Defending our essential civil liberties from being taken away is always important ...but some weeks make us especially proud.
In your weekly Rights Review, we're asking who's running our cities, who's reading our texts and rallying for women's health with thousands of others.
Michigan News
Who's Running Our Cities?
We think the public deserves more information about how the emergency financial manager law passed last month could impact our cities and school districts. Last week, we filed 13 Freedom of Information Act requests with officials seeking documents and communications related to the law.
Over 100 local governments and 190 school districts are potentially in a state of 'fiscal watch,' leaving them at risk of having their democratically-elected local leadership ousted in favor of an emergency financial manager.
This law could have far-ranging implications on the separation of powers, collective-bargaining rights and privatization of services in our state, especially impacting minority communities (via the Michigan Messenger and the Detroit News).
No LOLs for Warrantless Cell Phone Searches
What we know for sure: Michigan State Police have devices that allow police to secretly search your cellphone, collecting photos, texts, phone numbers, call histories and other data.
What we don't know is just how they're using these devices or collecting the data. Why? They just won't tell us.
Searching someone's personal data is highly invasive, we want to guarantee that constitutional guidelines that protect us against unlawful search and seizure are being followed.
“Through these many requests for information we have tried to establish whether these devices are being used legally. It’s telling that Michigan State Police would rather play this stalling game than respect the public’s right to know.” (via Science Blogs and the Detroit News).
Live Tweets at the #Rally4Health
Last week, over 4,000 men and women made their voices heard at the Rally for Health in Washington, D.C.
Our Legislative Director Shelli Wiesberg was there in the crowds defending women's health from extremists in Congress determined to roll back access to reproductive health care.
Couldn't make it to the Rally? Follow Shelli's Twitterfeed and tell your members of Congress to protect women and their families and reject any bill that defunds Planned Parenthood, puts new restrictions on abortion access, and endangers women's health.