Enhancing Oversight and Accountability
Most of us were in grade school while, in the years following 9/11, the United States government constructed and empowered a surveillance state that often acts unconstitutionally and with insufficient oversight. From our perspective, these fear-driven policies and institutions have imperiled Americans’ fundamental right to privacy and endangered the United States’ reputation internationally.
The United States should:
Repeal the PATRIOT Act and the Espionage Act, which erode collective privacy, civil liberties, and free speech.
Reform the classification and clearance systems, which are overburdened, inefficient, and naturally lead to widespread unaccountability.
Abolish cash bail, civil asset forfeiture, and private prisons--which profit from keeping human beings behind bars. Strengthen regulations by which predatory lending institutions can be prevented from inflicting abuse and held accountable when they do.
Subject all private government contractors to the Freedom of Information Act. If a private company is providing government services, it should be treated and regulated as an extension of the government.
Improve legal protections and reporting channels for whistleblowers, and provide independent due process.
Never torture anyone, US citizens or otherwise, including the use of solitary confinement.
Delineate between intelligence-gathering organizations and law enforcement organizations. Intelligence-gathering organizations should be prohibited from carrying out law enforcement activity.
End the Department of Defense 1033 and 1122 Programs, which allow state and local police forces across the country to acquire high-tech and dangerous military equipment from the Pentagon at little or no cost. These programs have triggered a significant increase in police violence and civilian deaths, particularly against vulnerable and racialized communities.
End the systemic FBI practice of entrapping American Muslims in aggressive sting operations that facilitate––and sometimes fabricate––the victim’s ability and willingness to act.
Require that the Pentagon pass an audit.