Hello Freedomphiles!  Do you remember a Freedom File I wrote called You Don’t Need Those Pesky Civil Rights, Do You?  Here’s an excerpt:

Did you know that the Boston PD is asking local residents in high-crime areas to sign away their 4th Amendment rights?  Did you know that the most astonishing thing about it is that the people are doing it?

Under the experimental program, dubbed "Safe Homes," teams of police officers assigned to Boston’s public schools will hunt for leads on youths believed to have guns. Tips might come from neighbors, or even parents or guardians, who are often fearful of their own children. Three plainclothes officers and a clergyperson or community activist will show up at the youth’s home. The officers will ask parents to sign a form allowing the search of the home, including the child’s room. Weapons found in the child’s possession will be seized, and no charges will be filed unless the weapon is linked to a violent crime. "This is an interaction between human beings, where common sense will prevail," Edward Davis, Boston’s police commissioner, told TIME.

This just mystifies me.  Who knows what they will find during these searches?  They’ve only promised not to prosecute gun crimes.  What if they find drugs or stolen property?  You’ve already incriminated yourself.

I would think that since these neighborhoods are made up of people who didn’t even have civil rights until about 40 years ago, they’d be extra careful to safeguard them. 

I was stunned that they were willing to just throw away their rights like that.  Well, some of my faith in humanity has been restored.  The Boston Globe reports:

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people’s homes and search for guns without a warrant.

The program, dubbed Safe Homes, was supposed to start in December, but has been delayed at least three times because of misgivings in the community. March 1 was the latest missed start date.

One community group has been circulating a petition against the plan. Police officials trying to assuage residents’ fears have been drowned out by criticism at some meetings with residents and elected officials.

Officers may begin knocking on doors this week, officials said yesterday, but instead of heading into four troubled neighborhoods, as they had planned, officers will target only one, Egleston Square in Jamaica Plain, where police said they have received the most support.

Way to go, Boston!  Looks like the New England primordial ooze from which American liberty sprung is still alive!