SLBORDC Freedom Forum Kicks Off Campaign to Adopt City Resolution

The St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee (SLBORDC) hosted a public forum on the impact of the USA PATRIOT Act at the City Museum on November 20. The Patriot Act Freedom Forum was attended by approximately 150 St. Louisans, and served as the kickoff to SLBORDC’s campaign to promote the adoption of its “Resolution to Defend the Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties” by the St. Louis Board of Alderman.

Panelists for the event included ACLU of Eastern Missouri executive director Matt LeMieux, noted civil rights activist Percy Green, Kris Kleindienst of Left Bank Books, University City Mayor Joseph Adams, and Riverfront Times founder Ray Hartmann. Ray Hartmann emceed the event. Matt LeMieux provided a broad overview of some of the Patriot Act’s provisions that are of particular concern to SLBORDC. Kris Kleindienst spoke on the impact of the Patriot Act for bookstores, libraries and their patrons. Percy Green discussed how federal powers that are too broad have been abused in the past. Mayor Joe Adams spoke on the importance of city resolutions like the one promoted by the SLBORDC. University City is one of 214 cities across the U.S. that have adopted resolutions supporting the Bill of Rights after the Patriot Act.


Panelists at the forum included (L-R) Ray Hartmann, Matt LeMieux, Kris Kleindienst, Percy Green and Mayor Joseph Adams.

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The USA PATRIOT Act was signed into law by President Bush on October 26, 2001 in the wake of September 11. The Act constitutes an unprecedented assault on civil liberties and has come under increasing attack by civil libertarians from across the political spectrum. Of particular concern are provisions in the act which permit the government to search personal financial, library, travel, video rental, phone, medical, church, synagogue and mosque records without the subject individual’s knowledge or consent (Section 215), permit secret searches of homes and offices without a warrant, without probable cause to believe a crime has occurred, and without meaningful judicial oversight (Section 218), expand the power to conduct warrant searches by authorizing searches in non-terrorist criminal investigations without notice before or after the search (Section 213, aka the “Sneak and Peek” provision), permit the attorney general or his designees to secretly obtain personal records by letter request without any judicial oversight (Section 505, aka the “Administrative Subpoena” provision), allow the attorney general to detain immigrants indefinitely without probable cause (Section 412), and create the new crime of “domestic terrorism” so broadly defined that it could include domestic activists engaged in civil disobedience (Section 802).

The St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee was formed in August as a joint project of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, the Missouri Libertarian Party, Privacy Rights of Missouri, and the St. Louis Instead of War Coalition and its coalition partners. For more information or to get involved, watch Instead of War’s Patriot Act Working Group page or contact the SLBORDC at stlbordc@yahoo.com