Sep 3rd, 2008
Posted by Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 4:49pm	Free Speech

Feeling the Chill

The blogging from the Republican National Convention has been excellent. Glenn Greenwald has been providing extensive coverage for Salon, as has Lindsay Beyerstein for Firedoglake, to name a few.

Today Glenn wrote about the revelation today that the FBI had been working with the Ramsey Country sheriff's department to raid houses of suspected "anarchists" on Sunday, which resulted in the seizing of several boxes of literature. The ACLU of Minnesota sued for the release of that literature over the weekend, and will seek an emergency appeal after losing an initial motion.

The federal government's role in these local events is no surprise: since 2006, the ACLU and its affiliates have filed several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information on the Pentagon's surveillance of anti-war groups. Just last month, the ACLU of Maryland released documents it had obtained through a Public Information Act lawsuit for the release of information related to the surveillance of local peace groups and anti-death penalty activists. Last year we released a report about the documents that resulted from our FOIA requests and profiles a few of the people who were targeted by the Pentagon.

As Glenn points out today, this kind of federal-level surveillance and subsequent raids have a chilling effect on free speech and protest, both of which are supposed to be protected under the First Amendment. He contrasts the lack of outrage over this abuse of government power with the huge outcry against the Chinese government for squelching free speech and protest during the Olympics:

[H]ow is our own Government's behavior in Minnesota any different than what the Chinese did to its protesters during the Olympics (other than the fact that we actually have a Constitution that prohibits such behavior)? And where are all the self-righteous Freedom Crusaders in our nation's establishment organs who were so flamboyantly criticizing the actions of a Government on the other side of the globe as our own Government engages in the same tyrannical, protest-squelching conduct with exactly the same motives?

In Minnesota, hundreds of innocent people are being swept up in mass arrests for simply exercising their right to express dissent. That's not something that is supposed to happen in this country. Where's the outcry over how protestors are being treated here at home?

The silence is deafening.

Permalink |	Free Speech

1. Jay Deiman, Minneapolis, MN Says:
   Sep 3rd, 2008 at 4:32pm

   I fully agree. It's actually difficult, even here in Minneapolis, to find any news on this subject. It appears to be a large white elephant that "mainstream" journalists don't even want to touch.

   I would really like to see the people responsible for this action brought to real justice. This, for me, is on par with treason as these acts are premeditated, blatant violations of what makes the United States...the United States.

   As you stated, these abuses of power are very similar to human rights issues involving the protests in China. Is that *really* the direction this country is going? A totalitarian rule? It's looking like we may already be there.

2. Oldfart, KC, KS Says:
   Sep 4th, 2008 at 4:30pm

   "Hundreds" of people were arrested - I believe 250 were arrested during the entire 3 or 4 days. While the mainstream media is guilty of NOT covering this, your blog comment is guilty of NOT mentioning the 10,000+ (maybe as many as 50,000) who were allowed to peacefully assemble and protest. Such events did NOT happen in China where NO ONE RECEIVED PERMISSION TO DEMONSTRATE. If you cannot tell the difference, then you are lost in the extreme left wing land of woo. No doubt the police, both local and federal, made mistakes on the side of caution and, I'm sure the ACLU and others will do their jobs to make them pay for it. Rightfully so but don't make more of this than there is as Glenn Greenwald is doing.

3. CRJ313 Says:
   Sep 6th, 2008 at 4:59pm

   I am not one bit startled that the ACLU is defending the "rights" of the violent and destructive groups that protested in Minnesota. The so called "anarchist" group members were arrested by the hundreds as they assaulted police officers, destroyed private property and plotted to carry out other violent crimes. When you participate in those kinds of activities, that is when you lose some of your rights and liberties and need to be arrested. Why is that so hard to comprehend?!? If the group had chose to peacably assemble and carry out their protests whithout putting anyone else in harms way...it would be quite a different story. However, once again, the ACLU is on the side of the criminals, and I doubt they will leave my reply on the site.

4. upperv Says:
   Sep 7th, 2008 at 7:33pm

   What I find scary is that comments like the one from CRJ313 are simply a reflection of the majority of U.S. citizens' opinions. And, we really are a very poorly informed, lazy, and inquisitive country. Capable of so much but fearful of so much more.

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