American Civil Liberties Union

As the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the ACLU joins all Americans in remembering the unspeakable losses suffered on that tragic day.

This solemn occasion provides opportunity to reflect on the turbulent decade behind us, and to recommit ourselves to values that define our nation.

Ten years ago, we could not have imagined that over the following decade, our nation would engage policies that were so at odds with our fundamental values: torture and extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention without charge or trial, racial profiling, and warrantless wiretapping.

This week, we debuted a new video billboard with an important and timely social message in Times Square, the advertising epicenter of the world.

The 15-second spot reflects on rising anti-Muslim sentiments in the U.S., and calls for freedom of speech and religion.

You may recall that the ACLU was able to obtain the space from Neutron Media, who was looking to fill space formerly occupied by a Two and a Half Men ad. Charlie Sheen shenanigans cleared the space for our message, which was offered to us at a discount.

Last month, we told you about Kevin Keith: a 46-year-old man currently on death row in the state of Ohio who is scheduled to be put to death on September 15, in spite of overwhelming evidence that he is innocent. Thanks to activists like you, Keith's advocates have already delivered more than 20,000 signatures to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.

As you know if you’ve been keeping up with the “Document a Day,” all month long we’ve been commemorating “Torture Awareness Month” by highlighting documents from the voluminous pages of previously secret government records that show that hundreds of prisoners were abused or tortured in U.S. custody, and that the torture policies were devised and developed at the highest levels of the Bush administration. However, there has been very little public outcry for meaningful accountability, and despite the extensive documentation that exists, the U.S. has yet to hold any high-level officials accountable for their roles in the torture program.