“I Took part in a protest on 2/2/13 called TSA out of MBTA Day of Action. We came to raise awareness of the TSA being used to conduct searches in the subways of our city. I, as the rest of the people you will see, believe this is a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution. We Hope you will take the time to hear our message, and pass it to your friends and family who love their freedom.” – Sean Typhon
All photos credited to Dan Schneider.
Speaking from the Tamarleigh Grenfell gives a speech denouncing the introduction of TSA searches on the MBTA. (Photo: Dan Schneider)
-Joe Ramsay via The Boston Occupier
While hundreds ice skated just across the Boston Common, around eighty people converged on the Common bandstand in the freezing cold on Saturday, February 2, to declare their opposition to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) searches on the MBTA.
The “TSA out of the MBTA” protest emerged rather organically, starting from a single angry Facebook post about an individual TSA search, growing into a Facebook event with over two hundred “attendees,” and culminating with an afternoon march and rally, which featured groups converging on Park Street from across the city. The convergence marches were, as organizer Tamarleigh Grenfell put it, “like the fingers of a hand,” coming together downtown from each subway line—red, orange, and green— to form a fist.
TSA OUT OF MBTA. NO FEDS IN BOSTON’S SUBWAYS! Generating a $%@* storm of media. MBTA Spokesperson answers on our power of the people protest. Although there has not been an actual attack in this country, mass transit still remains a possible target for terrorists,” MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. Courts have upheld the use of inspections in Boston and New York City, Pesaturo said, adding there have been few complaints about the inspections.
http://blip.tv/mikecann/tsa-out-of-mbta-1-2-2013-cambridge-to-boston-common-6520874
This letter is via TakingSenseAway, written by Defend the 4th organizer Tamarleigh G.
As local Bostonians we are determined to bring an end to the warrantless searches the TSA conducts on the MBTA. This policy flagrantly infringes upon our civil liberties and is in direct violation of both Article XIV of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. As long as the governor, the mayor, and the representatives of the Commonwealth permit the enforcement of this reprehensible policy, they are in direct contradiction of the constitutions they swore to uphold. We demand that every TSA checkpoint in the MBTA be discontinued at once.Taxpayer dollars have been ill-spent in the investment of this program. Maintaining these checkpoints in our transit system not only creates a hostile environment for tourists as well as locals, but also illuminates how, in this great time of need, our representatives are increasingly out of touch with the people, as demonstrated by their misguided actions. The desire and/or need to use public transportation does not constitute a search warrant in the slightest. All citizens are completely in their right to refuse any search without a warrant. We call upon everyone to pressure the state government to remove these TSA checkpoints immediately and insist that our representatives make more appropriate use of our money.
Route Leaders / Twitter Feeds
Red – Harvard : Tamarleigh Grenfell / @TSAoutofMBTARH
Orange – Ruggles : Nizzie Bean / @TSAoutofMBTAOR
Green – Lechmere : Joshua “Chance” Scafidi / @TSAoutofMBTAGL
Green – Kenmore : Frank Capone / @TSAoutofMBTAGK
Red – South Station : Garret Kirkland / @TSAoutofMBTARS
Defend the 4th, an offshoot collation of Occupy Boston, plan to stage a protest against random bag checks on the T in February.
A pro-4th Amendment coalition with roots in the Occupy movement will stage a protest of random bag inspections at T platforms around the city this weekend, including Kenmore and Ruggles stations.
Defend the 4th, a self-proclaimed “group of individuals from a broad array of political/social leanings and organizations,” plans to demonstrate across Boston Feb. 2, according to an email to Patch from coalition spokesman Garret Kirkland.
January 30th, 2013
Random searches violate the Constitution specifically. Probable cause or a warrant should be required before a government official demands the authority to search a citizen. This process was chosen, not just because it protects rights, but because it is the most effective way to actually catch criminals. It’s more productive to search the bag of someone engaging in criminal behavior than it is to waste time and energy looking through everyone’s items.
When the Minnesota Vikings faced off against the Green Bay Packers last weekend in Minneapolis, the big story wasn’t that the Vikings defeated the Pack to secure a wildcard berth.
It was, strangely, the TSA.
That’s right, the agency assigned to protect America’s transportation systems was patrolling the Metrodome. Nathan Hansen, a North St. Paul, Minn., attorney, snapped a few photos of the agents before the game, and broadcast them on Twitter.
Defend the 4th Amendment 