New class action lawsuit filed by @aclum.bsky.social that could affect Rhode Islanders ⬇️ EVERYONE in the United States has a right to due process, period.

As immigration agents have an increased presence in our community, we’ve gotten the question “what can I do?” many times. We created a new FAQ with guidance on what you can do as a bystander if you see someone being detained by ICE — including rapid response hotlines to call for RI, MA, and CT.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of our plaintiffs — including @rilatinoarts.bsky.social — in their challenge to the National Endowment for the Arts’ policy disfavoring any grant applications for projects that the government believes “promote gender ideology.” Read the full story ⬇️

BREAKING: A court ruled that the federal government can't pick and choose among viewpoints when deciding who gets a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. We took the Trump administration to court to fight artistic censorship — and won.

BREAKING: A judge has ruled that the National Endowment for the Arts' grant requirement that applicants do not promote so called “gender ideology” is unconstitutional. More information to come.

The ACLU has a long history of defending free speech — not just when it’s easy or agreeable, but also when it’s difficult and divisive. Read the ACLU of RI's full statement on the need to protect free speech now ⬇️ www.riaclu.org/news/aclu-of...

🫡 these organizations for hosting resource tables at our conference! @riaclu.bsky.social - Know Your Rights @commoncauseri.bsky.social - Expanding Voting Rights in RI @freedomtoreadccc.bsky.social RI - free books! @risecstate.bsky.social - Voter reg. & small biz resources 🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/4fx4rh4

It’s Constitution Day! Commemorating the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. Every person in the United States is guaranteed fundamental rights thanks to the Constitution — many rights + freedoms that we take for granted. Learn more about our ongoing work to protect these freedoms ⬇️

Happy #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! Rhode Islanders can register to vote, check their voter registration record, and make any necessary updates by visiting @risecstate.bsky.social's website, vote.ri.gov. Voters from other states can visit nationalvoterregistrationday.org.

We’re hosting a Banned Books Week event to discuss George Orwell's “1984” + local threats to our rights, like privacy and free speech. 📆Monday, Oct. 6, 6pm-7:15pm 📍Cranston Central Library ⬇️ Registration required, link below Not endorsed by/affiliated with the Cranston Public Library.

INITIAL VICTORY: A RI judge granted a temp. restraining order against new U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Dev. (HUD) grant restrictions that would deny funding to housing organizations merely because they operate in cities/states that the Trump Admin. deems “sanctuary jurisdictions” for immigrants.

⚓️ the RI connection: Here’s a quick look at why our newest lawsuit against the Trump Admin. is important for RI, as the federal gov't uses money for critical housing services as a political tool. Filed alongside Democracy Forward, National Homelessness Law Center, & the Lawyers' Committee for RI.

BREAKING: We're suing the Trump Admin. over new ideological restrictions on fed. housing grants. Despite the ongoing housing crisis, the new rules mean that housing organizations may be denied funding just because they're located places that the gov't deems "sanctuary jurisdictions" — including RI.

Back to school = our annual reminder that public school students have fundamental rights at school! Take a few minutes to look at our Know Your Rights materials for students and parents/guardians on our website: www.riaclu.org/issues/stude...

Catch us tabling at The Rhode Island Folk Festival tomorrow, Sunday, August 24! We'll have swag and Know Your Rights materials, and info about how you can get involved in protecting civil liberties in Rhode Island. Free for all, 12pm-6pm at Crescent Park in Riverside. rhodeislandfolkfestival.com

Confirming concerns we raised in a letter to city officials, the Providence External Review Authority has found that PVD Police assisted ICE in the July Alverson Ave raid + inappropriately muted their body cameras when talking with ICE agents — violating both city ordinance + police dept. policy.

In a new letter to Providence city leaders, the @riaclu.bsky.social calls the new police real-time crime center that taps into private cameras “Orwellian” and urges additional privacy regulations More on the center here: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/20/m...

We’re calling on Providence leaders to enact a municipal ordinance with strong privacy protections to prevent misuse of the new Real Time Crime Center — surveillance technology that connects cameras across the city. Read about our many concerns and the current lack of privacy protections ⬇️

This is the next step in our communities being surveilled more frequently + thoroughly by law enforcement, w/out tangible guardrails. The cost? Just tax dollars, and our privacy. The public deserves the adoption of strict statutory safeguards before any intrusive surveillance like this is allowed.

We still think better police transparency is needed in our state’s body-worn camera policies, so we followed up again with the Attorney General — especially given the lingering questions around the Pawtucket police shooting in June. Read the letter, sent from the Access/RI Coalition ⬇️

Flock cameras already invade our privacy with their extensive surveillance capabilities. Now, they’re using artificial intelligence to identify “suspicious” behavior. This means police could target you just because some algorithm has decided your driving patterns suggest criminality.

As a result of our lawsuit, the State Department must issue transgender, non-binary, and intersex people passports with the correct gender marker. Our legal experts answered your questions, here.

“It’s really a dangerous step to take to engage in what is clearly intimidation tactics to prevent people from making use of the judicial system." When ICE arrests people at the courthouse it's bad for everyone. @ricurrent.bsky.social @phileil.bsky.social

REMINDER: You can disable location services for Instagram and other social media apps on your phone in your phone's settings.

BREAKING: Judge Smith has granted a preliminary injunction, ensuring 17 domestic violence coalitions nationwide (including in RI) can apply for/accept grant funding without being forced to accept harmful restrictions! This is a major victory, with grant deadlines approaching as soon as next week.

An appeals court today ruled that ACI officials engaged in "cruel and unusual punishment" when they kept a man in solitary confinement for more than a year while his health deteriorated. Congratulations to the RI Center for Justice on this major victory for humane treatment in prison!

We are alarmed + disturbed by Brown University’s recent agreement with the Trump Administration, and the university's seeming willingness to use transgender people as a bargaining chip by adopting a narrow, discriminatory definition of sex that denies transgender people’s existence. Full statement ⬇️

R.I. ACLU questions ‘inexplicable’ gap in police officer’s body-camera video of disabled man’s shooting www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/05/m...

We’re calling on the PVD police chief to address serious concerns about police-ICE collaboration + release additional body camera footage of an incident on July 13. Police responded to reports of a car crash where ICE agents were looking for a man and remained on the scene as he was arrested.

Only 1 week left to vote early in the Senate District 4 Special General Election! ✅ Early voting goes through August 4 ✅ The special general election will follow on August 5 To learn more, visit vote.sos.ri.gov 🌊🗳️ #VoteRI #VoteEarly #RhodeIsland

After @riaclu.bsky.social sued, a judge blocked the Trump administration from imposing ideological restrictions on federal grant recipients who serve domestic violence survivors, LGBTQ youth, and unhoused people. These organizations can continue their critical work without political interference.

Last week, we submitted testimony to the Attorney General about potential regulation of AI algorithms in decision making. The short answer? Algorithms making discriminatory decisions is a very real problem. Read about how AI can affect fair access to heath care, housing, employment, & education ⬇️

We may be late to this trend, but the propaganda remains the same…

Every year, we put together a voting record for a selection of bills — some that passed and some that didn’t — so you can see how your state senator and representative voted on civil liberties issues. Think: free speech, immigrants’ rights, voting rights, etc. Check it out now ⬇️

BREAKING: Judge DuBose has agreed to issue a temporary restraining order to bar HUD/HHS from imposing certain unlawful conditions on the plaintiff organizations, such as a ban on promoting "gender ideology," in order to receive funding they were due to receive next week.

A homeless man locked up for 31-days for a crime he didn't commit sued -- and won! shorturl.at/kkvdB ‪@riaclu.bsky.social‬

VICTORY: We have settled our case on behalf of the man who was illegally arrested twice and incarcerated for weeks by the Woonsocket police. This is justice within the system, but no settlement can give our client back the 31 days he spent incarcerated for crimes he did not commit.

There's still time to register for our virtual event tomorrow, where our staff will talk through several of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions and five ACLU cooperating attorneys will explain how the decisions will affect Rhode Island. Free and open to all, register here to get the Zoom link ⬇️

‪. @riaclu.bsky.social sues to stop Trump from restricting housing and violence prevention grants on behalf of organizations in 13 states plus D.C. serving domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, LGBTQI+ Youth, and unhoused people. By @ohnocastro.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com?p=23524

FILED: We’re suing to block the Trump admin’s unlawful restrictions on funding for programs focused on domestic violence, sexual assault, housing, youth & homelessness. The lawsuit includes six RI orgs that could lose funding and be unable to provide critical services in our communities.

Planning to attend a protest? Know Your Rights before you go! This ProJo article includes some of our Protest Rights info, which is available on our website ⬇️

Saying the Pawtucket Police have shown "a clear lack of transparency" on the shooting of a mentally disabled man, the @riaclu.bsky.social asks @peterneronha.bsky.social to release all videos & investigate if the city failed to ensure the cops followed protocols. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/15/m...

RI Attorney General Neronha filed an amicus brief alongside AGs from 20 states + D.C. to support our lawsuit challenging the Trump Admin’s funding restrictions for domestic violence agencies.

Over a month ago, a Pawtucket police officer shot resident Sebastian Yidana. We have sent a letter to the Attorney General urging him to release ALL the body-camera footage from the incident, and to investigate why the Department did not properly follow body camera and “use of force” protocols.

Despite urging the Governor to veto this bill — alongside 191 of you who sent him a message! – Governor McKee allowed this bill to become law. Here’s a look at some of the politicking that took place behind the scenes at the very end of the Legislative Session ⬇️

A reminder for this Fourth of July and every other day of the year: Democracies do not function without dissent.

The Governor has not yet signed this bill into law, there's still time to make your voice heard!

Newest update in the RI Latino Arts v. Nat’l Endowment for the Arts (NEA) case: We filed a motion for summary judgment in our case representing arts organizations against the NEA. Read more: www.riaclu.org/en/news/ri-l...

SETTLED: Smithfield School District has made two official X accounts public again, and unblocked our plaintiff + others. It’s 2025 — official social media accounts have become another type of public forum. Public officials can't block people simply because they don't agree with their viewpoints.

We need your voice to urge Governor McKee to veto a bill that would unfairly burden low-income Rhode Islanders and people experiencing homelessness.