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DESCRIPTION:SUPPORT FREE SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF KNOWLEDGE  Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) 
 is a collective of internationally recognized artists who work in public, 
 educational, academic and art contexts. For the past few years, their 
 principal aim has been to help  the general public to understand 
 biotechnology. By making scientific research accessible to laypeople 
 through participatory performance experiences, CAE aims to demystify what 
 is safe and clarify what is  dangerous about today's biotech industry.  CAE 
 always undertake their work in a safe and considered way. The materials 
 they use are strictly non-hazardous, can be legally obtained by anyone, and 
 are commonly found in undergraduate-level biology labs.   A federal grand 
 jury will convene on June 15 in Buffalo, New York, to consider bioterrorism 
 charges brought by the Joint Terrorism Task Force against CAE member and 
 University at Buffalo professor Steve  Kurtz. The grand jury is the latest 
 installment in a bizarre investigation in which members of the Joint 
 Terrorism Task Force seem to have mistaken CAE's latest art project for a 
 biological weapons  laboratory.  According to the subpoenas served to at 
 least seven artists, the charges fall under Section 175 of the US 
 Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, which has been expanded by 
 the USA PATRIOT  Act to prohibit the possession of "any biological agent, 
 toxin, or delivery system" without the justification of "prophylactic, 
 protective, bona fide research, or other peaceful purpose" Those served 
 with subpoenas include two founding members of CAE (Steven Barnes, Dorian 
 Burr, Beverly Schlee), two artists who have collaborated with CAE (Beatriz 
 da Costa, Paul Vanouse), and at least two other artists.  Many worry that 
 the case could set a dangerous precedent by silencing a group of artists 
 for work that stimulates vital public discussion. Many feel that with this 
 case and others, the government is wildly overreaching its mandate to 
 protect the public from terrorism.  "Groups like CAE stimulate the public 
 debate that is necessary to a healthy democracy," said Claire Pentecost, an 
 artist who has collaborated with CAE in the past. "This isn't a case of one 
 artist  fighting for the freedom to express him or herself with images or 
 speech that some of the public might find offensive. This is a case of a 
 group of artists using performance to educate the public on issues  that 
 affect all of us in our daily lives. The government's actions suggest a 
 criminalization of a citizen's right to acquire knowledge by completely 
 legal means. This goes to the very heart of democracy."  A number of other 
 recent cases suggest that that the PATRIOT Act and other recent "security" 
 measures have made freedom of speech increasingly fragile in the U.S.   
 ABOUT THE DEMONSTRATION: Please bring signs and banners if you can (see 
 http://caedefensefund.org/demonstration.html#signs). This is a peaceful 
 demonstration.  \n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/06/14/40693.php
SUMMARY:PROTEST TO DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE END TO THE INVESTIGATION OF STEVE KURTZ
LOCATION:SF Federal Building  450 Golden Gate Avenue  between Larkin and Polk
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2004/06/14/40693.php
DTSTART:20040615T160000Z
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