The Maryland State Police said Monday it will allow 53 activists wrongly classified as terrorists in a police database to bring an attorney with them to view the files before they are destroyed.
Police initially planned to allow only the individual wrongly entered into the State Police’s Case Explorer criminal intelligence database to view the file. Police also are allowing individuals to obtain a copy of the file.
The American Civil Liberties Union protested, saying many of the activists were reluctant to go to State Police offices unaccompanied.
Activists included in the database included anti-war and anti-death penalty activists as well as members of an environmental group.
The State Police’s announcement came only hours before a protest by the Defending Dissent Foundation was scheduled to take place outside police headquarters in Pikesville. The group said Monday evening that the protest still would be held.
– AP and Carolyn Peirce
