Official Says ACLU Dons Activist Role

The American Civil Liberties officials. Both are inties Union has changed "from volved in suits growing out of a friend of the court to a dithe New Jersey riots. rect representative of the "I see no end to rebellions poor, the student demonstra-like New Jersey and Detroit: tor and the accused," a naand Watts in the next five tional ACLU official told years," said di Suvero, “unmembers of the Cleveland less we keep our Civil War Civil Liberties Union last promise in the 14th Amendnight. ment."

"It is no longer enough to "These rebellions are nothfight represssive laws after ing more than symbols of they've been passed. We deep dissatisfaction. The must prevent them from beACLU has to meet this new coming law," declared Mrs.

Henry di Suvero, communicachallenge," he said.

tions director for ACLU headThen he described how the quarters in New York. union has taken the activist

Mrs. di Suvero and her husrole of the early civil rights band addressed the annual movement. He urged union board meeting of the CCLU at members to picket, hire lobthe City Club. Her husband is byists and conduct voter reglawyer and executive director istration drives.

of the New Jersey Civil LiberFIVE YEARS ago 90% of

ties Union.

the ACLD cases were limited

THEY ARE typical of the to briefs as friends of the new ACLU activist leadership, court, advisory opinions subaccording to local civil liber-mitted by an interested party.

Today 90% of the union's cases involve direct representatives.

Di Suvero said the ACIU must devote more of its services to "those disinherited groups" which have no legal representative. such as the homosexual, students, mentally ill, narcotics addicts, rural poor, convicts, military and hippies.

"PERHAPS an imaginative lawyer can also file a brief against air pollution as a denial of life without due process." he quipped.