Bob's "mug" shot from the Freedom Rides in 1961
Congressman Filner has been active in the struggle
for civil rights since his teenage years. In
1961, he joined the first Freedom Rides to
desegregate transportation facilities in our
southern states--and was arrested and imprisoned for
several months in Mississippi. He has
consistently fought to uphold civil and human rights
for every person in the United States and throughout
the world.
Bob is
working to ensure that American efforts to confront
terrorism are conducted in strict accordance with
our national commitment to international law and
human rights standards. Bob believes that the
USA PATRIOT Act was an overly hasty response to the
events of September 11, 2001 and dangerously
infringes on the civil liberties guaranteed by our
Constitution--it does not make us safer. He was one
of the few who voted against the USA PATRIOT
Act when it was first introduced, and he voted
against its reauthorization in 2005. Bob feels
that the USA PATRIOT Act should be repealed!
In the 109th Congress, Congressman Filner introduced
the
Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act . This
legislation would establish an Unsolved Crimes
section within the Civil Rights Division of the
Justice Department. The section’s mandate would be
to investigate and prosecute crimes that resulted in
the deaths of activists from the Civil Right era. He
will introduce this bill again in the 110th
Congress, and will continue to fight for justice.
In July
2006, Congress voted to reauthorized the 1965 Voting
Rights Act--one of the most effective and crucial
civil rights laws ever enacted. The Voting
Rights Act was a result of thousands of marches,
sit-ins, boycotts, and freedom rides in the 1960s.
At a high cost, Americans of all backgrounds fought
hard to ensure that the most basic fundamental right
of all Americans was secured.
The National Education Association presented
Congressman Filner with the prestigious NEA Martin
Luther King, Jr. Memorial Award, which recognizes
his lifetime commitment to human and civil rights,
and to providing quality education for all students in
the nation.
BOB'S
STATEMENTS ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS!
Reauthorization
of the Voting Rights Act - July 13, 2006
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