THIS WEEK IN CIVIL LIBERTIES FROM THE ACLU: Policing the Press: A Journalist on the Front Lines, Defunding the Police Will Actually Make Us Safer, My Abortion Allowed Me to Control My Own Destiny. Millions of Others Deserve The Same Chance., Three Missouri Voters Explain Why Everyone Should be Able to Vote by Mail in 2020, Sex Work is Real Work, and it's Time to Treat it That Way 13JUN20

This week's best reads from the front lines of the fight for civil liberties.

AT LIBERTY PODCAST Policing the Press: A Journalist on the Front Lines Journalists covering protests against police brutality across the country are facing an influx of violence, suppression efforts, and arrests by police. This includes being assaulted with pepper spray and rubber bullets, dealing with damaged equipment, and even facing arrest. Joining us this week is Jared Goyette, a freelance reporter who was covering a local Minneapolis protest when he was hit in the eye with a police projectile. He is now the named plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Minnesota last week against the City of Minneapolis. Listen here → By ACLU Staff June 11, 2020   DIVEST, REINVEST Defunding the Police Will Actually Make Us Safer Almost six years after NYPD officers murdered Eric Garner in New York City, Minneapolis police officers murdered George Floyd. Protestors are still screaming "I can't breathe" and begging government officials for reform that will end police violence in Black communities. But today's demands are bigger and bolder: Following in the footsteps of Black-led grassroots groups, many activists are demanding immediate defunding of police departments. Listen here → By Paige Fernandez June 11, 2020   PROTECTING BODILY AUTONOMY My Abortion Allowed Me to Control My Own Destiny. Millions of Others Deserve The Same Chance. Any day now, the U.S. Supreme Court is due to hand down its decision on an unjust law in Louisiana. The Court's decision in June Medical v. Russo could drastically alter the ability of people in the U.S. to access abortion. Here, Senior Staff Attorney of the ACLU of Southern California Minouche Kandel shares her own experience with abortion from over 25 years ago – and how being able to choose that option changed her life. Read more → By Minouche Kandel June 11, 2020   VOTE BY MAIL IN MISSOURI Three Missouri Voters Explain Why Everyone Should be Able to Vote by Mail in 2020 The safest way to vote during the pandemic is to vote by mail, but state restrictions block many voters from doing so. Missouri is one of 10 states the ACLU has sued for restricting access. In spite of some progress, the state is still requiring most voters to notarize their mail-in ballots – which means they have to violate social distancing recommendations to vote by mail. Here, two of our Missouri plaintiffs and a third fellow voter explain why voting by mail should be accessible and safe for all. Read more → By Leila Rafei June 8, 2020   DECRIMINALIZE SEX WORK Sex Work is Real Work, and it's Time to Treat it That Way Sex workers aren't always a part of the conversation about police brutality, but they should be. Police regularly target, harass, and assault sex workers or people they think are sex workers, such as trans women of color. The police usually get away with the abuse because sex workers fear being arrested if they report. If we lived in a world that didn't criminalize sex work, sex workers could better protect themselves and seek justice when they are harmed. Read more → By LaLa B. Holston-Zannell June 10, 2020

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