Grassroots activists gather near DC to attack USA Patriot Act [fs][priv]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

From: Ari Schwartz <ari () cdt org>
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 08:09:44 -0400


CDT Co-Sponsors "Grassroots America" Conference, Washington, DC, October 18-19

Grassroots activists from around the country will gather outside Washington 
in mid-October to plan responses to the PATRIOT Act and other infringements 
on constitutional liberties occurring in the name of fighting 
terrorism.  CDT is a member of the steering committee of the conference, 
"Grassroots America Defends the Bill of Rights," to be held in Silver 
Spring, MD on October 18 and 19.
"The collaboration this event represents is extraordinary," said Kit Gage, 
president of the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom (NCPPF) 
and main organizer of the event.  "Across the country, there is deep-seated 
concern about the rollback of civil liberties that occurred after the 
September 11 attacks.  At this conference, local groups and national 
organizations will pool their knowledge.  This conference represents a 
turning point for the grassroots movement to defend the Bill of Rights."

Under the loose guidance of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, 
http://www.bordc.org, a conference organizer, more than 170 communities and 
three states have passed resolutions or ordinances expressing support for 
constitutional freedoms and condemning the excesses of the PATRIOT Act and 
related measures.  The movement has affected the thinking of policymakers 
in Washington, as witnessed by the introduction of a number of bills in 
Congress that would put limits on the PATRIOT Act.

The conference will include panels, plenary sessions, and keynote 
addresses. Many of the sessions will be in the form of interactive 
workshops where activists will share their experiences and strategies in 
the struggle to protect the rights of ordinary Americans.
On Sunday, the conference will culminate with a "left/right" panel" 
discussion featuring People For the American Way president Ralph Neas, 
Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, and David Keene, chairman of 
the American Conservative Union. The panel will be chaired by 
actor/activist Alec Baldwin.

Conference organizers include the American Civil Liberties Union, the 
American Library Association,  the Council on American Islamic Relations, 
the National Lawyers Guild, and People For the American Way.

See http://www.grassroots-america.org for more information.

CONTACT:
Lara Flint, CDT: 202-637-9800 x 113
Gabe Rottman, ACLU: 202-675-2328
Mark Baven, BORDC: 413-586-7698
Tarek Rizk, PFAW: 202-467-4999
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