Boston Rally Protesting Patriot Act Features Local Bookseller

On Tuesday, September 9, an estimated 1,200 to 2,000 people gathered outside Boston's Faneuil Hall to voice their concerns about the USA Patriot Act. The gathering was in response to Attorney General John Ashcroft's stop in Boston during his nationwide tour to drum up support for the controversial act, which allows delayed notification of the execution of search warrants and authorizes no-knock searches of private residences, either physically or electronically.

"Demonstrations like the one in Boston are very important," said Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE). "They are strengthening the position of Congressman Sanders, Senator Russell Feingold, and other members of Congress who are working hard to amend the Patriot Act and restore the protections for bookstore and library privacy."

In March 2003, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced in The Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) to remove a threat created by the USA Patriot Act to the privacy of bookstore and library records. (For more on H.R. 1157, click here.)

The assembly outside Faneuil Hall was part of a rally organized by the ACLU. A press conference was also held with a panel of speakers who addressed concerns about the Patriot Act and civil liberties. Among the speakers were Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director with Amnesty International USA; Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA); and Frank Kramer, owner of Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Kramer told the crowd, "I am here to speak on behalf of booksellers and librarians across the nation who are outraged at this assault on our most fundamental civil liberties." He then explained how the Patriot Act affects bookstore customers' and library patrons' right to privacy. "Led by the American Booksellers Association and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, booksellers are playing a key role in the campaign to restore the protections for the privacy of bookstore and library patrons," he said, and urged the crowd to action.

"I was delighted by the number of people who were there," said Kramer, who noted that having a bookseller at the rally helped put the potential effects of the Patriot Act into context. He also added that the audience was "fairly well aware of the issues, and I just urged them to take action by calling their senators and congressmen. Eight of nine congressional districts in Massachusetts have already gone on record in favor of Bernie Sanders' bill. I urged people to call their friends.

"Frankly, I'm very glad I took a stand," Kramer told BTW. "I'd not spoken at a rally ever before, and I feel so strongly about this. I'm glad I did it."--Karen Schechner