Civil Liberties News

Latest Somerville BORDC News

2005-01-20: Meeting to discuss current directions. We plan to elicit a list of specific obstacles to monitoring from the City Solicitor and to obtain policy and procedures info from the police.
2005-01-06: Meeting with the Mayor's office to followup on implementation of the resolution. They promise all the implementation we want, and our Monitoring Proposal is being considered. Followup should occur shortly.
Remainder of 2004: We get lost in the shuffle with the Mayor's office. Nothing happens. Occasional followup calls to remind them we're still here.
2004-04-21: Meeting with Mayor's office to discuss implementation. They promise:
- Send a letter to our House & Senate representatives, the US attorney general and the President, urging repeal of the parts of the PATRIOT Act which violate civil liberties. A copy of the resolution is to be enclosed.
- Announce & post the resolution on the city's website and in the Somerville Journal.
- Paper copies of the resolution to be sent to all municipal offices, schools, libraries and other city organs, to be posted where appropriate.
- Place us in contact with appropriate police officials w.r.t. policy & training
- Have city legal analyze our substitute proposal for article 5 (monitoring)
- cc us on correspondence carrying out these actions.
2004-03-11: The resolution passes on a unanimous vote!
But, clause #5 was removed, so we still want to try to get that implemented.
2003-05-19: Announcement of our second public meeting,
on May 27th, 2003, 7:30pm, at the Somerville Public Library, Main Branch.
2003-04-13: The final proposed resolution is ready.
2003-04-06: Announcement of our first public meeting to launch the petition drive,
on April 14, 2003, 8:00pm, at the Somerville Public Library, West Branch.
2003-04-06: A new press release announcing the Somerville Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

Civil Liberties News in the Press

April 1, 2003: Get Ready for PATRIOT II, a summary of the proposed new act, but Matt Welch. (AlterNet)
March 27, 2003: A Safe Haven Turns Hostile - large numbers of Pakistani residents flee the US, seeking asylum in Canada. (AlterNet)
March 27, 2003: The Freedom to Read Protection Act now has 58 co-sponsors. Call your elected officials to ask if they are co-sponsoring this legislation, H.R. 1157.
March 24, 2003: A Washington Post reporter is questioned by police for suspicious activity - taking photographs on the Mall.
Read his column about the experience.
March 15, 2003: An airline passenger who had antiwar signs in his suitcase found a chilling note from a TSA bag handler. (CNN)
March 13, 2003: Press service told nothing after Customs seized package.
The Government seized a package mailed between two reporters working on terrorism stories, without a warrant and without notifying the reporters or their agency. (AP)
March 6, 2003: Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduces The Freedom to Read Protection Act, to exempt libraries and bookstores from section 215 of the USA PATRIOT act, which allows the FBI to get copies of private records without a warrant, and prohibits libraries or bookstores from informing their customers. In his statement, Rep. Sanders also congratulates the cities and towns that have passed Bill of Rights Defense resolutions.
March 3, 2003: The USA PATRIOT act allows the government to force TV operators to disclose every TV program you have watched.
Is Your Television Watching You? (TV Week)
February 26, 2003: The American Conservative Union issues a press release opposing PATRIOT II.
February 6, 2003: In a new advertisement, the ACLU calls for stop to Attorney General's assault on civil liberties
January 24, 2003: Wyden Amendment included in Senate Spending Package - this amendment conditions funding for Total Information Awareness on privacy measures and monitoring of the program.
December 23, 2002: The New York Times publishes and article, Cities Urge Restraint in Fight Against Terror, about civil liberties defense resolutions in cities and towns.
November 19, 2002: The FBI's "watch list" of people under suspicion has "taken on a life of its own" and the FBI has "lost control" according to the FBI. Innocent people may be denied jobs or services due to being included on this list. (CNN)
June, 2002: Cambridge, MA passed a civil rights safe zone resolution on June 17, 2002.
The Boston Phoenix published this article about the Cambridge effort in their May 30, 2002 issue.

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