Dan Saltzman
Commissioner of Public Affairs, Position Number 3
(503) 823-4151
dan@portlandoregon.gov

Dear Commissioner Saltzman,

I am writing to you because I want you to vote NO on Portland rejoining the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).  I do not want to see any expansion of any FBI operations in the City of Portland that involve potential violations of our civil liberties.  I oppose the JTTF, because the FBI uses tactics that involve racial and religious profiling, targeting of peaceful activists and domestic spying, even when there is no evidence of wrongdoing. 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation discovered over 40,000 violations by the FBI of U.S. citizens' constitutional rights since 9/11/01. In September 2010, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice found the FBI to have consistently violated civil liberties by actively investigating peace groups, animal rights activists, Palestinian rights activists, environmental groups and anti-war protesters, without any evidence of crimes.

We are deeply concerned about the potential for abuse of power and harm to our community from the JTTF, the FBI, and any groups with a similar mandate.  We want Portland to have a democratic and inclusive legacy, which demands an engaged populace and representatives that are thinking critically about what is at stake and what will best serve the people of our community. 

We will not benefit from a relationship with the JTTF.  They want to deputize our police officers and make them accountable not to local laws and local agencies but to the FBI, a federal agency with its own agenda.  Not only do we lose oversight, but we also lose control of the agents whose wages our local tax dollars are still paying for.

I want City Council to vote NO on any agreement that reduces oversight and accountability of any government agency or law enforcement officer.  I want you to represent the best interests of the people of this community. 

Please VOTE NO on the JTTF! 

I know you will do the right thing, because I know that you value your position as a representative of the people of Portland.  If you do not value this privilege and responsibility and you vote yes, I pledge that I will campaign against you when you come up for re-election.

Sincerely,