Racial Profiling in Michigan?
![31296_388590256812_18982436812_4569924_2126583_n.jpg]() Luis and Telma just wanted to show their new puppy to a young relative.
Instead, they were pulled from their car, assaulted, and handcuffed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, even though Luis is a U.S. citizen and Telma is a green card holder.
We've demanded ICE turn over all racial profiling policies, training materials and records related to this failed raid.
"Fairness and equality are the most fundamental values we share as Americans. There's nothing fair or equal about arresting citizens because of the color of their skin," said our Staff Attorney Miriam Aukerman.
Know Your Rights! Download our guide to dealing with law enforcement in English and Spanish.
Stories from our Broken Public Defense System
![facesoffailing.jpg]() Frederick Mardlin sat in prison for three years simply because his public defense attorney didn't have the money to hire an expert who would have proved he was innocent.
The ACLU and the Michigan Campaign for Justice teamed up recently to tell Frederick's story in our report Faces of Failing Public Defense Systems: Portraits of Michigan's Constitutional Crisis.
The report details 13 tragic, expensive and preventable examples of innocent people sent to prison because of a lack of uniform standards or state funding for Michigan's system for providing attorneys to those who cannot afford one.
Read more stories of innocent victims caught in Michigan's broken justice system.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
After we reminded Royal Oak officials that being poor is not a crime, the city took a giant step forward in amending its panhandling ordinance to only target aggressive and threatening behavior.
Other cities in Michigan also make it a crime to ask for charity in public. We urge them to follow Royal Oak's example and respect the free speech rights of all people.
Learn which Oakland County cities ban begging and silence the poor.
Video: Keep Kids in School, Not Behind Bars
![video.jpg]() Does a child who brings a toy gun to school deserve to go to jail?
Increasingly, students are being pushed out of public schools and into the criminal justice system for minor offenses like being late to class.
We're challenging misguided policies that turn our schools into dropout factories and put our kids on the road to incarceration, but we need help from students, parents, teachers and community members.
Watch our video and help end the school-to-prison pipeline.
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