4. PROTECTING CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS

WE BELIEVE that City policy should support the civil rights of all, regardless of socioeconomic status, citizen status, disability, and all other Madison protected classes. City law enforcement agencies should consistently reflect the goal of protecting and serving the public. We consider the right to housing, access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food, education, safe drinking water, and health care to be human rights.

We support:

1. The protection and exercise of First Amendment rights in public spaces and parks, including the right to assemble and protest, record police and city officials (including legal observers), political and civic information tabling, and use of amplified sound within reasonable guidelines.

2. The right of all to enjoy public spaces and parks. We oppose over-policing and profiling of various populations, including the homeless, and support improvements to ensure access by the physically disabled.

3. We oppose punitive ordinances, such as the criminalization of loitering and/or pan-handling, that have the potential to target low income and minority populations in the City.

4. Strong defense and enforcement of the Equal Opportunities Ordinance.

5. Establishing rules to regulate city-sanctioned recording and large scale data collection in public spaces, particularly if it is used for profit.

6. Banning the use of drones and public surveillance equipment in public, city-owned spaces.

7. Supporting the separation of church and state. Contracts with faith-based organizations must ensure fair, open, and inclusive employment practices, and provide a full range of services unlimited by religious beliefs.

8. Protecting the human rights and civil rights of all immigrants, regardless of status, and supporting the use of City resources to provide services to immigrants, including but not limited to legal services, public benefits, and municipal identification.