CITY OF WATERVILLE
RESOLUTION NO. 166-2003
A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR:
REQUESTING MAINE'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO MONITOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE USA PATRIOT ACT
We, the members of the City Council of Waterville, Maine, wish to make it known that
WHEREAS, in response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the United States Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act (Public Law 107-56: the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act") which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001; and
WHEREAS, many residents of Waterville and other communities across the nation are concerned that the USA PATRIOT Act threatens our civil liberties by:
· Greatly expanding the Government's ability to conduct secret searches (Sections 210);
· Giving law enforcement officials broad access to sensitive medical, mental health, library, business, financial, educational, and other records about individuals without first showing probable cause or evidence of a crime (Section 215);
· All but eliminating judicial supervision of telephone and Internet surveillance (Section 216);
· Placing the CIA back in the business of spying on Americans (Sections 203 and 901);
· Granting unchecked power to the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to designate domestic groups as "terrorist organizations" (Section 411);
· Allowing the Attorney General to subject on-citizens to indefinite detention or deportation even if they have not committed a crime (Sections 411 and 412), and
WHEREAS, the City of Waterville is committed to protecting and upholding the civil rights of all persons in Waterville as expressed in the United States and Maine State Constitutions,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Waterville affirms the civil rights granted to all its residents-US citizens and citizens of other nations alike in accordance with the Bill of Rights and Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of Waterville encourages the Waterville Police Department to continue its policy of:
· Respecting and protecting freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and privacy;
· Guaranteeing the right to counsel and due process in judicial proceedings;
· Prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of Waterville requests that Maine's Congressional Delegation monitor the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act and the associated orders and rules of the Executive Branch and actively work for the repeal of those portions of the Act and those orders and rules that violate the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Clerk communicate this resolution to Maine's Congressional Delegation, the Governor and Attorney General of Maine, Waterville's Police Chief, the local US Attorney's Office, the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Chief of the Maine State Police.