John,
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Patriot Act.
This reckless legislation, passed in the wake of 9/11, made it easier for the federal government to spy on millions of people in the U.S. through warrantless mass surveillance, disproportionately targeting Black and Brown activists, journalists, and others.
While some in the intelligence community want you to believe that mass surveillance keeps us safe, the truth is, it doesn’t. Dragnet surveillance violates our rights, puts people in danger, and doesn’t actually make a difference in counterterrorism efforts.1
That’s why we’re calling on Congress to finally and permanently put an end to this dangerous policy. Tell Congress to end the Patriot Act and fight warrantless surveillance everywhere it occurs!
TAKE ACTION
In recent years law enforcement officials have used the Patriot Act—as well as other surveillance laws—to justify monitoring and tracking Black Lives Matter protesters, even going so far as apprehending people and interrogating them about their political beliefs.2,3
Last year we had a huge victory when we kept Congress from reauthorizing Section 215, a key provision of the Patriot Act. But our fight will not be over until the entirety of the Patriot Act is repealed.
Take a minute to put an end to the Patriot Act for good. Sign the petition and demand Congress end the U.S. surveillance state permanently.
Together,
Caitlin at Fight for the Future
Footnotes:
1. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/independent-review-board-says-nsa-phone-data-program-is-illegal-and-should-end/2014/01/22/4cebd470-83dd-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html
2. Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-used-spy-plane-to-monitor-black-lives-matter-protests-2020-6
3. The Intercept: https://theintercept.com/2020/06/04/fbi-nypd-political-spying-antifa-protests/
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