The
right to protest government policies is a bedrock of the American political
system. The USA PATRIOT Act undermines the right to freedoms of speech
and assembly and has cast a pall over the political process.
More information on these and other cases can be found at the website
of the American Civil Liberties Union.
- In 2002,
the ACLU discovered that the Denver police had been keeping files
on peaceful protesters for decades. In 2003 a similar situation was
discovered in California where a state anti-terrorism agency has
compiled dossiers on political activists and organizations.
- Peaceful
protesters against the World Economic Forum held in New York City
in February 2002 faced violent, unprovoked police attack. Two hundred
protesters were arrested and subjected to illegal treatment and detention.
- Police
in the District of Columbia arrested more than 400 peaceful antiwar
demonstrators and bystanders on September 27, 2002 in Pershing Park.
No order to disperse was given but arrestees were charged with failure
to obey such an order.
- On March
30, 2003 police beat and maced citizens in St. Louis, Missouri following
a large peace rally in the Forest Park section. Eight youthful protesters
were arrested and dozens injured by officers hurling epithets "traitor,"
"anti-American" and "unpatriotic."
- The
second Bush presidency has significantly limited the rights of demonstrators.
Its policy is to herd protesters out of sight of the president and
his entourage, while those supporting the administration remain.
Cases are pending in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri.
- The
American Council of Trustees and Alumni, with the vice president's
wife Lynn Cheney and Senator Joseph Lieberman on the board, published
a list of 40 unpatriotic academics across the country. They identified
infractions such as opposition to hate crimes.
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