Post-9/11 limits on dissent claimed

The Boston Globe 12/14/03

Post-9/11 limits on dissent claimed
Law enforcement cites terror threat

By Charlie Savage, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Two years into the post-Sept. 11 era, police across the country are cracking down on street protests, and federal prosecutors are invoking obscure laws to punish activists whose aggressive displays of political expression were once more tolerated, according to groups as diverse as Operation Rescue and Greenpeace. While law-enforcement officials acknowledge only that the specter of terrorism has made them more wary of large crowds and disruptive behavior, activists say the newly aggressive tactics are jeopardizing a form of dissent as rooted in American tradition as the Boston Tea Party.

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While protests continue, civil libertarians say they fear the erosion of a form of expression that dates to Colonial days, that took hold during the civil rights and Vietnam War eras, and that continued through the end of the 20th century: crowds holding signs, shouting as officials arrive at events, and engaging in acts such as blocking roads or painting slogans on buildings.

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"They call out the bomb squad dogs to sniff you," he said. "They're checking your driver's license. They want to know your name, your Social Security number, how long you'll be there, and what your intent is. This is a huge change since Sept. 11. It's a mindset that law enforcement has, even toward peaceful nonviolent American citizens attempting to voice their opposition to legislation and policies."

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he American Civil Liberties Union has recently filed a lawsuit against the US Secret Service for what it says is a pattern of either the selective removal of anti-Bush protesters while pro-Bush protesters are allowed to remain, or the removal of all who are engaged in political speech while passersby are allowed to keep using the sidewalk. "We have noticed over the last couple of years that protesters are being treated differently than they used to be by the Secret Service," said an ACLU lawyer, Chris Hansen. "We lose liberty bit by bit by bit, so you have to fight even the small erosions of fundamental rights."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/12/14/post_911_limits_on_dissent_claimed/