Brief by Central Staff
Patriot Act – April 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
Some Colorado bookstores had gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition, but the petition at the Book Mine in Leadville had only one signature until the Denver Post ran a front-page story on March 8.
The petition called on Congress to repeal Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. That provision allows the FBI to search bookstore and library records. A search warrant is still required, but it comes from a special court in Washington, D.C., and the standard is lower than the “probable cause” required for the usual search warrant.
The Tattered Cover stores in Denver collected more than 4,000 signatures, Mariah’s in Durango had 1,200, and Off the Beaten Path in Steamboat Springs had 600.
But the Book Mine had only one, owner Carol Hill’s — until the paper hit the streets. When we talked to her a couple of days later, she said she was already on the third page, with more people waiting to sign.
“It’s no one’s business what people read,” she said, and “The idea of the government rifling through our records is offensive.”
Many bookstores and libraries have adjusted to Section 215 by frequently purging their records. Dick Noyes, owner of the Chinook Bookstore in Colorado Springs, explained “Our intent is simple. Let the bad guys come in and search. We don’t have what they’re looking for.”
John Suthers, U.S. Attorney in Denver, said Section 215 has never been used by federal investigators, and that it applies only to investigations of terrorism not involving U.S. citizens.