Ashfield, MA

Town of Ashfield

ARTICLE 12. To see if the town will support the following resolution

Whereas Several Acts and Orders recently enacted at the Federal level, including sections of the USA PATRIOT Act and several Executive Orders, now threaten many of our fundamental rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and by the United States Constitution Bill of Rights, including:

• Freedom of speech, religion, assembly and privacy;
• The rights to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and
• Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures;

Therefore, We the People of Ashfield, Massachusetts, honoring those who have scarified their lives to protect these rights and liberties, do hereby request:

1. That local law enforcement continue to preserve residents' freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and privacy; rights to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings; and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures even if requested or authorized to infringe upon these rights by federal law enforcement acting under new powers granted by the USA PATRIOT Act or orders of the Executive Branch;
2. That the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Massachusetts State Police report regularly and publicly to the Town of Ashfield the extent to and manner in which they have acted in Western Massachusetts under the USA PATRIOT Act, new Executive Orders, or COINTELPRO type regulations, including disclosing the names of any Ashfield area residents detained in Western Massachusetts or elsewhere;
3. That our United States Congressman and Senators monitor the implementation of the Acts and Orders cited herein and actively work for the repeal of the parts of those Acts and orders that violate our fundamental rights and liberties as stated in the Constitutions of the Commonwealth and the United States