News & Commentary

Here are the government agencies and officials who can take action, right now, to end police violence by taking democratic control over the Wethersfield Police Department.

Ending police violence requires all Connecticut residents to demand better from our governments locally, statewide, and federally. And it requires all of our government actors, from mayors and town councilmembers to state legislators and members of Congress, to take action now.

Every arm of the government has a role to play in ending police violence. Until our state and local governments stop abdicating their responsibilities and start ensuring democratic control over police, we will see police violence in Connecticut again.

Democracy depends in part on the government being transparent, especially about life and death issues. But right now, there isn’t much transparency when police kill, hurt, or chase someone. Right now, Connecticut lawmakers are considered a bill that could help to change that.

The Connecticut General Assembly’s 2019 legislative session began on January 9, and the ACLU of Connecticut is pushing for the legislature to pass bills to advance smarter justice policies, immigrants’ rights, police transparency, and more. Here are just some of the issues we’ll be working on.

Last month, the City of Hartford launched a public relations campaign to try to manage the fallout from a video in which then-Sergeant Stephen Barone, a police department manager, threatened a group of young, mostly Black and brown people by saying he was “trigger happy.”

No parent who speaks out against police violence, including and especially an elected official with a responsibility to serve their constituents, should be silenced by the government.

Connecticut's legislative session starts on February 7. Here's what's ahead, including efforts to require transparency about police uses of force and police attempts to acquire military equipment, rein in civil asset forfeiture, and more.

2017 was a year of persistence, and in 2018, everyone who cares about civil rights and civil liberties will need to draw on that resilience again. Here are just some of the ways the ACLU of Connecticut will fight for freedom, equality, and justice in 2018.