Monthly Archives: December 2010

Dear Council Members: stop the bag searches

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

BP of Arlington, VA shared this letter with us, which he sent to the Riders Advisory Council (RAC; email address is raccomments@wmata.com) and the Metro Board (via a customer comment form): Dear Council Members, I live in Arlington, VA and … Continue reading →

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Talking points against the random bag searches

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

There will be a WMATA/Metro Riders Advisory Council (RAC) meeting on Monday, January 3rd (6:30 pm at WMATA HQ – 600 5th Street, NW).  There will be a public comment time during which we can give reasons to oppose the … Continue reading →

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A look at online petitioners against the WMATA bag search policy

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

The Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition and the DC Civil Liberties Coalition have been promoting an online petition against WMATA’s random bag search policy; the URL is http://tinyurl.com/wmata-petition. The wording is simple: We the undersigned oppose random bag searches of … Continue reading →

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Petitioning against WMATA’s random bag search policy

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

I talk with a passerby (photo by permission) about the random bag searches.  He said he was undecided about them, but leaned more to supporting them.  (Photo by L. MacAulay) On Wednesday evening, more than a dozen activists — myself … Continue reading →

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How to flex your rights on the Metro

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

Tip #1: Calmly Refuse to Be Searched If you are randomly selected for a search, you have the right to refuse. When asked to submit, you may clearly and calmly say “Officer, I do not consent to any searches. I’m … Continue reading →

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Press release: Local Civil Liberties Activists Oppose Metro Bag Search Program

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:  Pat Elder, 202-210-3467 patrickelder@verizon.net or Sue Udry, 301-325-1201 or sue.udry@defendingdissent.org = = = Silver Spring, MD  – The DC Bill of Rights Coalition and the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition launched an online petition campaign today … Continue reading →

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Organizing meeting Wednesday, 7pm, McGinty’s in Silver Spring

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

We’ll be meeting on Wednesday, December 15 at 7pm at McGinty’s, a pub on 911 Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring (map). There’s a parking garage on Wayne Avenue where the gates are open after 8pm, so cars parked there at … Continue reading →

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Protecting civil liberties at home

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Thomas Nephew

This is the first blog post in what my friends and I hope will be an active hub of information, conversation, and organizing about protecting civil rights and civil liberties where we live — Montgomery County, Maryland. We want individuals … Continue reading →

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