[Peace] Declare Your Town a Civil Liberties Safe Zone

[Rob Scott]

> Declare Your Town a Civil Liberties Safe Zone 
> By Leif Utne, Utne December 16, 2002 Issue
> 
> In the face of the Bush administration's relentless drive to erode 
> civil liberties under the banner of the war on terror, a novel form of 
> protest is spreading across the country. Eighteen cities and towns have 
> declared themselves "civil liberties safe zones," and at least 40 
> others in 24 states are considering doing the same, reports Nat Hentoff 
> in a recent Village Voice column.
> 
> The movement was born last February, when 300 citizens in Northampton, 
> Massachusetts formed the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. Angered by 
> the hasty and secretive passage of the USA PATRIOT Act--a sweeping 
> anti-terrorism bill that gave federal law enforcement broad new powers 
> to snoop on citizens--the Northampton BORDC began lobbying the city 
> council.
> 
> In May, the council passed a unanimous resolution affirming the town's 
> support of the constitutional rights threatened by the Act, namely: the 
> rights to freedom of speech, religion, assembly and privacy; the rights 
> to counsel and due process; and protection from unreasonable searches 
> and seizures. The declaration goes on to request that the local police 
> not cooperate with federal officials in any action that infringes on 
> these rights; that the Feds act according to local policies when in 
> Northampton; and that local members of Congress work to repeal the USA 
> PATRIOT Act.
> 
> The recent election results, the Homeland Security Act, and revelations 
> of the Pentagon's new Office of Total Information Awareness have given 
> the effort a renewed sense of urgency. "More Americans are coming to 
> agree with [conservative House Majority Leader] Dick Armey," writes 
> Hentoff, "that Ashcroft's Justice Department 'is the biggest threat to 
> personal liberty in the country.'" BORDC's are popping up everywhere 
> from Anchorage, Alaska to Broward County, Florida.
> 
> For tips on how to find or form a group in your town, visit the BORDC 
> website. --Leif Utne
> 
> LINKS:
> 
> Bill of Rights Defense Committee http://www.bordc.org
> 
> Resistance Rising! True Patriots Networking Nat Hentoff, Village Voice 
> (November 22, 2002) http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0248/hentoff.php