DENVER -- A former senator, a nationally known comedian, several high-profile
Native American activists and anti-violence groups are among those who might have
been swept up in inappropriate police intelligence gathering, the American Civil
Liberties Union said.
The ACLU has submitted a list of 456 individuals and 70 groups to the Denver
City Attorney's Office, seeking confirmation that the names are included in police
department files that were illegally collected.
The list includes former South Dakota Sen. James Abourezk, who once headed
the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; entertainer George Carlin; Wilma Mankiller,
who was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in
1998 for her work as the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma; and
historian Vine Deloria, who wrote, "Custer Died for Your Sins."
Carlin, Mankiller and Deloria once served on the board of directors of the
now-defunct Anti-Defamation League of American Indians, one of the organizations
on the ACLU's list.
Other groups included the Iliff School of Theology, the Million Moms March,
the anti-gun Bell Campaign, the Prisoner's Rights Project and the Colorado Coalition
Against the Death Penalty.
"I have very strong feelings about this. It's outrageous," said Abourezk, who
was first made aware of his possible connection to the files Friday. "The one
thing we want to prevent in America is the creation of a police state where they've
got dossiers on people who dissent. . . . George Bush wants to go to war with
Iraq for this (type of activity). We may have to invade the Denver Police Department."
The ACLU's request is part of ongoing litigation stemming from the spy file
controversy, which started earlier this year when activists learned that Denver
police were gathering information on peaceful protesters and political activists.
The mayor ordered an end to the practice, saying it amounted to a civil rights
violation, and appointed a panel to determine which files should not have been
kept.
Those files, more than 3,000 in all, are being made available to individuals
listed in them.
A second batch of files was recently discovered at the police department.
The city is working on making those available for review.
The ACLU's list was made public this week when the city attached the names
to a motion filed in federal court.
The motion argues that the plaintiffs' lawyers have asked the city too many
"burdensome" questions about the names on the list and asks a federal judge to
rule that the city need not answer them.
ACLU legal director Mark Silverstein said he could not comment on why his organization
believes the individuals might be included in the spy files.
The city has turned over information from its database to the ACLU as part
of discovery in the lawsuit, but a judge has prohibited either side from discussing
the details.
The city attorney's office did not return phone calls seeking comment.
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