Legislation & Advocacy Hub

Our policy and political advocacy work is just one of the ways we advance civil liberties and civil rights in the District. We engage in the legislative process by testifying on bills before the D.C. Council, working in coalition with community partners and impacted communities, and conducting research to further our understanding of the issues most impacting D.C. residents.

We aim to support bills and initiatives that strengthen District residents’ Constitutional rights and civil liberties, and defeat bills that threaten them. Please use the tools and resources below to engage in our advocacy efforts!

Resources and Tools

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May 20, 2021

ACLU-DC Testifies before the D.C. Council Committee on the D.C. Police Reform Commission Recommendations

The ACLU-DC speaks before the D.C. Council about decentering police from public safety approaches, which requires significant investments in non-police services and resources and ending reliance on police...

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Mar 26, 2021

ACLU-DC Testimony before the D.C. Council on Transportation & the Environment on Smart Street Lighting

While we support the District in moving towards more energy efficiency, the ACLU-DC strongly opposes the creation of infrastructures for pervasive mass surveillance and have concerns about the use of a public-...

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Mar 11, 2021

ACLU-DC Testimony at the Performance Oversight Hearing on the Metropolitan Police Department

ACLU-DC testifies before the D.C. Council Committee key takeaways and recommendations from our analysis of MPD’s 2020 NEAR Act “stop and frisk” data, and our report "Protest During Pandemic: D.C. Police...

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Mar 11, 2021

ACLU-DC Testimony before the DC Council Committee during the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Performance Oversight Hearing

ACLU-DC statement emphasizes the importance of centering public health and economic justice rather than traumatic carceral approaches to public safety, as well as the trauma, violence, and ineffectiveness of...

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Dec 17, 2020

ACLU-DC Testifies Before the D.C. Council Committee on the Exploring Non-Law Enforcement Alternatives to Meeting Community Needs

The ACLU-DC testified at a Public Oversight Roundtable on alternatives to policing, stating the importance of decentering police and prioritizing community-driven systems.

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Oct 30, 2020

Letter to Metropolitan Police Department Police Chief Peter Newsham Regarding Possible Protest Activity During 2020 General Election and 2021 Inauguration

In preparation for potential protest activity surrounding election and inauguration, ACLU-DC wrote a letter to Chief of Police Peter Newsham calling attention to protestors' rights when demonstrating.

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