2nd Draft of the Resolution,
In Support of Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights
WHEREAS: The residents of the City of Santa Fe wish to honor the memory of
all those who have died as a result of the September 11 crimes and their
consequences; and
WHEREAS: Several acts and orders recently enacted at the Federal level,
including sections of the USA PATRIOT Act and several Executive Orders, now
threaten the fundamental rights and liberties of our citizens which: All bu=
t
eliminates judicial supervision of telephone and Internet surveillance;
Greatly expands the government's ability to conduct secret searches without
warrants; Grants unchecked power to the Secretary of State to designate
domestic groups as "terrorist organizations"; Grants power to the Attorney
General to subject non-citizens to indefinite detention or deportation even
if they have not committed a crime; Grants the FBI broad access to sensitiv=
e
medical, mental health, financial and educational records about individuals
without having to show evidence of a crime and without a court order; and
WHEREAS: Federal Executive Orders issued since passage of the USA PATRIOT
Act further endanger the rights and security of both citizens and
non-citizens who speak and act legally in opposition to government policies
through: Establishing secret military tribunals for terrorism suspects;
Authorizing eavesdropping on confidential communications between lawyers an=
d
their clients in federal custody; Lifting Justice Department regulations
against covert, illegal counter-intelligence operations by the FBI that in
the past targeted domestic groups and individuals; Limiting disclosure of
public documents and records under the Freedom of Information Act; and
Therefore, we the City Council of Santa Fe, New Mexico, acting in the spirit
and history of our community, do hereby request that:
1. local law enforcement continue to preserve residents' freedom of speech,
religion, assembly, and privacy, rights to counsel and due process in
judicial proceedings, and protection from unreasonable searches and
seizures, even if requested or authorized to infringe upon these rights by
Federal law enforcement acting under new powers granted by the USA PATRIOT
Act or orders of the Executive Branch;
2. the government of the City of Santa Fe act in the spirit of our state and
federal Constitutions by asking local and state police, the local U.S.
Attorney's office, and the FBI, and all related law enforcement agencies to
report to citizens regularly and publicly the extent to and manner in which
they have acted under the USA PATRlOT Act or new Executive Orders;
3. our Senators and Member of Congress, State and National, monitor the
implementation of the Act and Orders cited herein and actively work for the
repeal of the parts of that Act and those Orders that violate fundamental
rights and liberties as stated in the Constitutions of the State and the
United States.
The City of Santa Fe hereby affirms its commitment to embodying democracy,
to embracing and defending the human rights and civil liberties now under
siege, to guaranteeing the economic security required to make those
liberties viable for all, regardless of citizenship status, gender, racial
identification, religious affiliation, age, or country of origin.