[North-NV-Greens] Reno PATRIOT Act Forum - this Wednesday

[Bob Tregilus]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 4/18/2005

FROM: American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada (ACLU) & the Nevada 
Campaign to Defeat the Patriot Act (NCDPA)

CONTACTS: Laura Mijanovich, 775/884-9089, mijanovich at powernet.net; Bob 
Tregilus, 775/826-4514, lakeport104 at yahoo.com

SUBJECT: Balancing Security & Individual Freedom: a Community Forum on 
the USA PATRIOT Act

RENO, NV – As controversy erupts on Capitol Hill over the expiring 
provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, five states and 373 cities and 
counties have already acted by passing resolutions to protect the civil 
liberties of their citizens and residents. Over 57 million people are 
represented by these jurisdictions. Despite the formal public outcry, 
top government officials such as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and 
FBI Director Robert Mueller are requesting sweeping expansions of some 
of the most troubling sections of the PATRIOT Act. Additionally, the 
Department of Justice is calling for certain provisions of the act, 
scheduled to sunset later this year, to be made permanent.

How far can we go in relinquishing fundamental rights to protect 
ourselves from the threat of terrorism? Is the increase in government 
secrecy or the loss of judicial oversight worth the cost to civil 
liberties? What is the effect of these changes in the checks and 
balances that were in place to prevent error or abuse? Are we more 
secure with the increase in government surveillance and the consequent 
loss of privacy?

These are some of the questions that will be discussed at the community 
forum this Wednesday, April 20, at the Nevada Museum of Art in downtown 
Reno.

"Nevada is one of the most important states in the country to be 
organizing around civil liberties issues," said Matt Bowles, a National 
Field Organizer for the ACLU and the featured speaker for Wednesday 
night's forum, "primarily because it is the state that has been the most 
severely abused by the USA Patriot Act and other anti-terrorism 
measures. The government has used its 'anti-terrorism' powers to invade 
the privacy of hundreds of thousands of innocent residents and tourists."

The forum will feature the documentary film Blank Check, No Balance as 
well as speakers: Sara Jones, Administrator of the Nevada Library and 
Archives and Bowles of the ACLU. A question and answer period will 
follow the presentation.

"The USA PATRIOT Act and other post 9-11 policies affect every person, 
US citizen or not. What is at stake is nothing short of our Bill of 
Rights itself, and diverse political communities across the country are 
joining together to defend it. Everyone needs to come out and play their 
part," Bowles added.

WHAT: Balancing Security & Individual Freedom: a Community Forum on the 
USA PATRIOT Act

WHEN: Wednesday, April 20, 2005, from 5:30 - 7:00 PM

WHERE: Nevada Museum of Art
160 W Liberty Street
Reno, NV 89501

ADMISSION: Free

ON THE WEB: http://www.ncdpa.org - http://www.ACLU.org

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