Students were asked to sign a subpoena from the “Court of Public Opinion” for Attorney General John Ashcroft at a forum held Monday night by the College Democrats.
The fake subpoena called for Ashcroft to answer questions regarding the government’s refusal to release the names of those held without evidence linking them to terrorism. It also demanded justification for the government’s failure to provide council for those arrested and asked Ashcroft how he plans to ensure that the USA Patriot Act will not be used by the government to monitor constitutionally protected activities.
To demonstrate their concerns about Ashcroft’s actions, the College Democrats chalked Red Square Sunday night, declaring it an “Ashcroft-Free Zone.”
Although the chalking was washed off Monday before most students could see it, the forum focused on concerns about Ashcroft’s actions.
“For someone whose responsibility is to uphold the laws of this country, he has undermined one of the most important legal foundations of our country, the Bill of Rights,” said Panag Chokshi (SFS ‘04), a board member of the College Democrats.
The College Democrats encouraged students to vocalize opposition to Ashcroft and policies that they say abuse civil liberties.
“We need to motivate our campus, where you have thousands of people who could make a real difference, to want to take action,” said Andy Asensio (CAS ‘05), a member of the College Democrats.
The two key speakers at the forum, Kyle O’Dowd, the Legislative Director at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Michael Pates from the American Bar Association, shared their opinions regarding the compromising of civil liberties and explained the nuances of the USA Patriot Act.
The USA Patriot Act was pushed by Ashcroft and passed into law two months after Sept. 11.
According to the speakers, the bill allows for law enforcement officials to ignore certain rights such as the right to a trial and the right to council.
Senator Feingold (D-Wis) was the only senator to vote against the bill, because it was “un-American,” O’Dowd said.
“Be bold, ask questions and don’t let Mr. Ashcroft convince you that dissent equates to unpatriotic actions,” said O’Dowd.
Students should be aware of issues that directly can impact them, such as the ability to access library records, according to Pates.
Due to the USA Patriot Act, law enforcement can track the books which any individual takes out of a library, the speakers said. The FBI could file a request at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and receive permission to obtain library records for a specific person, explained Pates.
Law enforcement officials are also able to track which websites a person visits if they so choose, according to a video shown at the forum.
The College Democrats said that they hope to continue to increase awareness at Georgetown about the failure of the U.S. government to protect the civil liberties of citizens and immigrants alike.
“Students need to look to the outside world, to just put themselves in the place of an Arab or Muslim immigrant who now is forced to be somewhat in fear, as they can no longer trust a government that they had always been led to believe would be completely fair and just,” said Asensio.
