ACTION ALERT: Encourage Gov. Quinn to bar drone surveillance in Illinois!
FREEDOM FROM DRONE SURVEILLANCE The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago would like to invite you to join us in applauding the Illinois General Assembly for passing the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, Senate Bill 1587 early this month. In addition, we would also like to recognize and applaud the accomplishment of the Evanston City Council for becoming the third city in the nation to adopt a ban on the use of drones within its borders.
CAIR-Chicago believes that the deployment of drones for surveillance purposes within our state will change public life for all, especially for Muslim Americans who may fall victim to discriminatory targeting based on either institutional or individual prejudices and biases. It is also important to bear in mind the psychological and sociological effects on the public when knowing that they are put under a constant state of surveillance. There is already a growing fear around the nation that drone surveillance will move us into “a surveillance society” or "police state" in which the privacy of citizens is infringed upon.
ABOUT SENATE BILL 1587
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “Based on current trends—technology development, law enforcement interest, political and industry pressure, and the lack of legal safeguards—it is clear that drones pose a looming threat to Americans’ privacy.”
SEE: Full text of the "Senate Bill 1587."
The Government Affairs team at CAIR-Chicago is working on a legislative fact sheet related to the issue of Drone Surveillance in the State of Illinois that would hopefully influence other states, and ultimately, our nation's capital. SB 1587 was recently passed by both Houses with an overwhelming majority; however, the bill still needs to be signed by Governor Quinn. The Governor has not indicated whether he will sign the bill, therefore our team is directing efforts to connect with Gov. Quinn to gain his support for this bill.
TAKE ACTION!
Join us in connecting with Gov. Quinn to gain his support for this bill!
Please take two minutes to connect with Gov. Quinn’s office in regard of this bill, then call on your other family members and neighbors to do so as well. If you can also get this sent out to your organization contacts and/or social media would also be beneficial in notifying more community members about this legislation.
Here’s where you can contact Gov. Quinn:
Chicago office: 312-814-2121 Springfield office: 217-782-0244
Email Governor Quinn here!
Sample Call or Email Script:
"Hello, my name is ___________ and I am from ________ (city/town). As Governor Quinn’s constituent, I encourage the Governor to support the Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, Senate Bill 1587 which passed both houses in the Illinois General Assembly with an overwhelming majority.
The support that this bill has received so far shows that the people of Illinois highly endorse this policy. Needless to say, unwarranted drone surveillance is considered in violation of our granted constitutional rights under the 4th Amendment.
Governor Quinn, your action to sign SB 1587 would solidify your unyielding support and encouragement for Muslim Americans to be confident that they will not be subjected to unwarranted profiling and mistrust. In the end, we believe that you will make the right decision for the sake of all Illinoisans and our nation. Thank you."