la denuncia. This episode is in Spanish. Echa un vistazo a El Zol en: www.audacy.com/elzolradio Una transcripción completa de este episodio está disponible en: https://www.aclu-md.org/es/publications/pensar-libremente-aclu-presenta-una-queja-federal-contra-el-alguacil-del-condado-de

Half a decade ago, Dana Vickers Shelley walked into the ACLU of Maryland as the new executive director ready to make "good trouble" in the name of working to guarantee the promise of Maryland’s constitution for all Marylanders. 5 years have gone by, but the mission remains the same. Listen as Dana reflects on her 5th year anniversary as executive director and how the ACLU of Maryland remains committed to empowering Marylanders to exercise their rights so that the law values and uplifts their humanity. This episode was adapted from the keynote speech Dana delivered to the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland’s Standing for Justice Conference in May. Read the written blog of this episode at: aclu-md.org/en/news/5-years-making-good-trouble Learn more at: aclu-md.org/en/publications/reading-freely-5-years-making-good-trouble And follow our guest on social: @DVStrategies

This June, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people for the first time in the organization’s 40-year history. And unfortunately, students are not immune to the dangerous anti-queer assaults, legislatively or physically. Because of the seriousness of these attacks, we've published a Know Your Rights guide on LGBTQ+ students' rights on gender, dress codes, self-expression and more. On this episode you'll hear from Carlos Childs, Regional Community Organizer at the ACLU of Maryland on our updated LGBTQ+ Know Your Rights materials so students are fully aware of their right to be themselves in school. A full transcript of this episode is available at: aclu-md.org/en/publications/lgbtq-students-have-right-be-themselves-maryland-public-schools#Transcript Learn more and download your guide here: aclu-md.org/en/know-your-rights/lgbtq-students-rights Follow our guest @carloschildsmd

Starting on July 1st, 2023, marijuana will officially become legalized for recreational use in Maryland for adults 21 and up. This also includes a new law that bans police stops and searches based on the alleged smell of marijuana. But is that enough for Maryland to become a model for marijuana and racial justice? On this episode you'll hear from Michele Hall, who is an assistant public defender at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, Lawrence Grandpre, the director of research for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, and Yanet Amanuel, the director of public policy at the ACLU of Maryland. Together we examine the cross roads of marijuana and racial justice and see if marijuana reparations are possible for those communities most harmed by the "War on Drugs" - a war whose ramifications are still felt today. A full transcript of this episode is available at: www.aclu-md.org/en/publications/can-marijuana-and-racial-justice-coexist Learn more at: www.aclu-md.org/marijuana And follow our guests on social: twitter.com/MicheleDHall twitter.com/Ne0Nubian twitter.com/TheeAdvocate_

What's being called a modern day Indian Removal, The Wild Turkey Clan of the Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians in Maryland are being forced off their land by the Charles County government - the very land that belongs to the Piscataway Conoy People and that the Band has taken care of for decades. On this episode we speak with Tribal Chairwoman Natalie Standingontherock Proctor on the harmful impact of this removal and how people can get involved to end this eviction. To learn more and take action visit www.piscatawayindians.com/ and action.aclu.org/send-message/md-cedarville-band-piscataway-indians-2023

Finalmente, el uso legal de la marihuana en Maryland se está convirtiendo en una realidad, pero eso no significa que sea oficialmente legal todavía. Aquí hay una cronología que le dice todo lo que necesita saber sobre esta próxima fase de las leyes sobre la marihuana. Lea la cronología completa aquí: https://www.aclu-md.org/es/news/el-camino-hacia-la-legalizacion-de-marihuana-el-cronograma-hasta-ahora

Finally, legal use marijuana in Maryland is becoming a reality - but that doesn't mean that it's officially legal just yet. Here's a timeline breaking down everything you need to know around this next phase of marijuana laws. Read the full timeline here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/road-marijuana-legalization-timeline-so-far

Pride is more than a place holder on a calendar - it's protest. Over 50 years after the Stonewall Uprising, and six months away from the 50th anniversary of the now overruled Roe v. Wade, we can feel the tides changing, pulling us back into the past. The very first sounds of LGBTQ+ freedom and liberation were hundreds of queer folx screaming and chanting "out of the closet and into the streets!" Decades later, we have returned to the streets desperate and determined not to return to a life of persecution and secrecy. The very core of queerness is radical revolution – existing proudly regardless of others' disdain or the status quo. Be sure to check out the written version here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/pride-more-month-its-mentality

Know The Facts. Immigrants' rights are more important now than ever. And one pressing issue on the minds of many in Maryland is that the 287(g) program continues to plague us. The program deputizes local and state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws. A couple years back, the ACLU of Maryland shared data in Seven Truths Surrounding 287(g) Programs showing just how racist immigration enforcement is in Maryland. Now, we have the latest data showing the same depressing results. Be sure to check out the written version here: https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/know-facts-about-racist-anti-immigrant-287g-program

Our vote is a fundamental freedom and our democracy is threatened without real access to everyone. The ACLU of Maryland has long worked to stop voter disenfranchisement in all its forms. In this audio blog, learn how tactics of ballot exclusion have evolved over the years, and how the path to overcoming this ailment and expanding fundamental suffrage is no modern idea. Check out the written version at https://www.aclu-md.org/en/news/enfranchising-maryland-during-era-disenfranchisement

Many Maryland children are heading back to school. After a year and a half of virtual learning, most students will go back into their school buildings. But what experience will they step back into? On this episode we speak with key ACLU experts, Justin Nalley, public policy analyst, Frank Patinella, senior education advocate, and Tierney Peprah, staff attorney, about the work we will be doing to ensure an education system that values and uplifts students’ humanity.

On April 20, 2021, the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial issued a guilty verdict on all three counts for the murder of George Floyd. However, one verdict is not justice – it’s simply accountability. Over 5,000 people were killed by police in the U.S. since 2015, including George Floyd and Anton Black, who were killed by police in eerily, terrifyingly similar ways. We talked to LaToya Holley, the sister of Anton Black, Dayvon Love, Director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle and Sonia Kumar, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU of Maryland about the Derrick Chauvin verdict, the work being done to get justice for Anton Black and what we must do to reform policing the create a system that values and protects Black lives. Watch: Assessing the Claim or "Movement" to Defund the Police with Lawrence Grandpre, Director of Research for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle: https://youtu.be/BuG_yqnfQoU Read: Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle’s "When Baltimore Awakes" publication: https://bit.ly/3dMGDYk

Immigrants in Frederick County have been fighting for their rights for years. We’ve seen some great victories this year. Immigrants have won in the courts and in local policy that helps the community, despite the odds. In this episode, we talked to Sara Movahed, ACLU of Maryland board member and founding partner at Movahed & Fisher Law, LLC., - www.movahedfisher.com and Brian Whittaker of Nixon Peabody LLP - nixonpeabody.com who represented Sara Medrano and the RISE Coalition in their successful legal challenge to racial profiling by local police deputized to act as ICE agents. We also hear the words of Sara Medrano and Flor Garay of the RISE Coalition of Western Maryland about being able to fully participate in society regardless of citizenship or legal status without discrimination.

Police officers on Maryland's Eastern Shore killed Anton Black, a 19-year-old Black teenager, on the afternoon of September 15, 2018. Over two years later, the family and the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black are still fighting for justice for Anton Black. To talk more about this we will speak with Antone Black, the father of Anton Black, Richard Potter, an educator and President of the Talbot County Branch of the NAACP, and Deborah Jeon, legal director for the ACLU of Maryland, about the impact they hope their legal challenge will have as part of the work to reimagine policing in Maryland. To take action to demand police reform visit: https://www.aclu-md.org/reimaginepolicing

The right to vote and participate in our democracy is currently denied to over 18,000 citizens who are incarcerated in Maryland. Dating back to the racist Jim Crow era, state felony disfranchisement laws were created to prevent Americans entangled in the legal justice system from voting. After the Civil War, there was a concerted effort to incarcerate thousands of Black people who were newly freed, in order to weaken their political power. In Free the Vote, a new documentary by the ACLU of Maryland, we talked with people who were formerly incarcerated, politicians, historians, and advocates who share their experiences and dreams of a Maryland and country where the right to vote is restored for every citizen who is currently incarcerated. 
 In this episode listen to Farajii Muhammed, host of “For the Culture” on WEAA 88.9 FM; Qiana Johnson, executive director of Life After Release; Dr. Pippa Holloway, author of “Living In Infamy: Felon Disfranchisement and the History of American Citizenship”; Chris Wilson, serial social entrepreneur, storyteller, artist, social justice advocate, and author of "The Master Plan"; and me, Amber Taylor, the producer of Free the Vote and digital communications strategist at ACLU of Maryland. Together, we explain why we need to ensure every citizen who is incarcerated has access to the vote and the ballot behind bars. Learn More: https://www.freethevotemovie.com/

After the 2020 election, a national awaking on systemic racism, COVID-19, and a politically divided nation, it is important to reflect on where we have been and where we could go. As 2021 draws near, Maryland and our country have much to do to empower people to exercise their rights so that the law values and uplifts their humanity. On Thinking Freely this month, we were joined by Dana Vickers Shelley, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Maryland, and Marion Gray Hopkins, President of the Coalition of Concerned Mothers, mother of Gary Hopkins, who was killed by police in Prince George’s County and an ACLU of Maryland board member, about some of our visions for Maryland and how you can get involved.

Another Maryland Legislative session is upon us, with the General Assembly set to start on January 13, 2021. Due to COVID-19, this will be a virtual session and we will work to make sure people’s voices are heard by legislators as they make decisions during this challenging time. That’s why it is important to stay informed on what’s happening next session. In 2021, the ACLU of Maryland will be working along with our partners on 5 priority areas as we reimage policing: 1) Repeal the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, 2) Restore control of the Baltimore City Police Department back to Baltimore City residents, 3) Make investigations into police misconduct transparent by reforming the Maryland Public Information Act, 4) Limit the use of force by law enforcement, and 5) Remove law enforcement from our children's schools. ACLU of Maryland will also advocate for education rights like the Blueprint for Maryland’s future Act, fight to enact a statewide trust act, to defend the rights, of immigrants in our communities, and to take the Politics Out of Parole. Yanet Amanuel, Public Policy Advocate, Joe Spielberger, our Public Policy Council, and Justin Nalley, our Education Policy Analyst join Thinking Freely this month to talk about this work and how you can get involved. Take action: https://bit.ly/3lAorTe