How We Work

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri is an affiliate of The American Civil Liberties Union. The National Headquarters of the ACLU is located in New York, and has over 500,000 members nationwide. There are 53 affiliate offices of the ACLU, and this affiliate office covers the state of Kansas, and half of Missouri from Kansas City to Columbia. In addition, the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri is currently developing Community Taskforces to promote civil liberties' education and engage the public in the protection of civil liberties. Contact the ACLU office if you are interested in forming such a taskforce in your city.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri is comprised of two separate corporations: the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Western Missouri ("the affiliate") and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas and Western Missouri ("the foundation"). Although both the affiliate and foundation are part of the same overall organization, it is necessary that we differentiate between the two separate organizations.

You may make a contribution to the affiliate or the foundation, and a contribution to either organization will be used to support, promote and defend civil liberties. However, a donor who chooses to "Give" may make a tax-deductible gift to the foundation, and a donor who chooses to "Join" and become a card-carrying member of the ACLU is making a contribution to the affiliate. Membership dues and other gifts to the affiliate are not tax-deductible.

Who We Help

The ACLU of Kansas & Western Missouri does not accept requests for legal assistance in person or by telephone. To ask the ACLU for legal assistance, you must complete and submit a complaint form. You can submit a complaint either on-line or by mail.

Intake Department
ACLU of Kansas & Western Missouri
3601 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64111

Your request for legal assistance will be processed after we receive your complaint form. We handle complaints in the order in which we receive them and will respond to you in writing within 2-4 weeks. Please allow sufficient time for us to evaluate your complaint.

The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri for legal assistance protects the personal rights and liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights such as:

• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of the press
• Freedom of assembly
• Freedom against unreasonable search and seizure
• Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment
• Equal protection under the law
• Right to privacy

If you feel one of these rights has been violated, the next question to ask is whether your rights were violated by a government or government entity (school, police, etc).The ACLU only handles cases involving infringement on your rights by governments. If a private company or person violated your rights, the ACLU will not accept your case.

Please note that the ACLU of Kansas & Western Missouri generally does not accept the following types of cases:

• Family law.
• Denial of government benefits.
• Landlord-tenant disputes.
• Criminal cases.
• Complaints about attorneys.
• Employment.
  

Why We Help

The American system of government is founded on two counterbalancing principles: that the majority of the people governs, through democratically elected representatives; and that the power even of a democratic majority must be limited, to ensure individual rights.

Majority power is limited by the Constitution's Bill of Rights, which consists of the original ten amendments ratified in 1791, plus the three post-Civil War amendments (the 13th, 14th and 15th) and the 19th Amendment (women's suffrage), adopted in 1920.

The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of these protections and guarantees:

• Your First Amendment rights - freedom of speech, association and assembly; freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
• Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
• Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
• Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

We work also to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including Native Americans and other people of color; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; women; mental-health patients; prisoners; people with disabilities; and the poor.

The ACLU was founded by Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, Albert DeSilver and others in 1920. We are nonprofit and nonpartisan and have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 members and supporters. We handle nearly 6,000 court cases annually from our offices in almost every state.

The ACLU has maintained the position that civil liberties must be respected, even in times of national emergency. The ACLU is supported by annual dues and contributions from its members, plus grants from private foundations and individuals. We do not receive any government funding. Learn more about joining the ACLU.