MEDIA ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2001
CONTACT:
Kate Pearson
October 22nd Coalition
Phone: 773-528-1701
Fax: 773-528-3270
chicago@october22.org
http://www.october22.org
Activists Condemn Free Fire Zone on Civil Liberties
Court Rubber Stamps Government Ban on Free Expression
On the day the US Senate passed sweeping new repressive legislation, federal court judge Holderman followed the script in Chicago by upholding the Federal Government's ban on free expression in Federal Plaza.
A status hearing was held Thursday, 10/25 on a lawsuit brought by October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality challenging the permit ban at Federal Plaza. Judge Holderman announced he was dismissing the whole lawsuit, insisting that all the demands were now moot in the aftermath of Monday's rally at Federal Plaza. Plaintiffs' attorney Wayne Giampietro reminded the judge that the lawsuit included a demand for a declaratory judgment that the permit ban was unconstitutional in its entirety. And that this was very much still an issue! The judge refused to consider this and declined to schedule a hearing on the merits of the case as traditionally happens. The judge's actions were an alarming signal that courts are lining up blindly behind whatever actions the federal government takes to throw civil liberties overboard. The court here abandoned any pretense of playing its supposed role to independently review new measures being rushed into effect.
Far from being a moot issue, Oct. 22nd Coalition argues that the experience at Monday's rally at Federal Plaza gave compelling new evidence as that the permit ban is a smokescreen for attacks on free speech. The peaceful rally did not compromise the monitoring of persons entering the Federal Building by federal marshals. The cement barriers installed after Sept. 11th posed no problems for rally participants or the Chicago Police Department in charge of plaza security. No terrorists used the rally as cover to launch any sort of attack -- a sensationalist scenario raised at the Oct. 18th Temporary Restraining Order hearing by Judge Holderman designed to inflame and manipulate the public's fears. While it didn't enhance security, the permit ban did put a chill on free speech. Many potential participants in Monday's rally, including victims of police brutality, informed Oct. 22nd Coalition that they were intimidated from attending because the permit was denied.
Oct. 22nd Coalition and co-plaintiffs Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, Refuse & Resist!-Chicago and Chicago Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal entered a voluntary dismissal at the close of Thursday's hearing in order to avoid any precedent being set by the judge's reckless position. Plaintiffs have vowed to continue fighting the precedent-setting ban, and are calling on others to join in drawing the line in defense of civil liberties before it's too late.
[posted 10/29/01]
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