[CIMC-work] Feb. 19: Forum - Silencing Dissent - Political Repression & the Patriot Act

[DickReilly at aol.com]

Feb. 19 - Silencing Dissent: Political Repression and the PATRIOT Act
A Forum on the Future of Civil Liberties

** Please Distribute Widely **  

When: Thursday, Feb. 19 - 7:30 PM 
Where: DePaul University - Loop Campus 
Lewis Law Center #241 
25 East Jackson Blvd (Jackson & Wabash) 

- Download PDF Flyer from the Chicago IMC website
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/35979/index.php

- For more info, or to add your organization's endorsement, please call CCAWR 
at 888-471-0874, or email CCAWR at aol.com. 

Keynote Speaker: Michel Shehadeh, L.A. 8 defendant, National Council of Arab 
Americans, Free Palestine Alliance 

Additional Panelists: 
- Standish Willis, National Council of Black Lawyers 
- Michelle Morales, Boriqua Human Rights Network 
- Emma Lozano, Pueblo Sin Fronteras 
- Suzanne Adely, Arab American Action Network 
- Emile Schepers, Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights

Why This Forum?  

In the last two years, literally thousands of immigrants from Arab and Muslim 
countries have been harassed, intimidated, secretly incarcerated or deported 
as part of the Bush administration’s ongoing efforts to curtail civil 
liberties and immigrant rights. 

In September 2003, the government renewed a decades’ long campaign to deport 
L.A. Eight defendants Michel Shehadeh and Khader Hamide for distributing 
Palestinian literature and raising humanitarian aid in Los Angeles during the 1980’
s. The Bush administration claims that these constitutionally protected 
activities are ‘retroactively’ illegal under the USA PATRIOT Act. The following 
month, a confidential memo leaked to the New York Times revealed an FBI scheme to 
have local law enforcement agencies spy on anti-war groups organizing 
national demonstrations in Washington, DC and San Francisco. 

Despite growing public opposition, the Bush Administration has urged Congress 
to renew the recently expanded PATRIOT Act. The costs of this unbridled 
assault on basic liberties are potentially immense. Join us for a forum that 
explores the growing threat to our freedom -- and new strategies to build a movement 
to fight for and secure our rights. 

- Sponsored by: The Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism 

Endorsers List (in formation): Arab American Action Network, Boriqua Human 
Rights Network, Chicagoland Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights, Chicago 
Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights, Chicago Council of Black Lawyers, Free 
Palestine Alliance, International Action Center, International Socialist 
Organization, National Council of Arab Americans, National Council of Black Lawyers, 
National Lawyers Guild - Chicago, Nicaragua Solidarity Committee, Palestine 
Aid Society, Palestine Solidarity Group, Pueblo Sin Fronteras, Students for 
Social Justice – UIC. 

- Related Stories: 

The Latest New "War on Terrorism" - Michel Shahedeh, CounterPunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/shehadeh1203.html

9/11 and the LA 8 - David Cole, The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20031027&s=cole

- Background on the L.A 8: 

Do Immigrants Have First Amendment Rights? - Jeanne Butterfield, MERIP 
Reports http://www.merip.org/mer/mer212/212_butterfield.html 


 
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