[Peace-discuss] Re: [Prairiegreens] USA Patriot Act - Oakland City Council Plans to Rebuff BushMeasure

[Ken Urban]

This is an issue I can heartily support.  

Ken 

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Ken Urban for Champaign City Council
http://www.kenurban.com
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Ken Urban
Associate Professor,
CS & IT Department, B129A
Parkland College
2400 W. Bradley Avenue
Champaign, IL 61821

phone: (217) 353-2246

http://www.kenurban.com 
kurban at parkland.edu
>>> John Wason <jwason at prairienet.org> 12/12/02 16:25 PM >>>

>Published on Thursday, December 12, 2002 by the Oakland Tribune 
>USA Patriot Act
>Oakland City Council Plans to Rebuff Bush Measure 
>by Cecily Burt
> 
>OAKLAND -- Oakland's elected officials are drawing a line in the sand
against 
>the Bush administration's USA Patriot Act, a series of broad,
far-reaching 
>powers some fear could be used to violate residents' fundamental rights
under 
>the U.S. Constitution. 
>On Tuesday, the City Council will consider a resolution opposing the
Patriot 
>Act and other executive orders that expand the government's ability to
obtain 
>personal information and infiltrate religious and political
organizations, 
>under the auspices of the war against terrorism. 
>Council President Ignacio De La Fuente co-sponsored the proposed
resolution 
>with Councilmember Nancy Nadel (Downtown-West Oakland). The USA Patriot
Act 
>was passed Oct. 26, 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 
>against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 
>Though billed as something that will "unite and strengthen America,"
the act 
>has the opposite effect of creating chaos and division by pitting one
group 
>against another, De La Fuente said. 
>"It will have a tremendous impact on police departments and government 
>agencies," he said. "It will violate not only citizens' rights but
anyone in 
>the country. It will discriminate against people of color. That's what
it 
>boils down to. 
>"Cities like us, with 70 percent people of color and 60 percent
immigrant 
>population, cannot stay silent on that fact," he said. "It's important
that 
>the city of Oakland, our police and our government agencies not be
tainted
by 
>(the Bush administration's) attitude of discrimination, and use this as
an 
>excuse to treat people differently." 
>The Oakland resolution affirms the city's "strong opposition to
terrorism," 
>but not at the expense of fundamental civil rights. 
>The resolution asks that "to the extent possible, no city employee or 
>department shall officially assist or voluntarily cooperate with 
>investigations, interrogations or arrest procedures ... that are in
violation 
>of individuals' civil rights." 
>If the resolution is approved, Oakland would become the 19th city in
the 
>United States to formally take a stand against the act and other powers

>awarded the executive branch and law enforcement agencies. Berkeley,
Santa 
>Cruz and Sebastopol have already passed similar resolutions. 
>It is important to get other cities and municipalities on board before 
>portions of the act come up for congressional reauthorization in two
years, 
>said Sanjeev Bery, ACLU advocate for Northern California. 
>One section that will expire if not renewed expands law enforcement's 
>authority to obtain library records; another gives the government the
right 
>to access medical, mental health, financial and educational records,
and 
>eases restrictions on telephone and Internet surveillance. 
>The act and other executive orders give broad powers to designate
domestic 
>groups, including religious and political organizations, as terrorist 
>organizations, which then makes it possible to spy on and infiltrate
houses 
>of worship, Bery said. 
>Executive orders following the Sept. 11 attacks give broad authority to

>subject non-citizens to indefinite detention or deportation, without
being 
>charged with a crime, as happened to 1,200 men of Arab or Muslim
descent,
Bery 
>said. 
>"I think it will make a difference if members of Congress see that
their 
>constituents oppose the crackdown. Likely they will do the same," Bery
said. 
>"Most members of Congress didn't read it when they passed it." 
>The Oakland Public Library Commission also has passed a resolution
opposing 
>the act. 
>
>©1999-2002 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers

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