Mamaroneck could act as a test for activists against the USA
Patriot Act. The village is the first Westchester municipality
approached to protest the law.

Last month, residents Lorraine Katen, Luis Quiros and Elizabeth Saenger
petitioned the board members to adopt a resolution
repealing the USA Patriot Act, legislation passed in October
2001 that gave the government sweeping powers to monitor
citizens suspected of terrorist activities.

In the resolution, they asked the board to ensure the Mamaroneck police will
continue protecting citizens from government
infringement on civil rights.

They also asked the trustees to find out if the U.S. Attorney's
Office, FBI, or New York State Police conducted investigations
in Mamaroneck under the legislation and the names of any
detained residents.

"We haven't taken any action on it yet," Trustee Tony Vozza said.
Acting Village Manager Lenny Verrastro said a copy of the
proposed resolution was sent to the village attorney for review.

For Katen, Quiros and Saenger, civil liberties are an important issue.

Katen, a retired medical lab technician, was unaware of the Patriot
Act until she attended a March information session held by the Westchester
chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union in Mamaroneck library.

"I feel the future generations to come need their civil liberties
because there's nothing to live for without that," Katen said. "This
is intolerable, un-American, unpatriotic. This is a step back for our
generation."

Saenger and Quiros, on the other hand, were well aware of the
effects of the Patriot Act as board members of the WCLU.

"Terrorism is defined much too broadly. Government agents can
spy on religious meetings, arrest people as material witnesses and deny them
a lawyer and contact with their family," Saenger said.

Under the Patriot Act, the federal government would also be able
to monitor ordinary citizens through library, medical, and e-mail
records, wire-tap phone conversations, search homes and conduct other secret
investigations into political and religious activities,
Quiros said.

"All of these things that are basic human rights are taken away,"
said Quiros, who also serves as a member of the Mamaroneck
Tri-Municipal Human Rights Commission.

A second legislation, known as the Domestic Security Enhancement Act, is
being drafted, which would increase the government's surveillance abilities.

Since May, the WCLU circulated its own petition against the Patriot
Act. So far, the organization collected more than 1,500 signatures
countywide, according to Linda Berns, the group's executive director.

If Mamaroneck ultimately decides to sign the resolution, it would join
a growing movement across the county. Already three states ‹
Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont ‹ and 140 cities, towns and villages approved
similar resolutions, according to Nancy Talanian, director
of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, an activist organization
based in Northampton, Mass.

Albany and three municipalities in Ulster County ‹ Woodstock and New Paltz
town and village ‹ voted to repeal the Patriot Act.

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee, which tracked the resolution progress
on their Web site since spring 2002, was among the first organizations to
petition their local governments.

"We decided to take action right away and do it on a local level and involve
education," Talanian said. "Most people didn't know about
the Patriot Act and felt it didn't apply to them. Meanwhile people of
Arab and South Asian origin were being targeted."

For information about the local campaign to protect civil liberties, contact
the Westchester chapter of the New York Civil Liberties
Union at 997-7479 or visit www.wclu.org.

For information on the Bill of Rights Defense Committee visit www.bordc.org.

The Patriot Act

The Westchester Civil Liberties Union is asking the village of Mamaroneck to
oppose the Patriot Act. The group is concerned
about the measure giving the federal government the following
powers against those they consider to be related to terrorism:

€ Search your home without your knowledge.

€ Monitor your Internet use, read your e-mail and examine your
online purchases.

€ Wiretap your telephone without a court order.

€ Detain you without access to a lawyer and without charging you
with a crime.

€ Monitor your political and religious activities.

This article is from The Times, a Journal News weekly paper for
Larchmont & Mamaroneck.

Back