St. Louis Joins Other Cities, Adopts USA PATRIOT Act Resolution

Resolution 273 has Passed by Unanimous Vote of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen!

On Friday, March 12, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously approved Resolution 273. The resolution, introduced by Ald. Craig Schmid (20th Ward) on 2/27, reaffirms the City of St. Louis's commitment to the Bill of Rights in the face of the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act and other post-September 11 laws and executive orders that pose a threat to traditional American civil liberties. Resolution 273 is based in part on both the St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee's "Resolution to Defend the Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties" and the recently enacted New York City Council Bill of Rights Resolution Res. 60-2004.

Among its more significant features, Resolution 273:

• reaffirms the City's policy against discrimination or profiling based on race, ethnicity, citizenship, religion, national origin, or non-violent political values


• affirms the rights of immigrants and refugees and opposes measures that single out individuals for legal scrutiny or enforcement activity based primarily upon their country of origin


• encourages the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to adopt policies prohibiting: investigations of groups or individuals based solely on their participation in activities protected by the First Amendment; profiling based on race, religion, or ethnicity; participating in the enforcement of most federal immigration laws; engaging in "sneak and peak" (Section 213) searches in the absence of a warrant and notice at the time of the search; assisting federal investigations or participating in federal surveillance in the absence of a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity


• opposes secret detentions of individuals, as well as indefinite detentions without charges or access to a lawyer


• calls upon the federal government to make periodic reports to the Board of Alderman, under the Freedom of Information Act, concerning: the number of St. Louisans arrested or detained pursuant to post-September 11 terrorism investigations; the number of Section 213 warrantless searches conducted; the number of electronic surveillances carried out; the number of investigations undertaken to monitor political meetings, religious gatherings or other First Amendment activities; and the number of times educational records, library records and bookstore records have been obtained under the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act


• calls on Missouri's congressional delegation to monitor federal activity under the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act and to actively seek the repeal or amendment of those of its provisions that violate fundamental rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution

A complete copy of Resolution 273 is available here.

The St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee applauds and salutes the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for their action in adopting this resolution. We are happy and proud to see St. Louis join with Chicago, Kansas City, New York City and the more than 260 other cities and towns across the nation that have enacted similar resolutions and ordinances protecting civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. And we thank those of you who responded to our request for phone calls and letters to the Board of Alderman concerning this important legislation.

The St. Louis Bill of Rights Defense Committee (SLBORDC) is a joint project of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, St. Louis Instead of War Coalition, Missouri Libertarian Party, Privacy Rights of Missouri, Human Rights Action Service, Veterans for Peace, American Friends Service Committee, Interfaith Committee on Latin America, and Peace Economy Project.

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