nyclu
'Virtual Jihadi' lawsuit settled
Our civil rights case against the City of Troy and former Public Works Commissioner Robert Mirch for shutting down Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal's "Virtual Jihadi" anti-war installation in 2008 has been settled. Details will be issued shortly in a joint press release with the City of Troy.
The lawsuit, brought on our behalf by the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Albany law firm of O'Connell and Aronowitz, was three days from a trial by jury in Federal court.
Hudson Mohawk Indymedia produced a definitive account of the whirlwind of events surrounding Wafaa Bilal's controversial art exhibit:
"Art ≠ Terrorism" goes beyond the sound bites to find out what happened when an Iraqi artist came to Troy, NY only to be censored--not once, but twice.
First, Wafaa Bilal's exhibit was shuttered by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after his anti-war artwork was attacked by Campus Republicans.
When the work was given refuge by The Sanctuary for Independent Media, the City of Troy responded by closing us down. A massive outpouring of community support enabled us to re-open six weeks later.
"Taking Liberties" w/ author Susan Herman, president of the ACLU
October 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the Patriot Act. In the days following 9/11, fear and shock dominated the public and domestic security issues rose to the top of our agenda. The state of emergency that began during the Bush administration has continued into the Obama administration. But how many of actions taken to keep Americans safe are effective and worthwhile? Are we, as Americans, giving up too much to employ many of the antiterrorism tactics in use?
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