Arlington, MA Resolution

THE USA PATRIOT ACT AND THE PROTECTION OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

Whereas, the Town of Arlington has a long and distinguished history of fighting for the civil liberties of its residents; and

Whereas, the Town of Arlington comprises a diverse population including working people, people of color, students, and non-citizens, whose contributions to the community are greatly valued and provide vitality and character to the Town; and

Whereas, the Town of Arlington is committed to upholding the human rights of all persons in Arlington and the rights and privileges secured by our Constitution and the laws of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Town of Arlington, which guarantees all citizens the following rights:

• Freedom of speech, assembly, privacy;
• The rights to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and
• Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures; and

Whereas, we believe these civil liberties are precious and are now threatened by:
The USA PATRIOT Act, which

• All but eliminates judicial supervision of telephone and Internet surveillance;
• Greatly expands the government's ability to conduct secret searches;
• Gives the Attorney General and the Secretary of State the power to designate domestic groups as ""terrorist organizations""; and
• Grants the FBI broad access to sensitive medical, mental health, financial, and educational records about individuals without having to show evidence of a crime and without a court order; and

Federal Executive Orders, which

• Establish secret military tribunals for terrorism suspects;
• Permit wiretapping of conversations between federal prisoners and their lawyers;
• Lift Justice Department regulations against illegal COINTELPRO-type operations by the FBI (covert activities that in the past targeted domestic groups and individuals); and
• Limit the disclosure of public documents and records under the Freedom of Information Act;

Therefore be it resolved that:

1. The Town of Arlington and its elected and appointed officials and employees will continue to preserve residents' freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and privacy; the right to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures; and
2. The Town of Arlington will reject racial profiling of any group within our community; and
3. The Town of Arlington will urge the United States Federal Government and its various branches, representatives, and employees to act in a fair, open, and consistent manner by ensuring all individuals are afforded their appropriate rights to due process; and
4. The Town of Arlington will urge US Congressional representatives and Senators to monitor the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act and actively work for repeal of the parts of that Act and those Executive Orders that violate fundamental rights and liberties; and
5. The Arlington Town Clerk will send copies of this resolution to our US Congressional and Senate representatives, the US Attorney General, the President of the United States, or take any action related thereto.