American Civil Liberties Union Of Wisconsin Foundation Inc

Programs: Programs of the aclu of wisconsin foundation (aclu-wif) address public education and understanding of civil liberties and civil rights, and litigation when necessary. The aclu-wif, through its public statements to the media, events and publications, raises the public's awareness of important civil liberties and civil rights. The aclu-wif provides a variety of workshops teaching people about their rights in law enforcement encounters, voting, demonstrating, etc. In 2014 aclu staff and board members spoke to nearly 9,000 people across the state. Youth are a major focus of these education efforts. The aclu-wif's youth programming reached over 1,800 high school and college-aged youth through our civil liberties educational programming which includes the youth social justice forum and aclu student alliances established in high schools and colleges. We maintain and organize our statewide activists across all age groups by using appropriate media, including social media. The aclu-wif is frequently the only voice on behalf of civil liberties when controversial issues arise or the rights of disenfranchised groups are in jeopardy. In fiscal 2014-15, we distributed 40,000 voting rights brochures, 1,000 felon voting rights cards, 35,000 know your rights cards for demonstrators and others who have interaction with the police, and 3,000 student privacy rights cards. Aclu-wif deployed more than four dozen trained, neutral legal observers at demonstrations in milwaukee, madison, and elsewhere in the state. The aclu-wif, through its litigation and advocacy programs, identifies current and potential violations of civil liberties and civil rights by reviewing nearly 3,000 legal inquiries received each year. It provides services to appropriate referrals or legal representation by staff or volunteer attorneys. Successes in 2014 included an historic win for marriage equality for same-sex couples and expansion of our work educating and supporting the public about policing issues in milwaukee. Legal services may take many forms: advocacy, administrative complaints, amicus or "friend of the court" briefs, direct representation of individuals, or large-impact litigation on behalf of classes of wisconsin residents. Monitoring the extent and adequacy of civil liberties and civil rights protection is another program area. In addition to analyzing the inquiries received by our legal department, the aclu-wif is in frequent contact with community groups who help identify existing or potential civil liberties and civil rights problems. The aclu-wif frequently uses public records requests to investigate specific concerns. Our attorneys regularly file suit and monitor cases regarding issues such as voting rights; educational non-discrimination; fair housing; police, prisons and criminal justice; due process; lgbt rights; free speech; and the establishment clause (separation of church and state).