The quiet death of the 5th amendment; are people of color listening?

by angryindian | July 20, 2007 at 06:06 pm

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Some of you may have heard of this via AM talk-radio, but what you were not told is the potential for abuse by municipal, state and federal authorities in not just cracking down on suspected terrorist-helpers, but the very real possibility of its power being used against people of colour. Ethnic minorities are already being hit by terrorism charges because they know or are otherwise associated with drug dealing and gang affiliation. As a PIC I can tell the readership that being tagged as a gang member is only a matter of the officer(s) in question particular prejudices rather than solid, empirical evidence.

In fact, the recent surge in the prison population is primarily due to gang crackdowns under these new rules and this is in effect making the gangs that much stronger than they were before. - The Angryindian

*(Please excuse the foto faux pas)

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The quiet death of the 5th amendment; are people of color listening? | RaceWire: "On July 17, 2007 the Bush Administration announced the introduction of a tool to help fight the war on terror. Property can now be seized from those who 'threaten stabilization efforts in Iraq'. It's official. The Fifth Amendment protecting Americans from being deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, has fallen. At a time when public opinion for this war is at an all time low this administration is still seeking ways and means to erode our civil rights in a desperate attempt to support a failed war.

What is more startling is that this administration already has the tools to freeze banks accounts of companies or groups that support terrorist activities. However, Tuesday's executive order gives the

President more leeway. Those who 'threaten stabilization efforts in Iraq' could have their property seized without a single court proceeding."