[Peace-discuss] Charlottesville, VA: First City in U.S. Passes Anti-Drone Resolution

Tue Feb 5 12:42:12 UTC 2013

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[ufpj-activist] First City in U.S. Passes Anti-Drone Resolution
Date: 	Tue, 5 Feb 2013 00:36:07 -0500
From: 	David Swanson <davidcnswanson at gmail.com>
To: 	David Swanson <david at davidswanson.org>

  First City in U.S. Passes Resolution Against Drones

By David Swanson
http://warisacrime.org/firstantidrone

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday, February 4th, the City Council of 
Charlottesville, Va., passed what is believed to be the first anti-drone 
resolution in the country.  According to my notes, and verifiable soon 
on the City Council's website 
<http://www.charlottesville.org/index.aspx?page=15>, the resolution reads:

    "WHEREAS, the rapid implementation of drone technology throughout
    the United States poses a serious threat to the privacy and
    constitutional rights of the American people, including the
    residents of Charlottesville; and

    "WHEREAS, the federal government and the Commonwealth of Virginia
    have thus far failed to provide reasonable legal restrictions on the
    use of drones within the United States; and

    "WHEREAS, police departments throughout the country have begun
    implementing drone technology absent any guidance or guidelines from
    law makers;

    "NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the City Council of
    Charlottesville, Virginia, endorses the proposal for a two year
    moratorium on drones in the state of Virginia; and calls on the
    United States Congress and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth
    of Virginia to adopt legislation prohibiting information obtained
    from the domestic use of drones from being introduced into a Federal
    or State court, and precluding the domestic use of drones equipped
    with anti-personnel devices, meaning any projectile, chemical,
    electrical, directed-energy (visible or invisible), or other device
    designed to harm, incapacitate, or otherwise negatively impact a
    human being; and pledges to abstain from similar uses with
    city-owned, leased, or borrowed drones."

The same City Council passed a resolution 
<http://warisacrime.org/content/charlottesville-va-city-council-passes-resolution-opposing-war-iran> 
on January 17, 2012, calling for an end to drone wars, as well as ground 
wars, excessive military spending, and any possible attack on Iran.

(Photo by Ted Strong of /Daily Progress/)

The wording of Monday's resolution comes largely from a draft suggested 
by the Rutherford institute 
<http://www.charlottesvillepeace.org/node/3916>. An initial line was 
deleted and two amendments were made to the final paragraph, one 
endorsing a two-year moratorium on drones (something that had passed in 
committee in both houses of the Virginia legislature as of Saturday in 
the House and Monday in the Senate), the other committing the City not 
to use drones for surveillance or assault.

The wording was not as comprehensive as the draft that had appeared in 
the City Council's official agenda for Monday's meeting, a draft I had 
authored.  See it here 
<http://www.charlottesville.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=24517> 
in the city agenda or on my website 
<http://warisacrime.org/content/new-model-drone-resolution>.

At the previous meeting of the City Council on January 7, 2013, I and a 
few other residents had spoken in support of a resolution, and three of 
the five city council members agreed to put it on the agenda for the 
February 4th meeting.  Some of the public comments were excellent, and 
the video of the meeting is on the city's website 
<http://charlottesville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2>.

On Monday, citizens speaking in favor of the anti-drone resolution 
dominated the public speaking period at the beginning of the meeting, 
shortly after 7 p.m.  Many were quite eloquent, and the video will be 
available soon on the city's site.  The council members did not discuss 
and vote on the matter until shortly after 11 p.m.  The discussion was 
quite brief, coming on the heels of hours devoted to other matters.

The same three city council members who had put the item on the agenda 
voted in favor of the resolution, passing it by a vote of 3-2.  They 
were Dave Norris, Dede Smith, and Satyendra Sing Huja.  Norris and Smith 
negotiated the slight improvements to the Rutherford Institute's draft 
with Huja, who initially favored passing that draft as it was written.  
Norris and Smith favored banning the City from purchasing drones, but 
Council Member Kristin Szakos argued that there might be a positive use 
for a drone someday, such as for the fire department.  Kathy Galvin 
joined Szakos in voting No.

Norris has been a leader on the City Council for years and sadly will 
not be running for reelection at the end of his current term.

Following the January meeting, I submitted my draft to the city, asked 
people to phone and email the council members, published a column 
<http://www.dailyprogress.com/opinion/guest_columnists/article_5205429c-6d4b-11e2-8c9a-001a4bcf6878.html> 
in the local daily newspaper, and organized an event in front of City 
Hall on Sunday, the day before the vote. Anti-drone activist John Heuer 
from North Carolina delivered a giant model drone produced by New York 
anti-drone activist Nick Mottern.  Our little stunt produced coverage on 
the two 
<http://www.nbc29.com/story/20952604/group-speaks-out-in-support-of-anti-drone-resolution> 
television channels 
<http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/City-Council-to-Vote-on-Anti-Drone-Resolution-Monday-189588681.html> 
and in the newspaper 
<http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/article_879353ac-6e65-11e2-8a9b-0019bb30f31a.html>. 
I asked people to commit to attending the meeting on a FaceBook page 
<http://www.facebook.com/events/469576039773062>. The room ended up 
packed, and when I asked those who supported the resolution to stand, 
most of the room did so.

No organized pro-drone lobby ever developed.  We met and confronted the 
argument that localities shouldn't lobby states or Washington.  And, of 
course, some people are opposed to drones in the United States but eager 
to see them used however the President may see fit abroad. 
Charlottesville's City Council ended up not including the section in my 
draft that instructed the federal government to end its practice of 
extrajudicial killing.  But there was no discussion on that point, and 
several other sections, including one creating a local ordinance, were 
left out as well.  The problem there, according to Smith, was that "we 
don't own the air."

Yet, we should. And Oregon is attempting to do so with its draft state 
legislation.

In the past, Charlottesville has passed resolutions that have inspired 
other localities and impacted federal and state policies.  Let us hope 
this one is no exception.

-- 

David Swanson's books include "War Is A Lie <http://warisalie.org/>." He 
blogs at http://davidswanson.org <http://davidswanson.org/> and 
http://warisacrime.org <http://warisacrime.org/> and works for 
http://rootsaction.org <http://rootsaction.org/>. He hosts Talk Nation 
Radio <http://davidswanson.org/taxonomy/term/41>. Follow him on Twitter: 
@davidcnswanson <http://twitter.com/davidcnswanson> and FaceBook 
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Swanson/297768373319#>.
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