American Civil Liberties Union Of Michigan ( Aclu )

Interest Groups with a Mission to Help Flint Residents Gain Access to Clean Water Introduction Interest groups are collections of people with common interests, beliefs, concerns, or goals who advocate for public policies that coincide with their agendas. These groups are most influential when they are formal, have a standardized agenda for policy change, and are non-governmental actors. One of the most recent and crucial issues to many environmentally minded interest groups is the Flint water crisis. Although many local and global organizations seek to provide support and resources for the city of Flint, the three non-economic interest groups that will be discussed in this paper include the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan†¦show more content†¦ Fedinick, K.P., 2016). Its two million members and five hundred professional staff (lawyers, scientists, and policy advocates) function off of memberships, donations, and fundraisers, since the NRDC is a not-for-profit organization (NRDC, 2017). In addition to donations from individuals, affiliates and other partner corporations provide funds for the NRDC in order to show their support for the environment. The mission of the ACLU is to â€Å"[realize] the promise of the Bill of Rights for all and [expand] the reach of its guarantees to new areas through all the tools at our disposal: public education, advocacy, organizing, and litigation† (ACLU, 2015b). This interest group consists of 500,000 members and supporters, along with a variety of social justice advocates such as attorneys, paralegals, policy advocates, etc (ACLU, 2015b). ACLU’s primary goal is to ensure that every individual’s rights are being upheld. In the context of the Flint issue, the ACLU seeks to defend the local population’s innate human right to clean water, and hold those responsible for the crisis accountable for their actions. Like the NRDC, the ACLU is non-profit and utilizes donations,Show MoreRelatedRacial Profiling1165 Words   |  5 Pagesracial profiling? The American Civil Liberties Unio n (ACLU) defines racial profiling as â€Å"the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin† (2005). Do not confuse racial profiling with criminal profiling; criminal profiling is usually practiced by police in which they use a group of characteristics that are associated with crime to target individuals (ACLU, 2005). Examples ofRead MoreCollege Rhetorical Analysis1337 Words   |  6 Pagescolumnist and political commentator who has mostly written about government and legal issues. 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CurrentlyRead More Controversy ove the Patriot Act Essay2105 Words   |  9 Pages(USA PATRIOT) act is a law essential to winning the War on Terrorism; for others, this act is viewed with utmost contempt for its Orwellian nature allowing Big Brother to read your email and look through your library records. The security versus liberty debate prevails with both sides citing legal and ethical reasons in support or in opposition to this controversial act. Hastily passed with virtually no debate forty five days after the terror attacks of September 11, the USA PATRIOT act’s statedRead MoreBody Scanners Essay808 Words   |  4 Pagesinvestigation soon came under scrutiny, with allegations of profiling and constant monitoring and potential legal challenges from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The TSA identified that the more extensive searches were the result of random selection. 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