Fw: Our free speech rights are non-negotiable

["nello margiotta" <nellomargiotta55 at virgilio.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: ANSWER at InternationalANSWER.org 
To: nellomargiotta55 at virgilio.it 
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 5:50 AM
Subject: Our free speech rights are non-negotiable



A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
1247 E St. SE
Washington DC 20003
(202) 544-3389 
info at internationalanswer.org

Our free speech rights are non-negotiable!
Federal lawsuit to be filed demanding demonstrators' access to Central Park
The National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) and the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition 
(Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) are filing a major lawsuit in Federal 
District Court in New York City to support the right of assembly in the Great 
Lawn of Central Park for all those who are expressing political opposition to 
the domestic program and war policies of the Bush administration in the days 
before and during the Republican National Convention. 

The lawsuit is in response to the denial of a permit sought by the National 
Council of Arab Americans for a mass civil rights rally on August 28, 2004. In 
addition to seeking to overturn the permit denial, the lawsuit seeks to 
constrain the unbridled discretion of the city, which has threatened to 
penalize those who express differing political speech in Central Park. 
Attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice and the National Lawyers Guild 
Mass Defense Committee are filing the suit. 

In January 2004, the National Council of Arab Americans filed a permit 
application for a mass demonstration on the Great Lawn in Central Park for 
August 28, the 41st anniversary of the historic civil rights March on 
Washington. The purpose of the event was to rally in defense of civil rights 
and civil liberties particularly for the Arab American and Muslim communities. 
Thousands of Arab Americans and Muslims in the United States have had their 
rights routinely violated by the Bush-Ashcroft administration, which has used 
the events of September 11 as a pretext to implement a system of 
unconstitutional racial and religious profiling. 

"The Bloomberg administration, the NYC Police Department and the NYC Government 
have exhibited open contempt for the free speech rights of those who hold a 
political position opposing the Bush administration's foreign and domestic 
policy," stated counsel for the plaintiffs Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the 
Partnership for Civil Justice and co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild Mass 
Defense Committee. 

"Central Park is the heart of the city and political speech is the heart of 
democracy. As such, the plaintiffs cannot be excluded from exercising their 
free speech rights," stated Carol Sobel, co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild 
Mass Defense Committee and also counsel on the case. 

Although the Great Lawn of Central Park has been used in the past for mass 
assembly, the "Mayor, the Parks Department and the NYPD are now acting as a 
shield for the Bush administration and the Republican Convention, and have 
worked to obstruct, inhibit and thwart protected free speech mass assembly in 
Central Park. Denying their political opponents a right to gather in Central 
Park's Great Lawn, the Mayor and the police have tried to marginalize mass 
demonstrations," continued Ms. Verheyden-Hilliard. 

"We filed for this permit eight months ago to secure for the Arab American and 
Muslim communities the constitutional right to express our views on matters 
vital not only to ourselves but also to all people and to the future of this 
country. As a targeted community, we wanted to empower our people and stand 
together in solidarity with all who have been struggling for civil rights and 
liberties over the years on the 41st anniversary of the historic March on 
Washington," said Elias Rashmawi, national coordinator of the NCA. "Like all, 
Arab Americans and Muslims have the absolute guarantee that they could assemble 
and exercise their constitutional rights in the Great Lawn of Central Park. 
Along with our allies, we had called for this rally with the purpose of 
expressing a powerful affirmation of civil rights and civil liberties for all 
communities that have been targeted with racial and religious profiling by the 
Bush Administration and the Justice Department," he continued. 

"The Bush Administration has declared war against the national social and civil 
rights of people around the world who face U.S. war and occupation. The 
demonstrations during the week of the RNC will stand up for peoples' rights 
both in the United States and around the world," stated Brian Becker, national 
coordinator for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. 

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, which has made the defense of Arab American and 
Muslim civil rights and opposition to racial and religious profiling a central 
part of its political organizing, is a co-plaintiff with the National Council 
of Arab Americans. 

Funds are urgently needed to help support the legal challenge and other 
organizing activities in defense of free speech rights at the Republican 
National Convention. You can make an online donation using the secure server by 
clicking here. If you wish to make a tax-deductible contribution of $50 or 
more, mail a check payable to A.N.S.W.E.R./AGJ to: A.N.S.W.E.R., 1247 E St. SE 
Washington DC 20003. If you wish to make a credit card donation of $50 or more, 
please call 202-544-3389. 



A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
www.ANSWERcoalition.org
info at internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
Los Angeles: 323-464-1636
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389. 

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