> > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > January 19, 2000 > > Update on January 20 Lawsuit > > Organizations planning January 20th counter-inaugural > demonstrations in Washington, D.C. scored an important victory today > in a lawsuit filed against the federal and local law enforcement > authorities. > > "For the thousands of people planning on coming to the > demonstrations in Washington DC today's court ruling should give > additional guarantees that demonstrators will not be subject to illegal > police search and seizure of first amendment guaranteed materials or > that demonstrators will be in any way obstructed form arriving and > permitted demonstration sites," said Larry Holmes, co-director of the > International Action Center. > > Coming nine months after the mass protests in Washington, D.C. > that included preventative detention arrests, police seizures of > organizers offices, and other illegal acts, there was widespread > concern that police agencies intended to obstruct, inhibit and prevent > demonstrators from exercising their First Amendment protected rights > to free speech. > > "The plaintiffs have represented not only themselves but all > of those who are concerned about the First Amendment," declared > Judge Gladys Kessler, U.S. District Court, in her ruling this morning. > Attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice and the National > Lawyers Guild filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, January 16. > > "Yesterday in Court, for the first time the government > conceded that they were not allowed to institute routine body searches > or single out demonstrators or persons based on their race or political > affiliation. The police had earlier refused to be forthcoming. They had > created a climate of uncertainty, confusion and fear. It was only in > response to the threat of an adverse ruling on plaintiff's request for > injunctive relief that the government had to state openly in Court that > they would not carry out the same practices that had violated > demonstrators rights last April," stated Carl Messineo of the > Partnership for Civil Justice. > > The Court also granted the relief plaintiffs' sought against > the District of Columbia and struck down as unconstitutional a > regulation that required permits for all speeches. > > The suit, International Action Center v. United States, raised > grave concerns that the screening checkpoints announced by the > government would be used to single out demonstrators and African > Americans. While the government had announced that the > checkpoints would be established, they had failed to respond to > questions from attorneys for demonstrators seeking > to know what guidelines would be used, so protesters could know who > and what would be excluded. Whenever there is this level of discretion > left to police, there is a fear that the police will unconstitutionally single > out individuals based on political viewpoint or race. > > "The suit sought a preliminary injunction requiring the government to > specify the guidelines that would be employed," said Zachary Wolfe of > the National Lawyer's Guild. "While that was technically denied today, > the relief we sought was largely granted at yesterday's hearing, in > which Judge Kessler pressed the government to provide details and > explain on what basis searches would be conducted. The government > assured the Court that, aside from visual inspections of containers, the > police would be held to the Terry standard, under which police may not > stop or "pat down" anyone without a legitimate, articulable suspicion > that they have a weapon. The Court today emphasized that it was not > granting further relief because of those representations." > > "This is the first inauguration at which the U.S. Secret > Service and other police agencies have established checkpoints. The > judge expressed agreement with the plaintiff's concerns about racial > profiling and the 'chilling effect' of checkpoints," noted Mara Verheyden- > Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice. > > "We believe that the police never intended to give us a permit > or to allow demonstrators to have access to Pennsylvania Avenue and > the inaugural route," stated Larry Holmes of the IAC. "Security issues > were a ruse. The real goal of the police and government was to shield > the Bush administration from the political embarrassment of having > thousands of demonstrators lining the parade route. > > "George W. Bush is the face of the racist death penalty, he is > an enemy of women's right to chose and control their own bodies, he is > in the back pocket of corporate America and intends to carry out > unprecedented levels of corporate welfare through the expansion of the > National Missile Defense (NMD). Our demonstration is a sign that the > Bush administration's right wing policies will be a catalyst to the rebirth > of a nationwide movement for social justice," Holmes concluded. > > Demonstrators will be assembling at 10:00 a.m. at Freedom > Plaza, 14th and Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. on Saturday January 20. > > > > International Action Center > 39 West 14th Street, Room 206 > New York, NY 10011 > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > web: http://www.iacenter.org > CHECK OUT SITE > http://www.mumia2000.org > phone: 212 633-6646 > fax: 212 633-2889 > *To make a tax-deductible donation, > go to > http://www.peoplesrightsfund.org Knowledge is Power! Elimination of the exploitation of man by man http://www.egroups.com/group/pttp/ POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change Delivery Options: http://www.egroups.com/mygroups _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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