Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The NY State Senate Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of
Reactionary Terror Laws
________________________________________
The NY State Senate Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of
Reactionary Terror Laws
By Sarah Lazare [1], Adam Johnson [2] / AlterNet [3]
June 27, 2016
It has been two weeks since 49 people were murdered at the Orlando LGBTQ
Pulse club's Latin night, and lawmakers at the state and federal level have
already seized on public fear of "terrorists" to advance a spate [4] of
reactionary bills that expand police powers and erode civil rights. Perhaps
the most draconian of them all is the proposed New York State Terrorist
Registry Act [5] modeled after controversial [6] sex offender registry
legislation.
Under the provision, which has so far passed the NY state Senate but not the
assembly, the list will collect photographs, fingerprints, employment
information and even DNA analysis of so-called terrorists. Unlike with sex
offender watch lists, all of this information will be available to the
public, according to lawmakers.
Republican New York State Senator Thomas D. Croci directly invoked the
Orlando massacre to accelerate the proposal, which looks alarmingly similar
to Donald Trump's outrageous call [7] for a Muslim registry. "The
deterioration of the security situation overseas and the growing number of
attacks at home, including the barbaric attack this week in Orlando," said
Croci on June 15, "it is clear we are under attack."
Who exactly would be publicly "outed" in this registry? Croci's office was
unable to provide a clear answer. AlterNet had numerous back-and-forth
conversations with Croci's spokesperson, Christine A. Geed, who first said
that only "convicted terrorists" would be included on the list but later
proclaimed the following over the phone: "This is giving law enforcement the
opportunity to say that a person might not have been convicted of a crime
but all the earmarks of this person having allegiance to ISIS are there so
you probably want to watch. This is not necessarily for people being
convicted, if there is information and documentation that associates them
with a terrorist act. I am just assuming those are the type of people they
would be looking for."
According to the text of the proposed legislation, a "terrorist" would mean
anyone who is "convicted of a terrorist offense" and/or has "engaged in a
verifiable act of terrorism." However, this category would include anyone
who is designated by the Departments of Homeland Security, State, Justice
Defense, CIA and/or the office of the director of national intelligence as
"a person who has committed a terrorist act against the United States or any
of its citizens."
The New York Civil Liberties Union explained in a one-pager, "The
legislation relies in large part upon overbroad definitions of terrorism
that persist in state and federal law, and are most often reflected in
lower-level 'crimes of terrorism.'"
"This definition of 'terrorist' can capture individuals who 'provide support
for terrorism,' however unwitting or however attenuated," the organization
continued. "This can include such scenarios as giving a ride to a friend, or
providing lodging for a family member, either of whom is even loosely
affiliated with an organization labeled as terrorist or with that
organization's members; or contributing to educational/community service
activities of an organization associated with terrorism on some entirely
separate basis, even without knowledge of the association."
This terrorist watch list is being aggressively advanced even as numerous
questions remain about the mass killing perpetrated by Omar Mateen,
including [8] whether the FBI itself helped shape the killer's mindset by
dispatching an informant to attempt to lure him into a terror plot. The
heads of the CIA and FBI both say there is no evidence that Mateen has
material connections to terrorist groups outside of the United States, and
authorities continue to withhold [9] the full transcripts detailing the
shooter's communications with law enforcement and emergency dispatchers.
A narrative of a foreign terrorist threat has emerged, with comparatively
little examination of homegrown homophobia and mass shooting violence.
Lawmakers across the spectrum are now exploiting this climate to advance
extreme legislation. Indeed, Croci's statement to the press reads like a
pitch for TV time rather than someone genuinely concerned with keeping
people safe.
The press release is full of baseless fear mongering:
There is a real threat that ISIS is imposing and they are now strategically
activating Americans to commit heinous acts of terrorism, such as the Boston
bombing and the recent terrorist attack in Garland, Texas. Although they
will face jail time, these domestic terrorists face no deportation could
eventually return to the streets to strike again.
The Garland attackers were American. Where, one might ask, does Sen. Croci
presume we "deport" them? Also, in the two examples he lists, the
perpetrators are either dead or have been sentenced to death. As is common
with legislation proposed after a collective national trauma the law itself
wouldn't have even applied to the case in question-the devastating attack in
Orlando-or any of the examples Croci cites. It's anti-terror law for
anti-terror laws sake.
In a follow up email, AlterNet asked Croci's staff to cite one example of a
terror attack the bill would have prevented. They did not respond.
Another other major concern worrying civil libertarians is the provision
that allows for Americans to be put on the registry for terror convictions
in other countries. In response to this concern Croci's office insisted that
"the Division of Criminal Justice Services would make determinations
regarding which foreign offenses are consistent with the applicable state
and federal terrorism laws." Given the opaque and due-process free nature of
many foreign jurisdiction-especially on the issue of "terrorism" which has a
broad and oft-abused definition-it's unclear how this would affect civil
liberties stateside.
While the terrorist registry has not yet passed into law, the fact that it
has advanced at all is alarming Muslim-American communities, which are
already weathering a spike [10] in Islamophobic hate crimes. Darakshan Raja,
founder of the Muslim American Women's Policy Forum, told AlterNet that if
the bill were to pass, people included on the registry would face
"employment, housing, and other forms of discrimination, virtually leaving
you in internment." Raja added, "Muslims are seeing one of the worst
policies I have seen for a while post Orlando."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [11].
Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst at FAIR. Follow him on Twitter
@AdamJohnsonNYC.
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [12]
[13]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/ny-state-senate-just-passed-bill-re
ads-parody-reactionary-terror-laws
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://www.alternet.org/authors/adam-johnson-0
[3] http://alternet.org
[4]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/draconian-fbi-spying-bill-came-with
in-hairs-breadth-passing-senate
[5] https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/S3464/amendment/C
[6]
http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/girlfriend-experience-wrong-se
x-work
[7]
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/20/donald-trump-says-hed
-absolutely-require-muslims-to-register/?_r=0
[8]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/omar-mateen-committed-mass-murder-f
bi-tried-lure-him-terror-plot
[9]
https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/06/20/discrepancies-between-past-versions-of
-mateens-calls-and-the-transcript/
[10]
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hate-attacks-muslims-u-s-spike-after-rec
ent-acts-terrorism-n482456
[11] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[12] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The NY State Senate
Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of Reactionary Terror Laws
[13] http://www.alternet.org/
[14] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > The NY State Senate Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of
Reactionary Terror Laws
The NY State Senate Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of
Reactionary Terror Laws
By Sarah Lazare [1], Adam Johnson [2] / AlterNet [3]
June 27, 2016
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Google+More
AddThis Share optionsShare to Email
It has been two weeks since 49 people were murdered at the Orlando LGBTQ
Pulse club's Latin night, and lawmakers at the state and federal level have
already seized on public fear of "terrorists" to advance a spate [4] of
reactionary bills that expand police powers and erode civil rights. Perhaps
the most draconian of them all is the proposed New York State Terrorist
Registry Act [5] modeled after controversial [6] sex offender registry
legislation.
Under the provision, which has so far passed the NY state Senate but not the
assembly, the list will collect photographs, fingerprints, employment
information and even DNA analysis of so-called terrorists. Unlike with sex
offender watch lists, all of this information will be available to the
public, according to lawmakers.
Republican New York State Senator Thomas D. Croci directly invoked the
Orlando massacre to accelerate the proposal, which looks alarmingly similar
to Donald Trump's outrageous call [7] for a Muslim registry. "The
deterioration of the security situation overseas and the growing number of
attacks at home, including the barbaric attack this week in Orlando," said
Croci on June 15, "it is clear we are under attack."
Who exactly would be publicly "outed" in this registry? Croci's office was
unable to provide a clear answer. AlterNet had numerous back-and-forth
conversations with Croci's spokesperson, Christine A. Geed, who first said
that only "convicted terrorists" would be included on the list but later
proclaimed the following over the phone: "This is giving law enforcement the
opportunity to say that a person might not have been convicted of a crime
but all the earmarks of this person having allegiance to ISIS are there so
you probably want to watch. This is not necessarily for people being
convicted, if there is information and documentation that associates them
with a terrorist act. I am just assuming those are the type of people they
would be looking for."
According to the text of the proposed legislation, a "terrorist" would mean
anyone who is "convicted of a terrorist offense" and/or has "engaged in a
verifiable act of terrorism." However, this category would include anyone
who is designated by the Departments of Homeland Security, State, Justice
Defense, CIA and/or the office of the director of national intelligence as
"a person who has committed a terrorist act against the United States or any
of its citizens."
The New York Civil Liberties Union explained in a one-pager, "The
legislation relies in large part upon overbroad definitions of terrorism
that persist in state and federal law, and are most often reflected in
lower-level 'crimes of terrorism.'"
"This definition of 'terrorist' can capture individuals who 'provide support
for terrorism,' however unwitting or however attenuated," the organization
continued. "This can include such scenarios as giving a ride to a friend, or
providing lodging for a family member, either of whom is even loosely
affiliated with an organization labeled as terrorist or with that
organization's members; or contributing to educational/community service
activities of an organization associated with terrorism on some entirely
separate basis, even without knowledge of the association."
This terrorist watch list is being aggressively advanced even as numerous
questions remain about the mass killing perpetrated by Omar Mateen,
including [8] whether the FBI itself helped shape the killer's mindset by
dispatching an informant to attempt to lure him into a terror plot. The
heads of the CIA and FBI both say there is no evidence that Mateen has
material connections to terrorist groups outside of the United States, and
authorities continue to withhold [9] the full transcripts detailing the
shooter's communications with law enforcement and emergency dispatchers.
A narrative of a foreign terrorist threat has emerged, with comparatively
little examination of homegrown homophobia and mass shooting violence.
Lawmakers across the spectrum are now exploiting this climate to advance
extreme legislation. Indeed, Croci's statement to the press reads like a
pitch for TV time rather than someone genuinely concerned with keeping
people safe.
The press release is full of baseless fear mongering:
There is a real threat that ISIS is imposing and they are now strategically
activating Americans to commit heinous acts of terrorism, such as the Boston
bombing and the recent terrorist attack in Garland, Texas. Although they
will face jail time, these domestic terrorists face no deportation could
eventually return to the streets to strike again.
The Garland attackers were American. Where, one might ask, does Sen. Croci
presume we "deport" them? Also, in the two examples he lists, the
perpetrators are either dead or have been sentenced to death. As is common
with legislation proposed after a collective national trauma the law itself
wouldn't have even applied to the case in question-the devastating attack in
Orlando-or any of the examples Croci cites. It's anti-terror law for
anti-terror laws sake.
In a follow up email, AlterNet asked Croci's staff to cite one example of a
terror attack the bill would have prevented. They did not respond.
Another other major concern worrying civil libertarians is the provision
that allows for Americans to be put on the registry for terror convictions
in other countries. In response to this concern Croci's office insisted that
"the Division of Criminal Justice Services would make determinations
regarding which foreign offenses are consistent with the applicable state
and federal terrorism laws." Given the opaque and due-process free nature of
many foreign jurisdiction-especially on the issue of "terrorism" which has a
broad and oft-abused definition-it's unclear how this would affect civil
liberties stateside.
While the terrorist registry has not yet passed into law, the fact that it
has advanced at all is alarming Muslim-American communities, which are
already weathering a spike [10] in Islamophobic hate crimes. Darakshan Raja,
founder of the Muslim American Women's Policy Forum, told AlterNet that if
the bill were to pass, people included on the registry would face
"employment, housing, and other forms of discrimination, virtually leaving
you in internment." Raja added, "Muslims are seeing one of the worst
policies I have seen for a while post Orlando."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [11].
Adam Johnson is a contributing analyst at FAIR. Follow him on Twitter
@AdamJohnsonNYC.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [12]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[13]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/ny-state-senate-just-passed-bill-re
ads-parody-reactionary-terror-laws
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://www.alternet.org/authors/adam-johnson-0
[3] http://alternet.org
[4]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/draconian-fbi-spying-bill-came-with
in-hairs-breadth-passing-senate
[5] https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2015/S3464/amendment/C
[6]
http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/girlfriend-experience-wrong-se
x-work
[7]
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/20/donald-trump-says-hed
-absolutely-require-muslims-to-register/?_r=0
[8]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/omar-mateen-committed-mass-murder-f
bi-tried-lure-him-terror-plot
[9]
https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/06/20/discrepancies-between-past-versions-of
-mateens-calls-and-the-transcript/
[10]
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hate-attacks-muslims-u-s-spike-after-rec
ent-acts-terrorism-n482456
[11] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[12] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on The NY State Senate
Just Passed a Bill That Reads Like a Parody of Reactionary Terror Laws
[13] http://www.alternet.org/
[14] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
