American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia Story Archives

Wheeling Suspends Public Camping Ban

The city of Wheeling has agreed to temporarily suspend its urban camping ban.

The ordinance bans camping on public property in the city, punishable by a fine of up to $500. City workers cleared an encampment behind the Nelson Jordan Center last week.

The city agreed to exempt a camping site at a leased parking lot near the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center. Catholic Charities, along with other homeless agency partners, are developing rules for this temporary exemption. It is anticipated that this area will begin immediately. The city said it is a temporary location subject to further discussions with Catholic Charities.

The city will also temporarily pause enforcement of the ordinance to give people time to move their belongings to the exempted site.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia dismissed their suit against the city of Wheeling after the exemption was announced. The suit has asked for an injunction as well as declaratory relief finding that the ban and forced removals are an unconstitutional practice.

In a press release, ACLU West Virginia Legal Director Aubrey Sparks said she and others “hope the city will work with service providers and advocates on solutions that are not just constitutional, but also humane, practical and compassionate.”

ACLU-WV Parts Ways With Danielle Walker

Former House of Delegates member Danielle Walker of Morgantown is no longer leading the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia.

Former House of Delegates member Danielle Walker of Morgantown is no longer leading the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of West Virginia.

A statement provided by Anne Farmer, ACLU-WV Board of Directors president, notes, “We are unable to provide comment at this time, as this is a personnel matter. We can confirm that Eli Baumwell has been serving as the interim executive director since Sept. 15.”

The organization’s website says Baumwell will continue to serve as ACLU-WV’s chief lobbyist at the West Virginia Legislature.

An outspoken, progressive Monongalia County Democrat, Walker took the executive director post in April of this year, becoming the first Black woman to hold the position.

She was elected to the House of Delegates in 2018. With a fiery, church pulpit oratory, Walker often helped lead demonstrations at the Capitol protesting abortion bans and LGTBQ+ issues.

She resigned from the legislature and as vice-chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party to take the ACLU-WV job.

Walker told West Virginia Public Broadcasting when she took the ACLU leadership role that an initial priority would be to make the unaware in West Virginia understand how the ACLU-WV can help people to help themselves.

“ACLU has done some wonderful things and is still doing wonderful things in our state,” Walker said on April 3. “But we also have some pockets regionally, where some folks don’t even know the mission of ACLU. And so those are the target areas that we’re going to look towards.”

Messages to Walker for comment remained unanswered at the time of publication.

Marching Bands, National Scout Jamboree And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Also, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County for the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree.

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Chris Schulz has more.

Also, in this show, some West Virginia elected officials have not wanted to be so social on social media. Delaney Wells has more.

And, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County. As Randy Yohe shows us, the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree takes youth development and diversity to a whole new level.

Finally, this week’s rebroadcast of Mountain Stage features a breadth of musical styles, performed in front of a live audience. Our Song of the Week comes to us from Sophie B. Hawkins, known for her hit songs in the 1990s. We listen to her performance of “You Are My Balloon.”

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Delaney Wells, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

American Civil Liberties Union Of W.Va. Launches Hotline To Help Voters

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia launched a hotline for West Virginia voters with questions or concerns about the upcoming general election. The hotline is also aimed at helping voters who may experience issues on Election Day.

The ACLU of West Virginia announced this week that if voters have any concerns between now and Election Day, they can call the group’s 2020 Election Protection Hotline.

The ACLU said the hotline will help voters overcome roadblocks, such as a poll worker claiming they aren’t registered, or if someone isn’t able to access their polling place because of a physical disability, or confusion over voter-identification requirements.

“Voting is a fundamental right and forms the foundation of our democracy,” ACLU-WV Legal Director Loree Stark said in a press release. “While we hope that voters do not encounter any significant issues with voting, we anticipate there may be some unresolved questions surrounding the still relatively new process of absentee voting.”

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office reports that 68,500 West Virginians have applied for absentee ballots so far – many citing the coronavirus for choosing not to visit polls in person.

Starting Friday, Sept. 18, the ACLU’s hotline will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

When early voting begins on Oct. 21, the hotline will also be staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, ACLU staffers, students from the West Virginia University College of Law, and other volunteers will staff the hotline from 7:30 a.m. until polls close.

Callers will be able to leave a message if they do not immediately reach a hotline staffer. Voicemail is currently active on the hotline and calls will be returned as soon as possible, according to the ACLU.

The group’s 2020 Election Protection Hotline is 304-355-5012.

ACLU Investigates Martinsburg Police For Alleged Use Of Force In Protest Arrests

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia is investigating the treatment of several protesters recently arrested by the Martinsburg Police Department.

At least 11 people were arrested in Martinsburg the weekend of May 30 and 31 during demonstrations protesting police brutality and racism.

On Thursday, the ACLU of West Virginia filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Martinsburg City Attorney’s Office and the Martinsburg Police Department on behalf of the Berkeley County Unity Coalition, a newly formed group of civil and human rights organizations, educators, faith leaders and others.

The FOIA asks for bodycam and dashcam footage, names and badge numbers of officers involved, official law enforcement policies and procedures for interacting with community members at protests, and use-of-force policies.

Additionally, according to the ACLU, the protesters who were arrested were forced to sit in jail with “excessively high bails” amid the coronavirus pandemic that has hit jails and prisons in the United States especially hard. A news release also said multiple video recordings appear to show police using “excessive force” and “escalating tensions” during the protests.

“This situation could have been handled in a way that de-escalated the situation and afforded a learning opportunity for both sides,” said Damon Wright, president of the Berkeley County Schools Diversity Council in the release. “Some of the young people were school aged and these incidents could further traumatize them to think twice about the role of police in helping.”

Wright said de-escalation training is “desperately” needed for officers.

Dr. Zakee McGill, president of the Berkeley County NAACP, also called for transparency from the authorities.

The Martinsburg Police Department wasn’t immediately available for comment.

On May 31, someone fired at least eight gunshots during an evening protest in downtown Martinsburg, according to police reports. No one was injured, and the shooter fled on foot.

Proposed Drug Ordinance Draws Concern Over Civil Rights in Huntington

A proposed ordinance that targets property owners for repeated illegal incidents on their premises and evicts tenants has drawn opposition from West Virginia’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter.

The ACLU’s West Virginia Policy Director, Eli Baumwell, told The Herald-Dispatch in a statement Monday that the Huntington City Council ordinance could have unintended consequences and treats addiction as a blight that can be ignored if it remains unseen. Council Vice Chairman Alex Vence says the ordinance is aimed at drug dealers more than drug users.

The ordinance, which had its first council reading Monday, would see the declaration of properties where two or more illegal incidents occur within a year as public nuisances, resulting in the eviction of tenants involved in the illegal activities and possible fines for the property owners.