Downriver Today

More than a decade ago, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned that using a "law enforcement approach" was the wrong way to combat a contagious disease. 

The report issued by the ACLU was published in 2008 in response to President George W. Bush's policies addressing pandemics following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The organization called the government's plans "poorly coordinated and dangerously counterproductive."

Flash forward to 2020, when many states across the country have put the same policies into place that were denounced by the ACLU. The National Academy for State Health Policy reported only a handful of states haven't yet ordered lockdowns as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19. These states include: Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. 

American Civil Liberties Union | stock photo

The ACLU publication from 2008 was highly critical of sanctions that could result in criminal punishment for people who didn't follow the orders. While Michigan was under a state of emergency, police departments across the state wrote thousands of tickets for alleged violations of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive orders. The Mighigan Department of Health & Human Services even encouraged residents to report or "tattle" on businesses who weren't following directives, which could result in fines for those businesses. 

The ACLU report from 12 years ago stated that having voluntary participation in preventive strategies can work because most people don't want to catch a dangerous illnesses. 

"They want positive government help in avoiding and treating disease," the report stated, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. "As long as public officials are working to help people rather than to punish them, people are likely to engage willingly in any and all efforts to keep their families and communities healthy."

The ACLU didn't comment on the current orders put into place by various states in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.