FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: (Local Contact) &

Kellie Gasink, National Coalition to Repeal the USA Patriot Act (912)238-4489



On July 3, cities across the country will hold independant Public Hearings to Repeal the Patriot Act. These public hearings will be a means of collecting information and testimony in regards to the USA Patriot Act, passed by the US Congress on October 26, 2001.

These hearings will cover issues of the Patriot Act, civil liberties and the Bill of Rights, police brutality and racial profiling. All members of the public are requested to offer testimony and present their point of view. The record of testimony will be presented to the U.S. Congress. with the demand for the complete and immediate REPEAL of the USA Patriot Act. It will also be conveyed to local governments. In respect to city, county and state legislatures, the record of testimony will coincide with the demand that these bodies pass binding law in support of the Bill of Rights and the immediate and complete REPEAL of the USA Patriot Act.

The USA Patriot Act effectively eliminates:

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION: Government may monitor religious labor, and political institutions without suspecting criminal activity to assist terror investigation.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: Government has closed once-public immigration hearings, has secretly detained hundreds of people without charges, and has encouraged bureaucrats to resist public records requests.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Government may prosecute librarians or keepers of any other records if they tell anyone that the government subpoenaed information related to a terror investigation.

RIGHT TO LEGAL REPRESENTATION: Government may monitor federal prison jailhouse conversations between attorneys and clients, and deny lawyers to Americans accused of crimes.

FREEDOM FROM UNREASONABLE SEARCHES: Government may search and seize Americans' personal records, business documents and telephone/internet activity records without probable cause to assist alleged terror investigations.

RIGHT TO A SPEEDY AND PUBLIC TRIAL: Government may jail Americans indefinitely without a trial.

RIGHT TO LIBERTY: Americans may be jailed without being charged or being able to confront the witnesses against them.

The USA Patriot Act is a violation of the US Constitution.

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