Groups attack Patriot Act

Jean Reid Norman and Dan Kulin

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2003 | 10:07 a.m.

A statewide campaign was being launched today to seek the repeal of parts of the federal Patriot Act.

The Nevada Campaign to Defeat the Patriot Act was to begin today asking county commissions, city councils and other municipal boards throughout the state to pass a resolution opposing "any portion of the USA Patriot Act that would violate the rights and liberties guaranteed equally under the state and federal constitutions."

Forty-five groups, from Shakespearean actors to psychics and libertarians to librarians, had endorsed the campaign as of Wednesday, representing diverse political and special interests.

"It doesn't mean we agree politically, but we all recognize the danger of the Patriot Act," said James Tate, a longtime activist who helped form the Coalition to Prevent the Erosion of Human Rights shortly after the Patriot Act was passed.

What is uniting the groups is concern over the lack of court oversight that the act allows, said Daniel Walters, director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, who presented the resolution to the Nevada Library Association. The librarians approved the resolution over the weekend, the group's president, Holly Van Valkenburgh, said.

Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, one of the campaign's organizing groups, said news stories the past couple of weeks on how the Patriot Act has been used in a political corruption investigation and to seek personal information from homeowners association board members underscore the need for the campaign.

"The momentum has been grown, the opposition has grown. It has become more widespread," Peck said.

Campaign organizers may find a receptive audience in some local boards.

Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro said he supported the Patriot Act when it was first passed because he had been told it was needed to fight terrorism.

But recent news has made the mayor "take a step back from it."

Now Ferraro wants to learn more about the law he thought was needed solely to fight terrorism.

Boulder City Councilwoman Karla Burton, who is also a lawyer, said she's also open to hearing what opponents of the act have to say.

Groups that have endorsed the resolution said they would be offering help in various ways.