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SEQUENCE:18802013
CREATED:20120320T011900Z
DESCRIPTION:Local Citizens Meet to Defend First Amendment Rights\nOn Saturday, March 
 24th, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the Occupy Civil Liberties Working Group and 
 fifteen co-sponsoring organizations will host a public meeting called 
 “Stand Up & Shout Out! -  A Forum to Protect & Restore our First 
 Amendment Rights.”  \nThe forum will be held at the Eureka Woman’s Club 
 (1531 J Street, Eureka), and will highlight what organizers feel has been a 
 decade of steady erosion of constitutionally guaranteed first amendment 
 rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition 
 the government for redress of grievances.\n“Bit-by-bit, piece-by-piece, 
 during the last decade our precious civil liberties have been whittled 
 away,” said working group member David Boyd.  He noted a long list of  
 government regulations which he said restrict and criminalize the right to 
 protest.   “Although these changes have at times been almost 
 imperceptible, taken as a whole they put some of our most cherished 
 freedoms in jeopardy,“ he added.\nForum organizers are especially 
 troubled about what seems to be a coordinated nationwide crackdown on 
 Occupy protests in recent months, and the militarization of  police 
 departments by the Department of Homeland Security.\nAccording to working 
 group member Robin Donald, "the millionaires in Congress, towing the line 
 for their corporate bosses, have gutted the Bill of Rights with their votes 
 from the Patriot Act to the recently enacted H.R. 347, which makes free 
 speech a felony.  Now, the Humboldt County Supervisors want to further 
 abridge our First Amendment rights.”\nDonald was referring to a new 
 Humboldt County protest ordinance which is currently under development.  
 Many fear that, if left unchallenged, this ordinance will further reduce 
 basic freedoms.\n“I feel a sense of urgency about this,” stated forum 
 organizer Nezzie Wade. “We need people to join us to stand up and shout 
 out: enough!”\nJanelle Egger, another forum organizer, sees the proposed  
 County ordinance as a definite move in the wrong direction.  “Through 
 non-violent civil disobedience and meetings with the District Attorney, 
 Occupy Eureka participants have successfully challenged the ban on posting 
 signs, a traditional First Amendment activity.  Now is the time for the 
 County to revisit its restriction against any sort of weather protection, 
 the reduced access to public toilets, and the restriction against 
 Occupy-provided toilets.  Now is not the time to talk about regulating 
 future First Amendment use of the traditional public forum in front of the 
 courthouse.”\nThose sentiments were echoed by Richard Gilchrist, a member 
 of Veterans for Peace Chapter 56, and his wife Gay, who is active in Women 
 in Black.  Through their respective organizations, both have made frequent 
 use of the traditional protest area in front of the Humboldt County 
 Courthouse to advocate for peace, and both are concerned that the proposed 
 ordinance will place unnecessary restrictions on this activity.\nAs a first 
 step in addressing these concerns, the working group is organizing the 
 “Stand Up & Shout Out!” forum, which will include informational 
 presentations by a panel of  local experts and activists, followed by an 
 opportunity to work with friends and neighbors to take concrete actions to 
 protect and restore our precious freedoms.\nAlthough the forum will start 
 promptly at 1:00 PM, organizers are inviting the public to arrive at 12:30 
 PM for refreshments and informal networking.\nThe support for this effort 
 has been tremendous, according to Boyd.  “ We have formed a coalition of 
 at least fifteen local organizations who share our desire to protect and 
 restore our basic freedoms, and support is growing every 
 day.”\n###\nForum Co-Sponsors  (as of 3/19/2012)\nOccupy Eureka\nVeterans 
 for Peace\nCivil Liberties Monitoring Project\nHumboldt Civil Liberties 
 Defense Fund\nCommunities for Justice & Peace\nHumboldt Free 
 University\nDemocracy Unlimited of Humboldt County\nMove to 
 Amend\nWomen’s International League for Peace & Freedom\nThose Who Stand 
 with Women in Black\nLost Coast League\nEureka Progressive Democratic 
 Club\nBuddhist Peace Fellowship\nUnitarian Universalist Fellowship Social 
 Action Committee\nCorps Ain't Peeps Campaign\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/19/18709679.php
SUMMARY:Stand Up & Shout Out! A Forum to Protect & Restore First Amendment Rights
LOCATION:Eureka Women's Club\n1531 J Street\nEureka, CA 95501
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/03/19/18709679.php
DTSTART:20120324T200000Z
DTEND:20120324T230000Z
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