Civil Liberties Under Siege from NDAA

SF group to urge non-compliance with new federal law: March 2, 2012 at 12 Noon, SF City Hall
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Basic Rights Under Siege from NDAA

San Francisco 99% Coalition raises alarm at City Hall today, one day before
law allowing indefinite detention of US citizens goes into effect

At noon today, Friday March 2, San Francisco progressive activists will gather at San Francisco City Hall to urge the Board of Supervisors to join the growing nationwide resistance to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a new federal law that critics say will change the fabric of American democracy in unprecedented ways. The NDAA goes into effect on Saturday, March 3.

President Obama signed the legislation--the annual military spending bill, which this year allocates a staggering $662 billion for defense—on New Year’s Eve, 2011. The current authorization also contains provisions that, in the guise of fighting terrorism, authorize the US Department of Defense to detain US citizens suspected of engaging in “terrorist” activities, and to hold them indefinitely and without due process.

In response, all of the major US civil liberties organizations state that that the NDAA’s anti-terrorism provisions come at far too high a cost because they threaten to undermine rights that are fundamental to American democracy.

A delegation of SF 99% Coalition members will meet with staff members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors this Friday from 10 am to 11:30 am. After outlining some of the most troubling aspects of the NDAA, they will urge the Supervisors to support a resolution encouraging local non-compliance with the law.

Following the meeting with Supervisors’ staff, the 99% Coalition will host a noon press conference on the east side of City Hall to report on the meeting and lend their voices to a speak-out against the NDAA. Speakers will include civil liberties attorneys, veterans and representatives of community organizations. The program will include a public reading of selected excerpts from the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution.

WHO: Civil liberties advocates from the San Francisco 99% Coalition

WHAT: Meeting with City Supervisors; and speak-out/press conference to protest NDAA

WHEN: Today, Friday, March 2, 10 AM and 12 Noon, respectively

WHERE: San Francisco City Hall, east entrance

The San Francisco 99% Coalition (http://www.sf99percent.org) supports groups working to promote progressive social, economic and environmental public policies.

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