The Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights (CCDBR) was founded in 1960 as the Midwest office of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation. CCDBR cut its teeth on the successful struggle to abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). In the years after, CCDBR organized around numerous projects involving police spying workers’ rights to organize, problems of criminal justice, immigrants’ rights, and separation of church and state. Since September 11, CCDBR has risen up against the mounting laws and executive orders that threaten civil liberties under the guise of national security. CCDBR hosted a coalition to call for repeal of the PATRIOT Act in Illinois legislature, and worked to draw attention to threats to freedoms built into the Homeland Security Act, the “No Child Left Behind” Act, the “Protect America” Act, the Military Commissions Act, and various executive decisions.
Throughout our history, CCDBR has stood as an important vehicle for advocating for individual freedom and challenging government infringement upon civil liberties.