CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IN A TIME OF ENDLESS WAR
Racism and Constitutional Rights Violations from Sleepy Lagoon to Now
In 1942, media hysteria and racism led to the round-up of hundreds of Mexican-American youth and the subsequent conviction of 12 of the youth for murder in a trial characterized by blatant racism and gross disregard for civil liberties, known as the Sleepy Lagoon case. Due to the tireless efforts of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee, including its executive secretary Alice McGrath, the convictions were overturned. Today's endless "war against terrorism" has given us military tribunals, secret searches, round-ups of non-citizens based on race and religion, and the U.S.A. Patriot Act, among other measures. Join constitutional scholars and activists, including McGrath, for a discussion that will uncover the connections in the government's encroachments on our civil liberties.
The event will take place at the Southern California Library, 6120 S. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, on Saturday, October 1, 2 p.m. Admission is free. All are welcome. For more information, call 323-759-6063 or check the web at www.socallib.org.
|
