ACLU of Nebraska pours resources into Black and Brown leaders at center of racial reckoning
The Justice for James collective, ACLU of Nebraska, local donors and an anonymous artist erected a billboard in honor of James Scurlock on the corner of 72nd and Dodge in early July. Photo courtesy of Abiola Kosoko.
BY SAMANTHA AGUILAR
The ACLU of Nebraska works year round in the legal and policy spheres to protect the rights of Nebraskans. This summer, however, the organization intentionally stepped up by taking a backseat to local Black and Brown activists leading what director Danielle Conrad called a “racial reckoning.”
One of the largest services the ACLU of Nebraska provided this year is the ongoing bail fund. The organization had previously run a pilot project in Lancaster county as part of ongoing efforts to end cash bail in Nebraska. The program, funded by a local donor, helped over 100 Nebraskans unable to afford bail. But because there was no active bail fund in Douglas County at the time racial justice and police violence demonstrations started in late May, Conrad said the ACLU had to work quickly to reallocate internal resources towards establishing a “Freedom Fund.” The fund provides financial assistance with hiring private attorneys, paying bail, fines and fees as well aims to minimize the harm an arrest can have on protesters in the future.
Conrad said that while Mayor Stothert and City Prosecutor Matt Kuhse’s decision to dismiss charges for Omaha protesters arrested in late May and early June who did not have prior system involvement was beneficial, it reinforced the double standard at the heart of the protests. Conrad explained, “We know there’s a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown people at every stage of the justice system. To divorce that reality from the charging decision about people who are fighting racial injustice and then met with criminalization I think is misguided and unfortunate.”
Conrad said when it comes time to decide what project the ACLU will tackle next, there are some issues that are always identified in their strategic plan. When protests began in Nebraska in late May, however, the ACLU was able to quickly connect with many local Black activists, including Ashlei Spivey from I Be Black Girl, to put together a Nebraska specific anti-racism inventory. The anti-racism inventory contains a list of bills in the legislature that advance racial justice, as well as reading materials and instructions to contact elected officials and the media.
At the community’s request, the ACLU increased its footprint in budget deliberations before the city and county with goals of reforming police practices and reinvesting taxpayer money in programs advancing racial justice, education and health care. Conrad said the ACLU is grateful for the authentic relationships it has with Black and Brown leaders in Nebraska that demonstrate the goals of the organization. “They can ask us for what they need and we can work as hard as we can to meet their needs to advance the work without centering ourselves,” Conrad said.
The aclu’s goal is to uplift and support local community leaders and groups. to read more about their community partners and others fighting for change in our city, check out our previous coverage of omaha’s summer of racial reckoning.
The ACLU’s work in the legislative sector was put on pause early in the year when the state senate recessed out of concerns for COVID-19, but not before a victory for the ACLU resulting in a great step forward in a years long campaign to end solitary confinement for children. From her time as a state senator, Conrad said she has typically seen the most legislative activity towards the end of a session but the 2020 legislative cycle ended without a solution to many of the issues regarding racial justice and policing that activists and organizations hoped for.
One of the issues left unresolved was that of natural hair discrimination. State Senator Machaela Cavanaugh introduced LB 10-60 at the beginning of the year and was met with no opposition, according to Cavanaugh. However, Governor Ricketts vetoed the bill after the end of the 2020 legislative session, avoiding an override and further action until session begins again in January.
The ACLU of Nebraska along with 19 other local organizations called on the Nebraska Legislature to reconvene for a special session centered on police reform and racial justice. On August 25, eleven state senators launched a bid for a special session to pass legislation increasing civilian oversight of law enforcement and workplace protection against COVID-19. The bid is still 22 senators short of enough support to require Governor Ricketts to call a special session within five days of senators notifying the secretary of state. Senators have until Friday, September 4 to decide on returning to Lincoln.
Nebraska government liaison of the ACLU Christopher “Spike” Eickholt, spoke with NOISE and explained there are two options for special sessions; the governor can call for one, or the state senators themselves make the request.
Nebraskans can also contact their state legislators to voice support of a special session. “It is critical that Nebraskans really understand the power in their voice and their vote in this moment to take that energy from protest to policy,” she said before citing the phrase “protest to policy” to Jasmine Harris, the Director of Advocacy and Policy at RISE, a Nebraska reentry program that works to reduce recidivism.
Going forward, Conrad said that among other efforts, the ACLU is excited to support Black and Brown organizers working in Omaha and Lincoln to get a permanent police presence out of schools. “It’s important for us to step back and resource the leaders with lived experiences that need to be at the forefront of these conversations and deliberations and leading this movement,” Conrad said.