Refusal to present ID sparks test of rights — by Karen Abbott

Introduction by Sean/iNoodle.com:

This is the news story which is referred to in the Doris Colmes article I posted, along with an introduction, on November 30. While this case may seem relatively petty on the surface, we concerned citizens mustn't stand on the sidelines while our precious civil liberties are eroded, day by day, to the point that we may no longer have recourse to openly resist government intrusion.

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by Karen Abbott
Rocky Mountain News (Colorado, US)
November 29, 2005

Federal prosecutors are reviewing whether to pursue charges against an Arvada woman who refused to show identification to federal police while riding an RTD bus through the Federal Center in Lakewood.

Deborah Davis, 50, was ticketed for two petty offenses Sept. 26 by officers who commonly board the RTD bus as it passes through the Federal Center and ask passengers for identification. [...]

Davis is to appear before a magistrate judge in Colorado U.S. District Court on Dec. 9.

"We don't believe the federal government has the legal authority to put Deborah Davis in jail, or even make her pay a fine, just because she declined the government's request for identification," said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which has taken up the case.

"She was commuting to her job," Silverstein said. "She wasn't doing anything wrong. She wasn't even suspected of doing anything wrong."

"Passengers aren't required to carry passports or any other identification documents in order to ride to work on a public bus," he said. [...]

Click here for the full Rocky Mountain News article.