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["Christian Stalberg" <christian AT stalberg.net>]

Urgent: To the Raleigh PATRIOT Act Resolution Coalition, and interested individuals:

Please attend the upcoming Raleigh City Council Meeting to show your support for passing our Resolution !
    
Close to 200 people filled the City Council Chamber on March 2nd to show their support. Since almost 3 months have passed, we need to show the Council that the public supports the resolution more than ever.

Date:        Tuesday, June 1, 2004,  1:00 Session
Location:   City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Raleigh Municipal Building, 222 W. Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC

Please call, and write, or email letters this week to Mayor Meeker and every City Councilor to urge them to adopt the resolution. Make sure they get your message before June 1st.
     If you call the Councilors and can only reach their Assistant, please leave your name and message with them and ask them to give your message to the City Councilors.

Up Date:
     Mar. 2nd - Our USA PATRIOT Act Resolution was presented to the City Council. The Council voted to refer the resolution to the Raleigh Human Relations Commission for review. The HRC was directed to review the resolution and to return a recommendation to the Council within 30-60 days.
      The HRC established a Patriot Act subcommittee to review the resolution.  On behalf of the Coalition, Wake Co. ACLU representatives have attended HRC meetings and their subcommittee meetings to provide information, and to answer and clarify their questions.

     May 4th - the HRC appeared before the City Council to present a progress report, to request clarifications of what the Council wanted them to do, and asked for a 15-30 day extension. The Council granted the extension.

     May 25th - The HRC subcommittee concluded their review last Wed., May 19th,  and will present their recommendation to the full HRC for approval tomorrow night at a Special Meeting called for tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 25th at 6:00. Briefly, the subcommittee voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the Coalition's resolution with certain revisions to the "Resolved" Sections.
     The revisions seemed to focus on clarifying language. If the Council adopts the resolution as revised, it may still address key concerns of the Coalition and those in the NC Academy of Trial Lawyers' Resolution.
     Wake Co. ACLU representatives will attend the HRC meeting to observe on behalf of the Coalition. We will report the outcome that's approved for presentation to the City Council on June 1st, this week if possible. Stay tuned and urge the Councilors to adopt the resolution!

Please forward this alert to your members, staff, friends, and colleagues. Thank you!