February 3, 2002
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
P.O. Box 1594
Northampton, MA 01061
413-584-1079
For Immediate Release:
A Stake in Civil Liberties: A Northampton Town Meeting
The Northampton-based Bill of Rights Defense Committee will host a public forum to address Northampton residents' concerns about threats to civil liberties in the U.S. in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. The event, in the format of an open town meeting, will take place Monday, February 4th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the First Churches on Main Street, Northampton. Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins will introduce a panel of speakers including Northampton City Council President Michael Bardsley; William Newman, Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Western Massachusetts; William Strickland, Professor of Afro-American Studies, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Tandeka Nkiwane, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Smith College; and Russell P. Sienkiewicz, Northampton Chief of Police.
Since September 11, fears of further terrorist acts have prompted the passage of the USA Patriot Act and several Executive Orders. Many attorneys and legal scholars, including Newman, believe the new laws go too far, threatening several key rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens and non-citizens by the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution and the Massachusetts Constitution, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and privacy; the right to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. According to Newman, "We can be both safe and free."
The town meeting will focus on the provisions and implications of the new laws, and the roles that local and state police and the local U.S. Attorney's office are expected to play. Northampton residents are invited to attend and to pose questions to the panel.
The Bill of Rights Defense Committee grew out of the Women's Congress for Peace held November 10, 2001 in Northampton. During the upcoming forum, the Committee will circulate a petition to be presented to the Northampton City Council. The petition calls on the Northampton government to act in the spirit of our Massachusetts and U.S. Constitutions by asking local and state police, the local U.S. Attorney's office, and the FBI to:
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Report regularly to citizens on their actions under the Patriot Act and new Executive Orders, and disclose the names of any persons detained under the new laws;
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End racial profiling and detentions without charges;
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Not participate in law-enforcement activities that deny civil rights and civil liberties to the people of Northampton; and
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Work for the repeal of the parts of the Act and Orders that violate civil rights and civil liberties.
A similar town meeting effort is underway in Amherst.
The event is open to the public and will be sign-interpreted. First Churches is wheelchair accessible.
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