Black, Arab, white say no to gov't repression
By Sharon Black
Baltimore
Community activists at a June 6 meeting here gave a
resounding "yes" to mobilizing for the June 29 Washington, D.C.
,protest against the FBI. The local meeting, organized by the
All Peoples Congress, was called to discuss civil rights for
Arab and Muslim people.
The APC has announced plans to become a mobilizing center
for the June 29 protest called by the International ANSWER
coalition and to bring buses filled with activists to D.C.
Dr. Hasan Jalisi spoke to the June 6 meeting. He is director
of Baltimore Muslim Community Support Services, which has
helped many of those falsely imprisoned after Sept. 11. Jalisi
gave a moving account of the plight of many of those he visited
in jail. He described prisoners forced to endure continuous
solitary confinement, daily body cavity searches and denial of
commissary items.
But perhaps the worst hardship these prisoners face is the
lack of information or any concrete charges. Prisoners are left
with the possibility of unending jail terms with no rights of
any sort.
Many of those in the audience were shocked and outraged by
this information. Mary Morant, a bus driver and member of the
Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, exclaimed, "We must do
something."
Mara Verheyden-Hillard and Carl Messineo, civil rights
attorneys from Washington, D.C., who represent the Partnership
for Civil Justice Legal Defense and Education Fund, reviewed
the "Patriot Act," the recent strengthening of the FBI and how
it all impacts on everyone.
Messineo explained that many elements of the "Patriot Act"
predated Sept. 11. He discussed how government repression has
been historically used and how the best antidote is struggle in
the streets.
Activists cheered as he discussed plans to oppose any new
Cointelpro by the FBI. Many in the audience had endured the
period when the Black Panther Party was under attack. The group
became even more determined to oppose government repression
after one of its victims, Yusuf Alim, took the floor. He had
heard about the meeting through a friend.
Alim is an African American carpenter and construction
worker who many years ago converted to Islam and adopted its
style of dress. He described to the audience a terrifying
experience he had with police in Ohio immediately after Sept.
11.
He had been traveling from Detroit to Baltimore with his
wife and children. When he left his car for evening prayer,
police helicopters swooped down. Police surrounded him and his
wife and children. All were taken to jail. None were charged
with any crime.
Alim then spent six weeks in jail for "looking
suspicious."
Reprinted from the June 20, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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