News & Commentary

The ACLU of Oklahoma is currently accepting nominations for the Angie Debo Civil Liberties Award.  The award will be presented at this year’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 15, at noon in Oklahoma City. The Angie Debo Award was established in 1977 to recognize those who have provided exceptional defense to the Bill of Rights throughout the year or throughout their lives. Past recipients include Gov Henry Bellmon, Joann Bell, Michael Salem, Rev Robin Myers, Garvin Isaacs, Bob Lemon and OU Student Group Unheard.Nominations for the award must be received by our office no later than Friday, March 3rd. They may be mailed to the ACLU of Oklahoma at Post Office Box 1626, Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1626 or emailed to Bryan Newell at bnewell@acluok.org.Nomination letters should be no longer than three pages and should include the following:

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Center for Media and Democracy, ACLU Allege Scott Pruitt Violated Oklahoma Open Records Act, Failed to Release 3,000 Emails and Other Documents for Over Two Years; Asks Court to Block Pruitt from Destroying Any Emails

January 26, 2017Oklahoma City-- In response to Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum and Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan’s assertion that the Tulsa Police Department will not become a federal dragnet deportation force, the ACLU of Oklahoma released the following statement:Please attribute the following to Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director:“The ACLU of Oklahoma is pleased to see Mayor Bynum and Police Chief Jordan honoring their commitment to protect all of the citizens of Tulsa, regardless of immigration status. Attempts to conscript local law enforcement into dragnet deportation forces are reckless, irresponsible, and counterproductive. Tulsa cannot be safe when crime victims and potential informants are too afraid of deportation to cooperate with the police.Resisting Executive Orders that force agencies to abet the federal government’s proposed reckless mass internment and deportation of immigrants is an important step in building trust between law enforcement and the communities it serves. To the extent that this declaration ensures that Tulsa will be a city free from unnecessary and counterproductive immigration enforcement, the ACLU applauds the Mayor and Police Chief’s actions.We call today upon municipalities and counties small and large to follow Tulsa’s lead by unequivocally announcing their intentions to resist the Trump administration’s attempt to coopt local law enforcement agencies and to affirm their commitment to ensuring that all those who wish to live in their communities are welcome and safe. While we welcome the opportunity to change minds through reasonable policy analysis, any municipalities and counties that intend to waste their limited public safety resources by implementing a dangerous and counterproductive policy, should, at the very least, be clear about where they stand and serve notice to the citizens they are choosing not to protect.” Please attribute the following to Oklahoma City Councilman Ed Shadid: All cities face police manpower challenges; Oklahoma City is no different. We need to focus our precious, limited resources on public safety for all of Oklahoma City's peoples, not towards assuming responsibilities of the Federal Government. I look forward to OKCPD Chief Bill Citty's comments on the matter at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 31st (under City Manager Reports). I would encourage those interested to come to the city council meeting, if they are able, in order to participate in the discussion (sign up to speak under "Citizens to be Heard").

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