More than a century ago, the “Red Scare” gripped our country’s top government leaders. Brushing aside constitutional freedoms like annoying gnats, thousands were arrested and hundreds were deported for their beliefs or, sometimes, just their accented speech. The charge was led by the most powerful government lawyer in the land, U.S. Attorney General William A. Palmer.

A small group of less powerful lawyers banded together to fight him, and the American Civil Liberty Union was born.

One hundred years later, and through many changes — the nonprofit has more than 300 chapters, 400,000 members and a $50 million-plus budget — the ACLU recently announced a small group of lawyers will keep watch on local government and civil liberties in the northwest section of lower Michigan.

The seven-lawyer Northwest Michigan Lawyers Committee for the ACLU of Michigan attributed its formation to several recent misfires, including Grand Traverse County Commissioner Ron Clous’ show of a semi-automatic rifle during a livestreamed county board meeting in response to a resident’s request board members denounce the Proud Boys; and the 2020 resignation of Leelanau County Road Commission trustee Tom Eckerle, after using a racial slur moments before the start of a public road commission meeting.

The ACLU of Michigan Northwestern Branch will serve Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Crawford, Emmett (just southwest of the Mackinac Bridge), Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Otsego, Roscommon and Wexford counties.

Keeping safe the civil liberties of all United States peoples has always taken a village of brave voices willing to stand up and speak truth to power. This, more often than not, lands someone in court. By not charging their clients for top-shelf legal help, the ACLU can be a critical link for those in underserved and disadvantaged communities without deep pockets to fight expensive court battles.

Fundamental to our work is the belief that the more eyes on systems, the better our systems operate. The newly formed group helps keep the watch.