Stop the DC Mayor's "Emergency" Crime Bill

In my inbox from the ACLU:

Dear Washingtonian,

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams is pushing an emergency crime bill that, if passed, will seriously violate your civil liberties. And be ineffective in fighting crime. This emergency bill has created an emergency civil liberties problem. You can take action right now by sending a free FAX to the D.C. Council through our website. Take action now at http://action.aclu.org/dc. Then, join us tomorrow at 1pm at the D.C. Council.

While no one has seen the Bill -- it was presented at a closed meeting today -- press reports indicate that, among other things, it will include:

Putting general surveillance cameras in neighborhoods,
Imposing a 10:00 p.m. curfew for juveniles,
Allowing law enforcement officials to have access to the records of juveniles who have been released, but who are not the current targets of a criminal investigation,
Denying bail if the person had ever been conflicted of another offense,
And other outrageous measures.
Because it is proposed as an emergency bill, we need five Council Members to defeat it. Many of these measures have been previously voted down by the Council during its general sessions. Much as the USA PATRIOT ACT was passed without debate or review, the Council has agreed to an emergency meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday July 19) at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the John Wilson building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

The ACLU of the National Capital Area supports all meaningful crime-deterring measures, but we want real security, not just a sense of security -- and cameras have been proven to be useless in deterring crime.

Here's what you can do, right now (tonight and tomorrow)

1. Send a FAX to the D.C. Council at http://action.aclu.org/dc. In D.C., there are nine councilmembers who either represent you already, or want your vote already because they are seeking higher office, and the other 4 may run for higher office next year. This gives you unusual influence on your local legislature. To send a FAX to ALL the DC councilmembers.

2. Please join us and attend the emergency Council session tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19 at 1 p.m.

Council Chambers
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20004-3089
Metro Center (13th Street Exit)

To confirm the time, go to http://www.aclu-nca.org. We will keep you updated on any last-minute scheduling changes.

We at the ACLU of the National Capital Area appreciate your support, and hope to see you tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Johnny Barnes
Executive Director, ACLU-NCA