San Jose Says NO to the PATRIOT Act

San Jose, CA, September 23, 2003

The San Jose City Council voted 8-1 today to pass a resolution against the PATRIOT Act, affirming its strong support for fundamental civil liberties.

Councilmembers Reed, Chirco, Campos, Williams, Chavez, Yeager, Gregory, Cortese voted in favor of the resolution, amended by Councilman Reed to include six points that further clarified the sentiment of San Jose to Congress. Vice-mayor Pat Dando cast the opposing vote, citing concerns that the resolution did not protect civil liberties or its citizens, and that it second-guesses law enforcement and Congress. At the Council’s request, acting Police Chief Thomas Wheatley commented on two provisions that had been removed from the staff version of the resolution, saying that they simply affirmed the policies of the police department not to discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion or other bases unrelated to crime, or to violate civil liberties. Those provisions were reintroduced in the final motion.

San Jose becomes the third largest city to pass such a resolution, joining over 170 other communities and three states. Santa Clara County passed a similar resolution on August 19th. The driving force behind both resolutions was a coalition called Silicon Valley for Civil Rights. Many members of the Coalition, members of other organizations and concerned members of the community spoke in support of the resolution.

"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."

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.

American Muslim Voice
www.amuslimvoice.org
Palo Alto CA
650-387-1994

Silicon Valley for Civil Rights
San Jose, CA
(408) 998-8504
www.siliconvalleyforcivilrights.org
info@siliconvalleyforcivilrights.org

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