Model

Resolution for Defending for Rights and Dissent

Resolution in response to scapegoating and demonizing of certain groups by national politicians,
affirming that all people are welcome, and the principles of the Bill of Rights will be defended in [the
City of ];
Whereas, national politicians have called for the surveillance of individuals because of their religion,
including calling for a registry of Muslims, the monitoring of mosques, and the barring Muslim visitors
to the United States;
Whereas, such proposals violate the First Amendments guarantee of freedom of religion, the Fourth
Amendments prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fifth and Fourteenth
Amendments guarantees of equal protection under the law;
Whereas, some national politicians have called for the re-creation of the House Un-Americans Activity
Committee or similar body tasked with the monitoring of peoples religious and political views;
Whereas, such policing of religious and political views is contrary to the First Amendments guarantee
of freedoms of religion, expression and association;
Whereas, national politicians have demonized individuals because of their national origin in order to
justify the deportation of millions of immigrants and block asylum for refugees fleeing war, terrorism,
and other humanitarian crises;
Whereas in recent years movements for racial justice have called attention to the problems of
discriminatory policing in the United States;
Whereas instead of heeding these calls for justice some national politicians have called for a doubling
down on discredited law enforcement practices that have a disparate impact on people of color, and
have even used racial stereotypes and outright falsehoods to justify doing so;
Whereas discriminatory policing violates the Fourth Amendments prohibitions on unreasonable
search and seizures and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee of Equal Protection under
the law;

Whereas the Bill of Rights is a promise to all people that their rights will be safeguarded;
Whereas at various point throughout our history whole swaths of people have been systematically
excluded from the Bill of Rights;
Whereas movements for civil liberties and civil rights have by expanding the protections of the Bill of
Rights to all people have helped us come closer to realizing the promise the of the Bill of Rights;

BE IT RESOLVED:
That all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation,
or immigration status are welcome in [the City of ];
Robust political expression is recognized as vital to a healthy democracy [the City of ];
Law enforcement and intelligence agency practices, or national security measures that discriminate
on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, or
immigration status or target individuals for exercising First Amendment rights violate the First,
Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments and are antithetical to the values of [the City of ];
[the City of ] urges that local law enforcement

Refrain from enforcing federal immigration laws

Refrain from monitoring individuals, because of their religious views or surveilling houses of
worship, absent reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or is likely to be
committed.

Refrain from monitoring individuals, because of their political expression or surveilling

political expression or political organizations, absent reasonable suspicion that a crime has
been committed or is likely to be committed

Refrain from stopping individuals for investigation or investigating individuals, because of

their perceived race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or
immigration status, unless there is reasonable suspicion, relevant to the locality and
timeframe, that links a person with a particular characteristic described in this subsection to a
crime that has been committed or is likely to be committed

[the City of ] is committed to fulfilling the promise of the Bill of Rights for all people regardless of race,
religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, or immigration status.