Paterson, NJ Passes Anti-Patriot Act Resolution
Jun 10, 2004 12:06 pm US/Eastern
(1010
WINS) (Paterson, NJ) This city has become the ninth New Jersey municipality
to go on record opposing the USA Patriot Act or provisions of the anti-terrorism
law, saying it unacceptably compromises civil liberties.
The City Council approved the resolution at Wednesday night's meeting.
Passed by Congress shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Patriot Act gives
authorities wider investigative latitude, including stepped-up electronic
surveillance, so-called "sneak-and-peek" searches in which the subject of a
search warrant is unaware his property has been searched and broader monitoring
of a person's Internet and library usage without their knowledge.
The protest vote took on special significance here, in the heart of New Jersey's
Arab-American community. As many as six of the Sept. 11 hijackers either lived
or spent time here shortly before the attacks, and many Paterson residents were
among the nearly 1,200 people detained by authorities in the ensuing
investigation.
"The resolution is not about Arab and Muslim Americans," said Aref Assaf,
president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, which got the measure listed on the council agenda for a vote. "It is
about the civil rights of all Americans. America will be better for it."
Backed by civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union,
similar resolutions have been adopted by governing bodies in Willingboro,
Princeton, Highland Park, Ewing, Mullica, Franklin in Somerset County, Montclair
and Phillipsburg.
Nationwide, four states -- Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Vermont -- have passed
measures either criticizing the Patriot Act or calling on the federal government
to make sure it respects individual rights while enforcing the law and
investigating terrorism. And 325 municipalities or counties across the country
have passed similar resolutions.
(© MMIV Infinity Broadcasting Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press
contributed to this report. ) |
|
