Under no circumstances should any police department be used as a "recruiter" for Ashcroft's so-called information-gathering exercise. If Heffelfinger wants to implement his boss' directive, let him use the media for a voluntary submissions of information. Not one person should be stopped for this purpose by police officers. Chuck Samuelson (MCLU) has it just right: these are similar tactics to those used historically to intimidate guests in this country to acquiesce in the search for terrorists (criminals).
Refugees automatically fear anything smacking of police authority. It's precisely the reason they've fled their homelands. There is no such thing as "voluntary" in this exercise. We are discarding this country's fundamental freedoms in pursuit of ghosts of September 11. It will not make us feel or be more "secure." That word has become the justifying reason for abandoning the Bill of Rights. This has so many people smacking their lips over public support for reining in those terrible dissenters over erosion of those freedoms. This what we should fear far more than the fearful intruders from elsewhere. We're back to the "We've seen the enemy, and we are it." Andy Driscoll Saint Paul ------ "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral" --Dante > From: "Jordan S. Kushner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 00:08:32 -0600 > To: "Rosalind Nelson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Mpls] FBI racial profiling in Minneapolis? > > There is some hope that the Minneapolis and St. Paul police will do the > right thing and refuse to participate in Ashcroft's ethnically motivated > witch hunt. Chiefs Olson and Finney, within the past six months, > publicly advocated that undocumented immigrants be given drivers > license. In that case, they displayed not only support for the rights > of immigrants to function in this community, but also an insight into > the injustices of federal law pertaining to immigrants. It would be > consistent and even more justified to refuse to single people out for > police interrogations based solely on their age and national origin. It > is also critical for the newly elected officials to take firm stands > against such sacrafices of such fundemantal values as freedom and equal > protection under the guise of national security. This post should be > taken as a request for some responses. > > Jordan Kushner > Powderhorn > > > Rosalind Nelson wrote: >> >> A not-so-buried story: >> >> http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/847244.html >> >> To their credit, the Minneapolis and St. Paul police don't >> seem eager to participate. >> >> Rosalind Nelson >> Bancroft Neighborhood >> >> At 12:59 PM 11/21/01 EST, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >>> This could have gone completely unnoticed due to its being buried in >>> another story, but today's Strib reports that John Ashcroft is asking >>> police chiefs around the country, including here in Minneapolis, to assist >>> with interviewing 5,000 young men who recently entered the country from >>> regions known for terrorist activities. >> > _______________________________________ > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
