News & Commentary

The ACLU has established a national toll-free hotline to report incidents of racial profiling of motorists. Calling 1-877-6-PROFILE will allow callers to begin a registration process that will help the ACLU compile the statistical data it needs to fight Driving While Black violations. People who have been the victim of DWB violations in Michigan can download a complaint form now and mail it to the ACLU of Michigan. A special ACLU report: "Skin Color as Evidence: The ‘Crime’ of Driving While Black" will be available on line here on May 26. The report is being prepared by Prof. David Harris of the University of Toledo Law School. Prof. Harris is an expert on discriminatory traffic stops and has testified in Congress on behalf of the ACLU.

Marchwinski v. Family Independence Agency Michigan stands alone in requiring its residents to provide a drug-free urine sample in order to continue receiving the state's assistance in achieving "family independence." Because abuse of alcohol and other drugs, often in conjunction with mental health problems, can interfere with employment, most states have created substance abuse treatment and counseling -- and every state except Michigan has determined that these treatment programs will work better without coerced drug testing.

Whether or not you agree with all the American Civil Liberties Union does, surely we agree that public education must be defended. Public education is the cornerstone of American democracy. An educated electorate is vital to sustaining a democracy.

Gov. John Engler is likely to soon renew a push to raise the limit on the number of charter schools that can be authorized by Michigan universities. This is in spite of already having been rebuffed by the Legislature, and in spite of recent studies, both in Michigan and elsewhere in the nation, indicating that charter schools are not the success many had hoped for.