tangent4ronpaul
07-30-2010, 06:22 PM
Dear ACLU Supporter,
Potentially, the agency is mapping your community by its racial and ethnic makeup and tracking ethnic-oriented businesses, behaviors and cultural traditions.
We intend to find out what they’ve been up to. That’s why this week the ACLU of Maryland, along with thirty-two ACLU affiliates across the nation, are submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to demand information from the FBI about what data it is collecting about communities across the country and what it is doing with this information.
Write to your members of Congress to demand they find out what racial and ethnic demographic information the FBI is collecting in your neighborhood.
We have real reasons to be concerned about race-based snooping in our communities. Internal FBI guidelines called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG) were published in December 2008 and made public a few months ago. The DIOG claims to authorize FBI field offices to conduct “domain assessment” investigations in which FBI agents can collect, analyze and map racial and ethnic demographic information, including the location of ethnically-oriented businesses, particular racial and ethnic behaviors, cultural traditions, and lifestyle characteristics, in local communities.
Although some racial and ethnic data collection by some agencies might be helpful in lessening discrimination, the FBI’s attempt to collect and map demographic data using race-based criteria to target entire communities for criminal enforcement and domestic intelligence purposes is inconsistent with American values and raises serious civil liberties concerns.
That’s why we need your help. In addition to the ACLU’s FOIA requests, we’re calling on members of Congress. Ask your members of Congress to find out what the FBI is doing in your neighborhood.
The public deserves to know about a race-based law enforcement program with such troubling implications for civil rights and civil liberties. Please take action today.
Thank you for standing with us.
Susan Goering Signature
Susan Goering
Executive Director
ACLU of Maryland
Potentially, the agency is mapping your community by its racial and ethnic makeup and tracking ethnic-oriented businesses, behaviors and cultural traditions.
We intend to find out what they’ve been up to. That’s why this week the ACLU of Maryland, along with thirty-two ACLU affiliates across the nation, are submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to demand information from the FBI about what data it is collecting about communities across the country and what it is doing with this information.
Write to your members of Congress to demand they find out what racial and ethnic demographic information the FBI is collecting in your neighborhood.
We have real reasons to be concerned about race-based snooping in our communities. Internal FBI guidelines called the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG) were published in December 2008 and made public a few months ago. The DIOG claims to authorize FBI field offices to conduct “domain assessment” investigations in which FBI agents can collect, analyze and map racial and ethnic demographic information, including the location of ethnically-oriented businesses, particular racial and ethnic behaviors, cultural traditions, and lifestyle characteristics, in local communities.
Although some racial and ethnic data collection by some agencies might be helpful in lessening discrimination, the FBI’s attempt to collect and map demographic data using race-based criteria to target entire communities for criminal enforcement and domestic intelligence purposes is inconsistent with American values and raises serious civil liberties concerns.
That’s why we need your help. In addition to the ACLU’s FOIA requests, we’re calling on members of Congress. Ask your members of Congress to find out what the FBI is doing in your neighborhood.
The public deserves to know about a race-based law enforcement program with such troubling implications for civil rights and civil liberties. Please take action today.
Thank you for standing with us.
Susan Goering Signature
Susan Goering
Executive Director
ACLU of Maryland