Deborah Ross Leans Into Her Radical Record With The ACLU | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Raleigh, NC     Deborah Ross yesterday defended her radical record from her time as the chief lobbyist for the ACLU by claiming she spent her time fighting for "freedom." Ross fails to mention the so-called "freedom" she fought for was on behalf of convicted criminals at the expense of victims and innocent people. The only people who were set to benefit from Ross' fight against the North Carolina sex offender registry were those who had been previously convicted of committing the heinous crime.

    Associated Press: "'The organization, the ACLU, fights for individual freedom against government overreach, regardless of your race, religion, political belief,' Ross said. 'Right now, people are seeing the American Civil Liberties Union in a positive light.'"

    Nothing could be more off base with North Carolina voters than Ross trying to explain her history of siding with criminals over victims as a fight for a criminal's freedoms.


    In 1995, Ross Criticized The Creation Of A Sex Offender Registry Saying The Bill, "Would Make It Even Harder For People To Reintegrate Into Society And Start Over And Could Lead To Vigilantism." (Deborah Ross Memo To The Legislative Committee Of The ACLU-NC, 8/4/95)

    In 1997, Ross Was Opposed To An Online Sex Offender Registry In North Carolina Saying "It Will Have Unintended Consequences" And It Won't Protect Children. "People checking offender lists might be surprised by what they find, some skeptics predict. "They might discover people they know - not strangers who threaten their children. And even though victims' names are supposed to remain private, those involving family members won't be too hard to figure out." 'It will have unintended consequences,' said Deborah Ross, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. 'It's another high-profile attempt to deal with the problem,' Ross added. 'The question is: Is this going to protect the kids?' Her answer: no. Ross said the state could do much more to protect children by improving treatment for sex offenders and by helping families at risk of sexual abuse." (Foon Rhee and Kathleen McClain, "Senate Broadens Sex Offender List," Charlotte Observer, 5/22/97)

• Contact: Jesse Hunt
•     jhunt@burrforsenate.com