Latest Guides

Government

Life in the New Era: ACLU Panel Discusses “Civil Liberties Under Trump”

Panel emphasizes volunteering and the concept of "resistance"

Published on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 | 6:15 am
 

With the new presidential administration now a month old and its effects creating waves of protests across the country, the monthly ACLU SoCal Pasadena/Foothills Chapter LA Progressive Forum took up the question of “Civil Liberties Under Trump,” featuring a panel of activists, organizers and ACLU members Tuesday evening.

“This is a nation in crisis,” said Sharon Kyle, law professor and ACLU SoCal National Board Representative, capturing the mood of the evening. “This is not a time to be asleep.”

Kyle added, in addressing the notion of civil liberties versus civil rights, “Our liberties come from the Bill of Rights, and our equality comes from the 14th amendment, but the constitution is not self-enforcing. It needs people and it takes work.”

Joining Kyle on the panel at the LA Filipino United Church of Christ in Eagle Rock, were Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed of 18millionrising.org, Aiha Nguyen of the LA Alliance for a New Economy; activist/organizer Yenitza Gonzales, and digital space organizer Fermin Vasquez.

Each of the panelists shared a heady background of either undocumented status, discrimination or challenges unique to their own culture. As Nguyen desired herself, “I was a refugee living in a refugee camp, but I didn’t know it.”

Vasquez described the fear of being undocumented, which he turned into a career of establishing cyber communities where movements could live and thrive.

He said he believes that even now, the U.S. government may be disabling Twitter accounts, or blocking signals in certain areas to temper protests, but that the online universe is a strong place of resistance, as the world saw in recent protests in Egypt, Syria and throughout the US and Europe.

Vasquez also made note of several local pages and apps that serve as his inspiration, including the Facebook page, “Humans of New York,’ and the mobile app, “Swing Left,” a site which helps liberal democrats assist with supporting campaigns in nearby swing states or districts, in anticipation of the 2018 mid-term elections.

Ahmed, who also hosts the podcast, “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim,” recalled that soon after the September 11 attacks, FBI agents came to her home, asking about a relative.

“That’s when I became involved and interested and began organizing,” she said.

Gonzales noted her own work at Dartmouth College with the “Drop the I-Word campaign” to eliminate use of the word “illegal.” when discussing undocumented immigrants. The program was launched September 2010 as anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes against communities of color had increased. As noted in the group’s website, “Although the Associated Press, USA Today, LA Times, and many other news outlets and journalist associations have dropped the i-word, this racial slur in still being used in the media and everyday language.”

“Words matter,” she said. “The right language is important.”

Nguyen emphasized the importance of resistance, saying, “Already Trump’s numbers are falling,” and speaking locally, she told the supportive audience, “The U.S. is looking at California to see what we are going to do. California is standing up.” She also noted, however, that the strong union movement in the country is still divided, and cited instances where union members in red states voted Republican, and are only now beginning to see the results and implications from those votes.

Kyle also recalled that the ACLU memberships and donations skyrocketed following the defeat of the recent presidential executive order banning Muslim travel, but said, “The ACLU has 300 attorneys working for them. That may seem like a lot, but the U.S. Justice Department has 17,000. The ACLU still needs donations and volunteers.”

Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.

Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 

 

buy ivermectin online
buy modafinil online
buy clomid online
buy ivermectin online