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| U.S.
Officials defend Patriot Act in Kalamazoo |
By Mark Albert News 3 Reporter KALAMAZOO (NEWS 3) - In a rare
appearance, some of the top federal law enforcement officials in
West Michigan defended the USA Patriot Act at a community forum
Tuesday, arguing that it allowed them to "connect the
dots" and prevent future terrorist attacks.
But many in the crowd of 30 at WMU's Bernhard Center were
skeptical, pressing prosecutors and an FBI agent to justify what
they see as an infringement of their civil liberties.
"You guys went after students who had nothing to do with
terrorism, no criminal background whatsoever...just for the
simple fact that they were from the Middle East,"
complained Khalid Jamal during the question-and-answer portion.
Margaret Chiara, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of
Michigan, acknowledged a great deal of public concern, but
countered in earlier remarks that the 342-page USA Patriot Act
closed the gaps in criminal law and enabled authorities to
connect the dots to halt terrorist attacks before they occur.
"They want to kill you," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lloyd
Myer said, "and the tools in the Patriot Act, we use to
stop that."
The state's chief FBI agent explained that the agency's top
priority was changed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to counter
terrorism at all 56 field offices nationwide.
"Every day that I get up, I'm thinking about terrorism,
terrorism events, how can we prevent them, how can we safeguard
our community," Willie Hulon said.
A representative from the American Civil Liberties Union,
however, criticized Congress, which overwhelming approved the
USA Patriot Act on Oct. 25, 2001. "Our legislative body
fell down on the job," said Noel Saleh, a post-9/11
activity staff attorney for the ACLU. "The president is
claiming substantial power, and the Justice Department is
claiming substantial power, that is very frightening to us in
the civil liberties community," Saleh said.
Even though provisions of the USA Patriot Act are set to expire
Dec. 31, 2005, that is not soon enough for some communities. On
Monday, the Kalamazoo city commission approved by a 5-2 vote a
resolution expressing concern about the USA Patriot Act.
No city, county, or state government can override the federal
statues, making the resolution only symbolic.
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