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JUST US at Tuesday's City Council Meeting
Join us at tonight's City Council meeting to remind the Council that it is still up to them to put limits on their police force.
Join us at tonight's City Council meeting to remind the Council that it is still up to them to put limits on their police force.
7pm Tonight
City Council Meeting
City Hall Council Chambers
It is not an understatement to say that nothing less than our rights to free speech and free assembly are at stake here. Our ability to express ourselves underlies the ability to resist, to express dissent, and to make change in this world.
Currently, the Council says it wants to wait until after the results of the Independent Investigation are out. So far, this is the game of Pause and Procedure they've played so far, hoping perhaps this issue would cool down. But we have concerns that the city is quietly drafting a policy around police spying behind the scenes without public input. The obvious danger with this is the same as with the policy that the police already proposed:
Until the SCPD has significant protections for people engaged in first amendment activities, they risk violating state and federal constitutional protections and exposing the city to lawsuits. If the City Council is to take charge of the situation they need to put significant limits on the community’s police force to protect people’s right to free speech, assembly, privacy, and due process.
Join us at the City Council meeting to remind the council that this issue has not gone away. We say no to Big Brother, and No to police in our homes and in our meetings.
Rico
Recent Press around Police Spying in Santa Cruz:
Undercover Follies
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/02.22.06/undercover-0608.html
Metro Santa Cruz, CA - Feb 22, 2006
Santa Cruzans decry spying
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13911292.htm
San Jose Mercury News, USA - Feb 19, 2006
7pm Tonight
City Council Meeting
City Hall Council Chambers
It is not an understatement to say that nothing less than our rights to free speech and free assembly are at stake here. Our ability to express ourselves underlies the ability to resist, to express dissent, and to make change in this world.
Currently, the Council says it wants to wait until after the results of the Independent Investigation are out. So far, this is the game of Pause and Procedure they've played so far, hoping perhaps this issue would cool down. But we have concerns that the city is quietly drafting a policy around police spying behind the scenes without public input. The obvious danger with this is the same as with the policy that the police already proposed:
Until the SCPD has significant protections for people engaged in first amendment activities, they risk violating state and federal constitutional protections and exposing the city to lawsuits. If the City Council is to take charge of the situation they need to put significant limits on the community’s police force to protect people’s right to free speech, assembly, privacy, and due process.
Join us at the City Council meeting to remind the council that this issue has not gone away. We say no to Big Brother, and No to police in our homes and in our meetings.
Rico
Recent Press around Police Spying in Santa Cruz:
Undercover Follies
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/02.22.06/undercover-0608.html
Metro Santa Cruz, CA - Feb 22, 2006
Santa Cruzans decry spying
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13911292.htm
San Jose Mercury News, USA - Feb 19, 2006
For more information:
http://www.lastnightdiy.org
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Santa Cruz Police
A police official investigates himself as undercover operations stir controversy. Harrassment, spying, profiling. Are they watching you?
A police official investigates himself as undercover operations stir controversy. Harrassment, spying, profiling. Are they watching you?
Santa Cruz City council is notorious for retro-actively approving police misconduct.
When then Police chief Steve Belcher unilaterally decided that NOT all complaints against the police should be turned over to the Citizens Police Review Board, the council met and created a new catergory of complaints called "inquiries" that the chief didnt need to turn over to the CPRB!!
When Sgt. Baker arrested kids for hacky-sacking, Councilman tim Fitzmaurice created a law which declared hacky-sacking downtown illegal!!
When the CPRB, under Chair Mark Halfmoon passed a resolution against selective enforcement as the stated policy of the SCPD, then Mayor Emily Reilly had the entire CPRB disbanded without allowing them to hold a final meeting!!
the resolution conveniently disappeared into the dustbin of history.
When Steve Argue went to trial for violating the Move-Along law, the council voted to change one tiny provision of the law rather than allow it to be declared unconstitutional. Rather than admit the law violates our rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and our right to redress govt. grievances, the council "tweaked" the law. All charges against Argue were dropped and the Move-Along law still stands!
Watch for this council to retro-actively approve of past police spying on innocent and unsuspecting citizens.
When then Police chief Steve Belcher unilaterally decided that NOT all complaints against the police should be turned over to the Citizens Police Review Board, the council met and created a new catergory of complaints called "inquiries" that the chief didnt need to turn over to the CPRB!!
When Sgt. Baker arrested kids for hacky-sacking, Councilman tim Fitzmaurice created a law which declared hacky-sacking downtown illegal!!
When the CPRB, under Chair Mark Halfmoon passed a resolution against selective enforcement as the stated policy of the SCPD, then Mayor Emily Reilly had the entire CPRB disbanded without allowing them to hold a final meeting!!
the resolution conveniently disappeared into the dustbin of history.
When Steve Argue went to trial for violating the Move-Along law, the council voted to change one tiny provision of the law rather than allow it to be declared unconstitutional. Rather than admit the law violates our rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and our right to redress govt. grievances, the council "tweaked" the law. All charges against Argue were dropped and the Move-Along law still stands!
Watch for this council to retro-actively approve of past police spying on innocent and unsuspecting citizens.
The police didn't have a policy regarding monitoring of community groups late last year. So after the police spying flare-up, the police created one that precisely justified what they'd already done. And gave them free reign to do it again.
It said, the poolice are allowed to spy "if any group or individual within the group is engaged in or planning to engage in illegal activity." That's any illegal activity, mind you.
So if the police get curious about what's going on in your knitting circle, they are allowed to infiltrate it if one of the group is double parked.
I expect after all this, that the Council will try to scrape by with passing a barely tweaked version of this policy.
It is up to us to resist this.
It said, the poolice are allowed to spy "if any group or individual within the group is engaged in or planning to engage in illegal activity." That's any illegal activity, mind you.
So if the police get curious about what's going on in your knitting circle, they are allowed to infiltrate it if one of the group is double parked.
I expect after all this, that the Council will try to scrape by with passing a barely tweaked version of this policy.
It is up to us to resist this.
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