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Nassau NYCLU Newsletter
New York Civil Liberties Union, Nassau County Chapter
210 Old Country Rd, Mineola, NY 11501 line
Director’s Page

USA PATRIOT Act? – Meet The NY Bill Of Rights Defense Campaign

“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government,” said author Edward Abbey. That is the premise of the new campaign to counter the government’s attempt to curtail our freedoms in the name of terrorism, with no assurance that we will be safer for our sacrifices.

Strip searched Uncle Sam: 'Please remove any remaining civil liberties and place them in the tray, Sir.'To date over two dozen cities, big and small, including Amherst, Berkeley, Cambridge, Chicago, Eugene, Fairbanks, Santa Fe, and Tampa, have passed resolutions, with 60 more underway, urging the federal government not to abandon the civil rights of citizens in its fight against terrorism. And Human Rights Watch reports that international support for the fight against terrorism is weakening because of human rights abuses by the U. S.

Time to act here in Nassau County. The ACLU has drafted a model resolution for citizens to bring to local town councils and county legislators. More than a symbolic gesture, the resolution asks our legislators to actively monitor how local police and other agencies reply to requests for help from federal officials. Herewith a brief summary of the three-page resolution:

The WHEREAS clauses state our long tradition of protecting civil rights for a diverse population and a belief that there is no conflict between security and liberty – we can be both safe and free. The list of threats imposed by the USA PATRIOT Act, especially to immigrants, you can hear at our winter meeting.

The resolution then asks the county to DIRECT the POLICE to:

  • refrain from enforcing INS rules that require detaining individuals secretly without access to counsel;
  • refrain from spying on or collecting data about those engaged in political or religious activity, without individual suspicion;
  • refrain from racial profiling, from video-surveillance or using facial recognition or other unreliable biometric ID technology;
  • reject the TIPS program or any program that encourages the public to spy on neighbors, colleagues or customers;
  • provide advance notice of a search warrant, and
  • report any request by federal agents that would cause the county to violate either its own or state laws or the Constitution.
The resolution then DIRECTS the public SCHOOLS to notify students when their records have been obtained, and DIRECTS LIBRARIES to post a notice that federal agents may obtain library records but that librarians may not notify patrons.

Finally, the resolution directs the county to DIRECT federal authorities to report regularly on their anti-terrorism efforts in the county, including data on detainees, electronic surveillance; search warrants issued without notice; monitoring political and religious gatherings; education and library records obtained and books purchased from stores. Every six months the county is to assess the effects of the anti-terrorism efforts, report to federal elected officials and the governor, and ask for repeal of any part of the USA Patriot Act or other laws that impinge on civil liberties.

Come to the Feb. 19 meeting. Sign the petitions we will have ready for your county and town legislator. See you there.