Together with the Los Altos Regional Libraries and the Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters, Los Altos Voices for Peace (LAVP) is organizing a public forum on the extensive legislative package known as the USA PATRIOT Act. The act was adopted with little discussion and short notice two years ago, and the scope of the powers it grants the government and takes away from civil liberties was not immediately recognized. This year, a long list of states, cities, and organizations have expressed their opposition to key elements of the act, in many cases asking their peace officers not to participate in unconstitutional activities when asked to do so by federal agencies.

Join community leaders and civil liberties experts for analysis and discussion of the USA Patriot Act. Do expanded government investigation powers under the Act threaten our privacy and civil liberties at the local level?

Panelists:
  Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar
  Assistant Professor of Law at Stanford University

  Samina Faheem
  Executive Director, American Muslim Voice (Palo Alto)

  Cheryl Houts
  Community Librarian, Los Altos Regional Libraries

Moderator:
  James Thurber   Former Los Altos mayor and community activist

Date: December 4, 2003
Location: All-Purpose Room, Los Altos Hillview Center, 97 Hillview Avenue
Time: 7-9 p.m.

Download and print a flyer for the event and post it where it will be seen in Los Altos!

The following Web sites contain extensive information about the USA PATRIOT act and what is being done to counteract its negative effects on civil liberties:

Bill of Rights Defense Committee
American Civil Liberties Union
Silicon Valley for Civil Rights
American Library Association