Santa Clara County - A resolution opposing the PATRIOT Act was passed today by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors with only one opposing vote.

The driving force behind the resolution was a coalition called Silicon Valley for Civil Rights. Many members of the Coalition, members of the community, as well as a multitude of other organizations spoke in support of the resolution, including the ACLU, Green Party, South Bay Mobilization, American Muslim Voice, Blue Triangle Network , SEIU Local 715, South Bay Labor Council, South Alameda County Peace and Justice Coalition, Iranians for Freedom and Democracy, Palo Alto Patriot Group, We R One/Inter-Community Action Circle, Pakistan American Alliance, Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace, California Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Justice for Palestinians.

Supervisors Blanca Alvarado, Pete McHugh, James T. Beall Jr., and Liz Kniss all voted in favor of the resolution, with District 1 Supervisor Don Gage being the only board member to vote against the resolution.

By voting for this resolution, the Board of Supervisors has affirmed its strong support for fundamental constitutional rights and its opposition to past and future legislation which threaten important civil liberties and immigrant rights. The Board of Supervisors also affirmed its strong support in opposing racial profiling and scapegoating of immigrants.

Santa Clara County has joined over 150 other communities across the nation that have taken a stand for civil liberties and against the PATRIOT Act. Silicon Valley for Civil Rights has already started the process for passing a similar resolution by the City of San Jose.

"I am very happy today," said Samina Faheem, Executive Director of American Muslim Voice, and member of Silicon Valley For Civil Rights. "This is the Miracle I have been talking about. I truly believe that our fellow Americans are open minded, kind, generous and fair people. They would not stand for unjust treatment of anybody in our country. Together we can build the most beautiful diverse human wall of resistance and support, one that can't be shaken. My dream is to help America remain a country where all of us feel at home."

"The 'war on terror' is a massive power-mongering ploy by a corporate elite," said Don Spark of the Blue Triangle Network. "The unfortunate reality is that the 'war on terrorism' is: a war on truth, a war on freedom, a war on justice."

Over thirty years ago, California voters overwhelmingly adopted a Constitutional right to privacy to protect against a "proliferation of government snooping and data collecting [that] is threatening to destroy our traditional freedoms." The rising tide of patriotic efforts in California to protect America's basic freedoms shows that Californians take the right to privacy and our other rights guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights seriously.

The current draft of the resolution against the PATRIOT Act can be viewed on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors web site at www.sccgov.org. To see the organizations that endorse this resolution, and for more information about Silicon Valley for Civil Rights, see their web site at www.siliconvalleyforcivilrights.org.

Silicon Valley for Civil Rights (SVCR) is a broad-based, grassroots coalition of individuals and organizations deeply concerned about the Bush administration's post-September 11 crackdown on civil liberties.

www.siliconvalleyforcivilrights.org
Wake Up America, Your Rights Are Slipping Away!

Related Links:

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Web Site
http://www.sccgov.org/county/officials

August 19th, 2003 Final Agenda for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Meeting
http://www.sccgov.org/agenda/view/0,5310,ccid%253D356596,00.html

Copy of Resolution Against the Patriot Act passed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (PDF file)
http://www.sccgov.org/scc/assets/docs/356846TMPKeyboard200597508.pdf

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