Civil Rights and the "War on Terror": What You Can Do
- A Just Nation in A Just World
AI's work is as urgently needed now as it has been at any time in our history. By organizing educational activities and writing letters, you are initiating a public dialogue to raise awareness in your community and among local officials. By increasing understanding of the new legislation and policies, you can motivate others to take action and help bring about change.
Here are four things you can do in your community and on your campus to put this country back on track:
- Educate yourself. In order to respond appropriately, first educate yourself on the topic. You can do this by reviewing the fact sheets included in this kit and by conducting your own research. Also consider devoting a group meeting to education on this topic. Contact your local Amnesty International office for suggested speakers.
- Write!
Write to Congress. Write your US Representative and Senators. (If you're away at school, write to both those that represent your school and those who represent your hometown too!). Ask them to pass the End Racial Profiling Act and the SAFE Act. Tell them to vote no on the CLEAR ACT. See attached Issue Briefs for details. Go to www.amnestyusa.org for updates.
Write to your school. If you are a college student, consider the sample letter to the school president, which asks for clarification of (1) new privacy policies for student records, and (2) new procedures for foreign student admissions. Both types of regulations have been drastically affected by the USA PATRIOT Act. Write to your university or college president to urge her/him to inform the campus publicly about new regulations and to re-affirm your pledge to civil and human rights protected in the US Constitution and international treaties.
If you are a high school student, you may want to write to your principal about the "No Child Left Behind Act." This act violates previous privacy laws by subjecting students and their families to unwanted release of personal information to military recruiters. If your school has not already notified you and your family about your right to safeguard your information, then urge your school to notify parents and students that they can choose to withhold their contact information from military recruiters. See the sample letter to your school principal.Write to your library. Under the USA PATRIOT Act, libraries are required upon request to hand over to the federal government library records including information on the books borrowed and the websites visited while at the library. This intrusion into personal privacy is a violation of rights protected by the US Constitution and numerous international human rights documents. Write to your library to ask for more information about what can happen to your records! See the letter to head librarian for an example.
Write to your City Council. As a part of the "War on Terror," law enforcement is permitted to secretly enter your home and tape your conversations, to spy on you in your house of worship without evidence of any wrongdoing, to detain citizens without regard to their constitutional rights, and to round up immigrants and detain them indefinitely and in secret or to deport them without hearings or due process. Write to your City Council to urge public disclosure of information regarding new policies and practices under the new laws and regulations, including any detentions, deportations, and interrogations carried out under the "War on Terror." As a citizen, you have the right to know! See the letter to Mayor/President of City Council for an example.
- Get involved in a resolution campaign. Across the nation, both city and campus resolutions are being passed criticizing the USA PATRIOT Act. Sample city council hearing testimony and letters to the editors for Amnesty International members are included in this kit. Go to www.amnestyusa.org for sample resolutions and links to groups that are organizing local resolution efforts. Also keep your eyes and ears open in the local news for reports on these efforts.
- Log on!
Check in with your local Amnesty International Office and log on to www.amnestyusa.org for updated fact sheets, issue briefs and campaigning information.
