Today (Thursday) the City Council could become the first municipal government in Texas to pass a resolution condemning the USA PATRIOT Act. Sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Jackie Goodman and council members Raul Alvarez and Danny Thomas, and supported by a broad local coalition called the Austin Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the resolution is similar to those passed in three U.S. states and at least 165 communities nationwide against PATRIOT, hastily passed in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The resolution has raised some of the same questions that came up when the council resolved in February against war in Iraq: How much of a direct, measurable impact do the federal government’s actions have on Austin’s policies — and pockets? And should the council chime in on decisions made at the federal level?

The PATRIOT Act grants the feds a broad range of powers, including the right to search people’s homes without a warrant and their private records without notification and the ability to force libraries and bookstores to cooperate with their investigations. The backlash against the act has mobilized both liberals and conservatives. The national Bill of Rights Defense Committee, of which ABORDC is an affiliate, will hold its first national conference in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18-19. (For more info, visit www.bordc.org.) Yet despite Austin’s progressive proclivities — or pretensions — today’s vote is expected to be close.

Without a written draft to work with, or up-to-date information about how much the city has spent on PATRIOT-oriented public-safety measures, some council members — including Mayor Will Wynn — have expressed discomfort with signing off on the resolution. Sources tell Naked City that the mayor’s office has met with ABORDC coordinator Mac McKaskle and other group representatives, and has personal concerns about the PATRIOT Act, but also worries that taking positions on such issues involves the council in polemical arguments. Wynn hoped a detailed briefing on the PATRIOT Act’s impact on the city coffers and culture would take place before a resolution came before council and, as Arellano says, remains “really interested” in such a discussion, but no briefing item appears on the council’s agenda.

This article appears in August 8 • 2003.

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