In a February 27th USA Today
article, the often discussed topic of our first amendment rights being
challenged is brought to light once again.
The article addresses the circumstances of the United States White House
giving 135 million dollars in grant money to New York’s HIDTA program (High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program).
However, this program with essentially good intentions of fighting drug
gangs and their supply routes, has not received the entirety of that
money. Recently uncovered documents have
shown that some of this money has been funneled into an undercover operation by
the NYPD to profile Muslims in their neighborhoods, schools, and churches.
This
article is a very interesting read because of the issues that can potentially
arise from racial profiling and religious persecution. Such profiling seems to come into direct
conflict with our first amendment rights and our right to religious freedom and
our right to peacefully assemble. While
the article does not address any specific crimes or persons that have been
prosecuted, it does show clear intent by the NYPD and the United States
government to “bend the rules” in order to maintain safety. But does that safety come at a cost of our
civil liberties? The article’s relevance
to me is because I have, and still do champion the efforts of our fore-fathers
and the freedoms and liberties that we have.
Little by little, our liberties that some of us take for granted are
being slowly stripped away from us.