Welcome to the October issue of The Brief, the monthly email newsletter of the ACLU of Northern California. We hope you'll join us at the nationwide protests this month to condemn the Trump administration's escalating abuses of power (details below). When they try to silence us, we get louder.

Fighting courthouse arrests

With our partners, last month we filed a federal class-action lawsuit to end the Trump administration's unlawful practice of arresting people at mandatory hearings in immigration court and holding them for days in inhumane conditions inside ICE's San Francisco field office.

Courthouse arrests are a cruel bait-and-switch. The government should not force immigrants to choose between following the rules and risking detention or missing their hearing and receiving a deportation order.

Video: SFPD flouted California's privacy law

Reportedly, the San Francisco Police Department illegally shared license plate location data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies. Learn more.

 

Election Day is November 4. Are you ready?

Every registered California voter will receive a mail-in ballot that must be postmarked by Election Day, Tuesday, November 4. Due to recent USPS changes, if you drop off your ballot at a post office on Election Day it may not be counted unless you ask for a postmark. Alternatively, you can safely mail your ballot before Election Day, deposit it in a secure drop-box, or take it to your county elections office. Check out our voting rights guide for more information and make your voice heard!

Important Dates:

• Mon., Oct. 6: County election offices begin mailing ballots.
• Tue., Oct. 7: Ballot drop-off locations open.
• Mon., Oct. 20: Last day to register to vote.
• Sat., Oct. 25: Voter centers open for early in-person voting in select counties.
• Tue., Nov. 4: Election Day

Settlement protects unhoused San Franciscans' property

The Coalition on Homelessness has settled its lawsuit against San Francisco, ending the protracted battle over the city's practice of throwing away unhoused people's belongings during encampment sweeps. The five-year settlement establishes rigorous oversight measures and protects unhoused residents from routine property destruction. We filed the lawsuit in 2022 with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Constitutional rights don't disappear when someone is unhoused. The Fourth Amendment applies to everyone, regardless of where they sleep at night," said plaintiff Apple Cronk. In a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, Apple talks about her experience living unhoused in San Francisco, why she joined the lawsuit, and her hope that the city will treat people experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect.

Defending the right to 'name and shame' government agents

We filed a motion in federal court to prevent Meta from complying with the Department of Homeland Security's demand that the tech giant turn over the name, email address, and phone number associated with an Instagram account that reposted a video naming a Border Patrol agent.

We argued that the government's administrative subpoena violated First Amendment protections for anonymous political speech. The court ordered Meta not to disclose our client's personal information until further notice.

If you witness masked ICE or Border Patrol agents snatching people off the streets, remember you have the right to record law enforcement conducting their duties and to publish their identities. We must hold them accountable for their violent conduct.

Video: The SCOTUS decision on LA immigration raids explained.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court inexplicably allowed DHS to racially profile people in Southern California while the case challenging the agency's unlawful stop practices proceeds, the court's ruling does not apply to the rest of the state. Learn more.

 

Final thoughts:

• Join our organizing department's Tuesday, October 7 immigration webinar to discuss the latest news and ways you can fight the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda.
• We've called on the San Francisco sheriff to stop strip-searching people held at the county jail after visits. This blanket policy discourages people from meeting with their attorneys. Read more. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, missionlocal.org.
• Following Ta-Nehisi Coates' rebuke of Ezra Klein's response to Charlie Kirk's murder, they hashed out their differences during a fascinating debate about what's lost and gained by "Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines" in a deeply divided America. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, nytimes.com.
• Banned Book Week is Oct. 5-11. How many of the most challenged books have you read? Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, ala.org.
• Join us on October 9 for DAF Day – a special one-day chance to double your impact for civil liberties and rights! Every donor-advised fund gift to the ACLU will be matched up to $1M. To learn more and make your matched gift on October 9, visit our DAF giving page.

Thanks for reading The Brief! We'll see you back here next month.