| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 12/29/2009 3:05:50 PM Home School Legal Defense Association ILLINOIS--Urgent Action Needed to Stop Salem Daytime Curfew |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Your help is urgently needed to block an effort in the town of Salem, Illinois, to pass an ordinance that would make it a crime for young people to be in a public place during public school hours. This ordinance had its first reading on December 21. When the city council meets this coming Monday, January 4, it is possible that they will take final action and adopt the measure. Daytime curfews do not accomplish what the proponents claim. They have a disproportionate impact on homeschool families because we allow our children free time while public schools are in session. Homeschoolers have been harassed and made fearful by policemen who treat them like suspected criminals for doing nothing more than being in public. ACTION REQUESTED If you live in or frequent Salem, please stand up for freedom by attending the meeting on Monday and express your opposition to the daytime curfew during the "citizen participation" section of the meeting. The meeting will be held at Salem City Hall Council Chambers at 101 South Broadway Salem, IL 62881 at 6:00 PM. Please contact other families and ask them to come to the meeting, as well! BACKGROUND: 1. Daytime curfews do not deter juvenile crime. A recent California study compared the juvenile crime rates of counties that enforced curfew ordinances and counties that did not. The crime rates were the same. The curfews had no effect on juvenile crime. 2. Daytime curfews allow searches without probable cause. The Fourth Amendment forbids any investigation of a citizen without a "probable cause." The proposed ordinance allows policemen to stop and interrogate a person merely because he looks young enough to be violating the curfew. It is an invitation to harass homeschool families. 3. Daytime curfews assume a person is guilty until proven innocent. In several incidents where homeschool students were stopped by police, they had done nothing to arouse suspicion. There was no evidence they had committed a crime or intended to. Nonetheless, the police interrogated them and treated them like criminals until they had proved their innocence. 4. The ordinance allows some exceptions. Unfortunately, the only way for a policeman to determine if an exception applies is to stop and interrogate the frightened young person. By then the damage has already been done. The child may be afraid to go outdoors again. The right to homeschool includes the right to be free from fear--especially for young people, who are most vulnerable to feelings of fear. Thank you for standing with us for freedom. Sincerely, Darren Jones HSLDA Staff Attorney To read the proposed ordinance go to http://hslda.org/hs/state/IL/20091229_SalemCurfew.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can get a little latte or a lotta legal. With our new payment options, you can join HSLDA for as little as $10/month, less than the price of a cup of coffee a week. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1109 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
