INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER UPDATE ON THE LEGAL SITUATION WITH THE JANUARY 20 COUNTER-INAUGURAL DEMONSTRATION
posted: 1/4/01
The Partnership for Civil Justice—the DC-based attorneys who are representing the International Action Center and other protesters—have sent a letter to DC Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, United States Park Police Chief Robert E. Langston, National Park Service Director Robert Stanton, and United States Capitol Police Chief James Varey.
The legal team is insisting that people who oppose the Bush administration have the right to express their opinion, to obtain permits and to demonstrate their point of view in the area of the inaugural event. The letter to the police requests specific information and clarification on outstanding issues related to permits and police conduct on January 20. The legal team has given the police agencies until the close of the business day Monday, January 8, to respond.
Let us be very clear on our goal in this endeavor: We intend to obtain a permit so that thousands of people can participate in a mass rally on January 20. We are launching a campaign to uphold our rights that will use all available legal avenues as well as public pressure.
The IAC will be giving everyone a comprehensive report on the status of the permits, outstanding legal issues and other tactics at our upcoming Regional Organizers Meeting on Tuesday, January 9. It will be held at 6:30 pm at Local 169 UNITE union hall, 33 W. 14th St. in New York City. It is very important for everyone who can to attend this meeting.
The police officials have been attempting to create a climate of fear and confusion to deliberately dissuade thousands of people from demonstrating at the Bush inauguration. The police agencies have told the media that they intend to set up check points along the inaugural route. This is precisely the tactic that the pro-Bush forces used in Florida: setting up check points outside voting booths, especially in African American and Haitian communities.
After having disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters in the general election, the Bush administration wants to disenfranchise thousands of protesters who want to exercise their First Amendment right to say "NO" to the death penalty, racism and racist disenfranchisement, and to raise other issues.
We are confident that we can defeat what has been a systematic level of intimidation. To succeed, the IAC and it allies to employ every means at our disposal. We will pursue every avenue available to us. This is because we believe that the highest priority is to make sure that thousands and thousands of people come to Washington, DC on January 20.
The right-wing Bush administration would like to guarantee that the next four years will be ones with no protests against racism, the death penalty and war. But that is a fantasy because our movement is going to grow.
Again, make sure you organize to come to the January 9 Regional Organizers Meeting to get a full report, as well as to pick up flyers, posters, stickers and bus tickets. It will be held at 6:30 pm at Local 169 UNITE union hall, 33 W. 14th St. in New York City.
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
email: mailto:iacenter@action-mail.org
En Espanol: iac-cai@action-mail.org
Web: http://www.iacenter.org
Support Mumia Abu-Jamal: http://www.millions4mumia.org/
phone: 212 633-6646
fax: 212 633-2889
Make a donation to the IAC and its projects
The International Action Center
Home ActionAlerts Press
Share this page with a friend