LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced today that broad, diverse coalitions at the national and local levels are emerging to advocate for a careful, balanced, and deliberative approach to questions of security and civil liberties and civil rights.

"We're just as concerned with security as anyone else," said Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California. "In fact, our national organization strongly supports a comprehensive airport security plan. But we must not blindly support everything with the label 'anti-terrorism' or 'security' on it. Too many of the proposals on the table curtail civil liberties without enhancing security."

National organizations of every political stripe released a 10-point statement of principles demonstrating their solidarity with the nation and its leaders and offering guidance for the preservation of freedom and civil liberties in the wake of the destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the hijacking crash in Western Pennsylvania.

The national coalition unveiled in Washington today included a broad array of civil liberties, civil rights, ethnic, religious, privacy, and government watchdog groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Tax Reform, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Council of American-Islamic Relations, and around 100 other groups.

At a local level, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California is working in coalition with other groups, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, to coordinate local groups' responses to discrimination, harassment, and threats targeting immigrants generally and, in particular, Southern Californians who are Muslim or are of Arab, South Asian, Northern African, and Middle Eastern descent. The ACLU/SC has set up a hotline to receive complaints related to discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or religion during this time of national crisis. That number, 213/977-5291, began receiving calls within an hour after being established.

"During this horrible period in our country, the Muslim and Arab-American communities find themselves in a difficult position as we contemplate how our nation should transition into the 'post attack' period," said Sarah Eltantawi, Communications Director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council, "On the one hand, Arab-Americans and Muslims are in full co-operation with authorities in the effort to bring the perpetrators to justice. But on the other hand, Muslims and Arab- Americans, who have historically been the victims of profiling based on race and/or religion, know how quickly civil liberties can erode when profiling is allowed on any level. Therefore the Muslim and Arab-American communities call on our fellow Americans to vigilantly protect the civil liberties of all of its citizens. Anything less would erode the fundamental values of America that we all love and agree we should defend."

"We ask all readers and viewers to refrain from condemning entire groups for the acts of individual extremists," said Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. "We are concerned about hate incidents and crimes committed against individuals that appear to be Middle Eastern or foreign born. The horror of what happened will only be made worse if, in the aftermath, more innocent people are harmed in retaliation."

"We ask Congress to refrain from supporting any type of legislation that would infringe on the Constitutional rights and civil liberties of all those residing within U.S. borders," said Salas. "Entire groups must not suffer the consequences of the acts of individual extremists. Immigrants and refugees believe deeply in the ideals of democracy, liberty and justice that America stands for and have often risked death to become part of the American family. This tragedy is a horrifying example of why immigrants and refugees seek safety within the United States, in order to escape from the same kind of terrorism."

"It's critical at this time that we come together here in Southern California, home to the largest Arab American community in the nation, to affirm our values of fairness, inclusion, and strong Constitutional rights," said Ripston.

The following is the text of the national coalition's statement:

In Defense of Freedom at a Time of Crisis

1. On September 11, 2001 thousands of people lost their lives in a brutal assault on the American people and the American form of government. We mourn the loss of these innocent lives and insist that those who perpetrated these acts be held accountable.

2. This tragedy requires all Americans to examine carefully the steps our country may now take to reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks.

3. We need to consider proposals calmly and deliberately with a determination not to erode the liberties and freedoms that are at the core of the American way of life.

4. We need to ensure that actions by our government uphold the principles of a democratic society, accountable government and international law, and that all decisions are taken in a manner consistent with the Constitution.

5. We can, as we have in the past, in times of war and of peace, reconcile the requirements of security with the demands of liberty.

6. We should resist the temptation to enact proposals in the mistaken belief that anything that may be called anti-terrorist will necessarily provide greater security.

7. We should resist efforts to target people because of their race, religion, ethnic background or appearance, including immigrants in general, Arab Americans and Muslims.

8. We affirm the right of peaceful dissent, protected by the First Amendment, now, when it is most at risk.

9. We should applaud our political leaders in the days ahead who have the courage to say that our freedoms should not be limited.

10. We must have faith in our democratic system and our Constitution, and in our ability to protect at the same time both the freedom and the security of all Americans.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced today that, as a result of reports of harassment and threats against Arab Americans throughout the nation, it has set up a dedicated hotline for discrimination complaints.

"The American Civil Liberties Union has a long history of fighting discrimination," said Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California. "Unfortunately, during times of crisis, there are some people who will target others with threats, harassment, and discrimination, so it's critical that we take action. That is why we're setting up this hotline."

The hotline number is 213/977-5291. Those who call the hotline between 9:00am and 6:00pm will be interviewed by a trained legal assistant. Those who call outside of business hours will be contacted later.

The ACLU is particularly interested in hearing any examples of racial profiling, discrimination in public places such as hotels or restaurants, and discrimination by government agents such as school officials, city or county employees, or other government employees.

"Our hotlines are a tremendously effective way for communities to report wrong- doing," said Ripston.

SAN FRANCISCO - Today in the California Supreme Court, the ACLU of Northern California, the ACLU of Southern California, the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the League of Women Voters of California, the California Teachers Association (CTA), the Children's Advocacy Institute, Coleman Advocates For Children And Youth, and the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case Manduley v. Superior Court, in which the San Diego District Attorney is prosecuting eight teenagers as adults, an act made possible by the passage of Proposition 21, the "Gang Violence and Juvenile Crime Prevention Act," in March 2000.In the brief, the organizations argue that Proposition 21 is unconstitutional because it violates the single-subject rule of the California Constitution. The Court is expected to address this claim, along with constitutional challenges to the individual provision within Proposition 21 that enabled the minor defendants to be tried as adults in criminal court.

"There's a reason for the single-subject rule," said ACLU of Southern California Executive Director Ramona Ripston, "and that is to prevent voter confusion. That's impossible when an initiative takes on as many distinct issues as Proposition 21 did, from overhauling the juvenile justice system, through expanding three strikes laws, to revising laws related to gang violence. Proposition 21 was confusing to voters."

The League of Women Voters of California has twice studied the initiative and referendum process in California and are plaintiffs in a separate lawsuit, League of Women Voters v. Gray Davis, challenging Proposition 21. "While we support the right of citizens to legislate through the initiative process, we also believe that the initiative process has gone far beyond what the reformers who developed it intended," said Barbara Inatsugu, President of the League of Women Voters of California. "Increasingly we see extremely long, complicated measures covering a number of marginally related issues placed on the ballot. Proposition 21 is an example of this and we look to the courts to exercise greater scrutiny in this area to determine whether the existing law is being enforced strictly enough."

The California Teachers Association, which represents more than 300,000 public school teachers, are also participating in the brief. "We are joining the ACLU and other organizations because we are concerned about the future of our children," said Beverly Tucker, Chief Counsel for the California Teachers Association." Proposition 21 will only harm our young people and lead to the victimization of thousands of children who are tried as adults and incarcerated in adult prisons. By prosecuting children as adults we are depriving them of the educational and rehabilitative programs available in the juvenile system. If they are put in adult prisons, we are basically throwing away the key on a whole generation of young people."

A broad array of briefs were also filed on behalf of legal experts, advocacy organizations, lawyers associations, and national organizations. Participating organizations include the Children's Defense Fund, National Council of La Raza, National Urban League, Youth Law Center, Child Welfare League of America the L.A. County Bar Association, San Francisco Bar Association, Beverly Hills Bar Association, and the California Public Defenders Association. For a complete list please contact Stella Richardson at 415-621-2493.

The California Supreme Court has not yet scheduled oral argument in the case but is expected to do so within the next several months. The ACLU amicus brief was co-authored and filed by the law firm of Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin. A copy of the brief is available online at www.aclunc.org.