ACLU Celebrates Triumph of Equal Opportunity

April 6, 2008: Missourians won a major victory in the fight for fairness and equal opportunity today when the so-called Missouri Civil Rights Initiative (MoCRI) failed to qualify for the November ballot.One of a series of ballot proposals California businessman Ward Connerly has spearheaded across the country, the MoCRI aimed to eliminate affirmative action programs that help to open doors to opportunity for countless people of color and women across the state.The defeat of the MoCRI affirms what recent polls have shown: that a strong majority of Americans – 70% according to The Pew Research Center – support affirmative action.

“Today’s victory shows that, when held up to public scrutiny, Connerly’s initiative can’t pass muster,” said Brenda Jones, Executive Director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri.“The citizens of Missouri have a firm commitment to equality, and have demonstrated that commitment by refusing to fall for Connerly’s tricks.”

ACLU Files Suit on Behalf of Man Who Caught Police Abuse on Tape

ST. LOUIS, March 18, 2008 -The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri has filed suit against the City of St. George and the police officer whose threats to fabricate charges against a young motorist were captured on videotape.

On September 7, 2007, Brett Darrow, 20, was detained in a commuter parking lot for nearly 20 minutes by former St. George officer James E. Kuehnlein, Jr., and another unidentified officer. Although Darrow had broken no laws, Kuehnlein was caught on tape berating Darrow and threatening to arrest him on made-up charges. After the tape of Kuehnlein’s vulgarity-laced tirade was released, he was fired.

“Fortunately, Brett Darrow videotaped the encounter so it was not his word against that of the police,” said Brenda Jones, executive director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. “The officer’s behavior was extreme and unacceptable, but it’s only because of the tape that he’s facing justice.”