News & Commentary

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others, the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) has received several complaints from West Virginians who believe their local governments are restricting the constitutional right to protest.

The Kanawha County Board of Education has rightly voted 5-0 to remove the name of the slave-owning traitor Stonewall Jackson from the most racially diverse middle school in West Virginia.

Melissa Horn was the first prisoner to die from COVID-19 in Virginia on April 14. She was a mother and struggled with substance abuse in rural Tazewell County, near the West Virginia border. Her drug problems resulted in shoplifting and probation violations, and her inability to pay fines often kept her behind bars. The press release announcing Horn’s death emphasized her criminal charges and pre-existing conditions.

House Bill 4958, which ends the suspension of driver's licenses over unpaid fines and fees, took effect this week.

The city of Charleston has rightly removed a racist and historically inaccurate plaque from Ruffner Memorial Park 98 years after the plaque was installed by the Daughters of the Confederacy.

The West Virginia Criminal Law Reform Coalition is seeking a vendor with experience in Web design and social media management to create an online presence for our mission.

As the set was readied for the ACLU’s national Rights for All campaign kickoff, Jamie Miller’s hands were shaking uncontrollably.

By Nikki Zinzuwadia

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers